From the Big Apple, to Sleeping Giant. The journey to Division I soccer hasn’t been easy for Sam McCann, thanks largely in part to a global pandemic, but he has become one of the rising young stars of the MAAC. The Stanford, Connecticut, native knows a few things about being a teammate on a big team, as he previously played for the New York City FC MLS Academy.

Pre-Covid, McCann signed for their youth academy, and made one appearance before it was cut short. Having had dreams of playing soccer professionally, the harsh reality that was 2020 was a major setback.

“I can’t even put it into words honestly,” McCann said. “You work your whole life to get up to the peak, and you finally reach that peak, and a virus comes through out of nowhere. It’s like an injury at this point. You don’t see it coming, and it breaks your heart.”

Having previously committed in his sophomore years of high school to West Point, McCann de-committed and attended a college ID camp at Quinnipiac, and instantly fell in love.

“You can see right here just how much everyone loves each other. I would put my body on the line at any time for these guys, and that’s really what I was looking for.”

Fast forward to now and McCann will be a part of an extremely new group who will be competing in their very first season in USL League 2. McCann is teaming up with fellow Quinnipiac forward Braage Aasen in Burlington, Vermont, for a new team called Vermont Green FC. Unlike Aasen, who will take this summer season to really get sharp heading into a high expectation MAAC season, McCann will use this as an opportunity to grow as a player.

Although he finished his first collegiate season off very well with four goals and five assists, he seemed to always be in the shadows of David Bercedo. The two have a very similar play style, and because of this, McCann at some points played in Bercedo’s shadows. However in a team without Bercedo in it, McCann has the opportunity to excel. Trademarked for his speed, and just being a pest in terms of implementing a high press, McCann will be playing against bigger and more physical players, so he is going to have to adjust.

While he isn’t afraid to get stuck in and put his body on the line, this league is going to make him more physical. He’s going to have to work for every ball, and this is going to really help him improve as a player.McCann is very good aerially, and it is one of his best attributes. Learning how to be more physical is really going to help him succeed when he returns to Hamden.

What does McCann add to this team? 

The first-year forward will give any team his all. Although for most of the season he came off the bench, his presence was always none on the field. Even if Quinnipiac were up by a substantial amount with little time left in the game, McCann could always be found pressing the opposition all the way to the goalkeeper. He may not be scoring the most goals, but the energy he brings can really lift a team and push them over the edge, and for a new team, this is vital.

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