On tour with AS Roma in North America: The player’s story
What happens when a European football club goes on a pre-season tour? 19-year-old Italian midfielder Lorenzo Di Livio takes us inside the Roma camp on their summer tour of North America to reveal what life is really like on the road for a professional footballer…
By Lorenzo Di Livio
Day 1
I’m Lorenzo Di Livio and this is Day 1 of my AS Roma tour diary for Medium. Football is my passion and I hope that one day it could be my profession.
I like to play as a trequartista — the playmaker in midfield, behind the forwards. I’m still young, I’m 19, and I know I still need to improve my technical skills — and in that regard there is no better experience for me than going on this Roma tour of North America.
This summer the coach Luciano Spalletti has already given me and other guys in the Primavera, the club’s junior team, the chance to go on the club’s training camp in northern Italy and these opportunities to work with the first team really give younger players like me the chance to show what we can do but also learn a lot of new things. When you are playing alongside some of the best players in the world each day, you can’t help but improve.
This actually is not my first tour — I went to Australia with the team last summer. On that occasion I was a bit scared, because I did not know how to approach the senior pros — but after a while you realise they are all normal guys that want to help. They were the youngest in the squad once too!
Now I have got used to travelling with them, especially because last season the youth team played in the UEFA Youth League and often went with the squad when they had Champions League matches.
The first time I went to the United States I was 14, it was a vacation in Miami with my family. Two years ago I returned with the Primavera, when we played in a tournament here over Christmas. It is always a great experience to be in America: the culture fascinates me, because it is so different from Europe but also what you expect from TV.
I’m slowly getting used to all the travel we have to do, especially the flying. I am getting better at passing the time — watching movies, for example. On the way to Boston I watched two, ‘Batman v Superman’ and ‘The Hateful Eight’, by Quentin Tarantino. I sat next to Edoardo Soleri, who has been my roommate for the last three-and-a-half years now.
Day 2
Yesterday was pretty much our first day of training in the United States — and I was up at three in the morning! The time difference was having its effect. My room-mate Edoardo Soleri woke up at the same time as well, so after a while we decided to have breakfast anyway: it was 10 in Italy after all!
The place where we’re staying, Cambridge, is really nice. In the morning, as a group we all made the walk to the gym at Harvard. It was only five minutes but it was something which would hardly be a simple task for many of my team-mates in Rome, so it was a special feeling for a lot of us.
We are lucky enough to be able to train at perhaps the most famous university in the world. Many talented people have studied at Harvard, including the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg. He had a genius idea that has taken root all over the world. I have seen the film ‘The Social Network’: I don’t know how accurate it is but I really liked it anyway.
Social media is now a big part of many people’s lives, mine included. When I was younger, I used Facebook more often but not so much nowadays because Instagram has taken over. However, I like to keep my profiles private just so I know who is following me.
I really should thank my team-mates here in Boston: they’re ensuring I’m not missing my family and friends too much. We are playing a bit on the PlayStation at the hotel — Federico Ricci has been beating me but the best player so far has been Soleri. However, I’m confident that will change soon…
We had a game of football tennis in the morning training session on Sunday. I was in the same team as Crisanto, Soleri and Seck — playing against Gyomber, Romagnoli and De Santis. Obviously we ended up the winners! Jokes aside though, we all really enjoy these games — it’s a fun way to train.
If I had to choose three players for my team, I think I would pick Leandro Paredes, Florenzi and Soleri. When Leo receives the ball he never makes a mistake, Ale is a fighter and gets to everything thanks to his speed, while Edoardo is fantastic at hitting winners close to the net. It would be a dream team!
Day 3
When a player from the Primavera squad joins the first team for pre-season training you really have to pay attention to the little details: You cannot go an inch wrong or you will let in a fast break or a goalscoring opportunity. Me and the other young guys here have to keep up the pace and cannot let our concentration drop for a second.
In that regard the coach is great, he is definitely someone who really explains everything in the best way and adds insight to each session — he explains all actions during training, because he wants to make you understand all the thinking behind his decisions on the pitch, and for a young player that is vital. Sometimes if he sees that we have not quite got the point during the session, afterwards he will take us aside and help us one-on-one. Having a coach willing to do that, to explain things so well, is a privilege.
Yesterday was really hot, and we had two training sessions. In the morning our first session was focused on athletics and building up our legs. At these temperatures it is hard work, you lose a lot of fluids, but you just have to embrace it as another mental test: you have to stay focused despite the conditions and the climate.
Even so, there was still time after our second session for one of my favourite things: calcio-tennis. It’s one of the best ways to end a day of training. You unwind a lot, you relax and enjoy it and there is always a bit of competition and banter with the lads.
We played a match against the coaching staff yesterday and somehow they beat us — they must have used all of their experience. I played with Soleri, D’Urso and Marchizzi and we lost to Pane, Andreazzoli, Baldini and … Eros De Santis! That’s right, one of our teammates betrayed us and went to play with the older guys!
Day 4
The coach gave us the morning off yesterday, so most of the squad took the opportunity to walk into Boston city centre and explore a little bit.
It is a very different city to what we are all used to of course, and much more modern in style than the centre of Rome, but I still think it has that European touch. In some ways it struck me as quite like London — and then I found out the region is called ‘New England’, so perhaps there is a relationship there!
I went around with Federico Ricci, and we did a bit of shopping. I bought a souvenir Harvard University sweatshirt, while he bought a few fridge magnets to bring back to his family. Then we went back to the hotel, because we had an outstanding issue to solve: I had to beat him on the games console! He was leading overall, but now I can report we are back on level terms…
In the afternoon we had training, and afterwards we met president Jim Pallotta and some of the other team investors. The president actually came on the field during the session and, as always, greeted us all one by one. He even came to talk with the younger players in the group, asking us about our impressions of the city. It was a nice touch to end another good day!
Day 5
Yesterday was a memorable day for me: the team had two training games, and it’s always nice to be able to play against different opposition. I got to play in both, about 22 minutes in each, which was great. In the first I replaced Florenzi, in the second it was El Shaarawy. Both times the coach played me on the left-hand side of a three-man attack.
It was another scorching day in Boston so Spalletti asked us to look after the ball as much as possible. The morning opponents, the Boston Bolts, made a good impression on me. We won 5–1, but they tried to push forward against us despite the pedigree of many of the players they were playing against. Global Premier Management FC were a bit more defensive, a different test, with the final result being 3–0.
The best part of the day, however, came after dinner. The squad got together and went for a walk down Cambrige Main Street. To be able to relax and get to know idols like De Rossi, Florenzi, Totti and Strootman has been an absolute privilege for all the Primavera players on this tour. I truly enjoyed the evening!
Day 6
Yesterday we were given the morning off, so I went with some of my teammates to do some shopping in downtown Boston. Others chose instead to have a little extra rest, while some took the opportunity to get a fresh haircut!
I bought a few things — a Boston Celtics cap, and another Harvard top. I already had a similar sweatshirt, but I wanted to get a second one to have a gift to give to my sister.
In the afternoon we had training: the first part of the session was tactical, as coach Spalletti explained some of his preferred movements in certain situations. In the second half of the session we worked on our shooting, ending with a 10 v 10 practice match.
In the evening the president, Mr Pallotta, hosted us at a restaurant run by his sisters and mother. We all went along, staff as well, and there were plenty of jokes and laughs and it was a good evening. I really liked the pizza with mozzarella. I sat at the table with Lobont, Strootman, Ricci, Soleri, D’Urso, Marchizza, Crisanto and Mario Rui — we really enjoyed ourselves!
After that there was not much time left in the day, so we returned to the hotel — with double training on Friday we needed to rest.
Day 7
On Friday we woke up to plenty of rain: it was the first day that has not been sunny here in Boston, but the heat had certainly not gone away.
That meant that in the morning we had a session in one of the Harvard gyms instead of training on the pitch. We did a series of high-intensity exercises, so the session was one of the hardest so far. Then we went back to the hotel for lunch, where we celebrated the birthdays of my Primavera teammate Andrea Romagnoli and team manager Manolo Zubiria.
In the afternoon the weather had cleared up so it was back to Ohiri Field for a tactical session. A young boy called Tommaso was also there, a fan who lived an incredible dream the previous day — he was invited to come into the hotel by the president and was able to have lunch with the squad. He had come a long way on his own to see the team and initially he was very emotional at the moment, but soon he relaxed and enjoyed an unforgettable experience.
I admire the courage he showed, and above all I understand it: I also had the same wish when I was his age and I felt the same sort of awkwardness in front of champions like Totti and De Rossi. But now I’m training with them!
Day 8
Today we set off for St. Louis but first here’s what happened during our final day in Boston.
As has been the case most of this week, we finished with a double training session at Harvard University. Once again I was surprised at just how many fans turned out to watch us work: I really did not expect such interest, and such a great reception, when we are so many miles from home.
In the evening the coach gave us the freedom to go out to dinner, so I went out with my fellow Primavera teammates and Federico Ricci. I had sushi, while many of my teammates went with red meat. It was a great evening, we all talked about our impressions and memories of this first leg of the tour. There were many jokes and lots of laughter, so that was a great way to end the week.
I will go away from Boston with great memories, I really like the city and I am happy that Roma gave me the chance to visit somewhere I had never been before. Now it’s off to St. Louis, Missouri. There, another new experience awaits for me because on Monday we will be play a friendly against Liverpool, another big European team.
Day 9
After leaving Boston yesterday morning, in the early afternoon we reached St. Louis — where it was particularly hot and quite humid. We are staying at a hotel very near Busch Stadium, the venue for Monday’s game against Liverpool.
Busch Stadium is the home of the Cardinals, the city’s baseball team. Baseball is not really among my favourite sports, because it is just so different to what we are used to in Europe — but the presentation of the games in this country is undoubtedly very impressive and one day I would quite like to experience it live.
In the afternoon we trained at the stadium, which is a really nice venue. It feels a bit strange playing on the pitch there, given both that the field and the stands are odd shapes and angles, but we will see how it is during a game. I really hope to get onto the pitch against Liverpool tonight.
For the young players here like myself it is valuable to be able to see other ways of playing than the Italian style, to better understand their philosophy and ways of thinking about the game. Jurgen Klopp’s team have some great players, and one of them is Philippe Coutinho — he is a very strong footballer, a real technician that I love to watch. It would be great to play against him, even for just a few minutes!
Day 10
We had our first big pre-season friendly yesterday, against Liverpool. The day started off with some muscle activation in the morning then we had a team meeting with the coach and his backroom team in the late afternoon.
They talked us through the game and underlined the importance of keeping our balance, especially in midfield, telling us to focus on maintaining our positions in relation to the other players around us.
When we arrived at Busch Stadium, we got a wonderful reception. The atmosphere was much like I expected it to be, although it’s very different to what we’re used to at stadiums in Italy. I think the crowd enjoyed the game — we certainly did.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to play, but for me and the other younger lads it’s a great learning experience just being able to watch games like that from pitchside. It’s very different to watching from the stands. Down on the pitch you get to hear the coach’s instructions and everything else that’s happening, like the sound of the ball and all the shouting on the pitch.
We won the game 2–1 thanks to goals by Dzeko and Salah and I thought we were good value for the win as we created more than Liverpool did.
I also got to see Coutinho and Sturridge in action up close and I must say I was really impressed by Coutinho. His pace and technical ability are phenomenal — I honestly think he’s up there with some of the greatest players in the world.
After the game we were all given a Cardinals cap and a baseball. I’ve already put my cap to good use and I’m going to look after it — it’s great souvenir.
That’s all for today because we’re about to take off. Montreal, next stop.
Day 11
So now we are in Canada! It’s my first time in the country. Last season the Primavera squad went to Toronto for their pre-season preparations, but I was with the first-team squad in Melbourne at the time so did not take part in that trip.
It is always great to have the chance to visit a new country and Montreal seems like a beautiful place, even if yesterday we did not get much chance to explore it. We landed shortly after midday and then had lunch in the hotel, before heading to the Montreal Impact’s training complex for a training session.
We play the Impact tonight, and it looks like we will have many fans there. Lots of supporters were at the training session yesterday, and some around the hotel too. It was great to see them — it is always inspiring to hear Roma anthems sung when we are thousands of miles away from home!
Today is the final big test of this tour, which has already been great — but a good performance against the Impact would be the icing on the cake. We want to win, of course, but also we need to do all the things the coach has been asking of us these last few weeks.
Tomorrow I will tell you how it went.
Day 12
I’m afraid this is my final diary from Roma’s tour. I am currently at Montreal Airport, along with my teammates, ready to go home.
Yesterday was the last game of our tour of North America: we faced the Montreal Impact and we managed to grab the win, thanks to goals from Edin and Radja. It was a friendly game, of course, but afterwards the fans all around the ground got up and gave us a standing ovation. It’s something that very rarely ever happens in Europe, and I really admired the gesture.
Montreal is the city I liked most on this tour — the people are polite, and the buildings and culture are all fascinating. I’d definitely like to return one day — with time to explore — as it seems like a place that has a lot to reveal.
Unfortunately we are now at the end of what has been an unforgettable experience for me, I will always carry these weeks in my heart.
I really want to thank my Primavera teammates: Crisanto, D’Urso, De Santis, Marchizza, Romangnoli … and especially the bomber, Edo Soleri, my roommate who has been a great friend for a long time now.
What I learned during this pre-season above all is that, in football, the most important attribute for the career of any footballer is in the head. The right mentality is crucial, a lesson I will not forget.
Thank you all, see you soon and forza Roma!
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