Cavalluzzo is conquering the comeback trail

After a promising start to his 2018 season, Toronto FC II goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo is powering through rehab on a ruptured Achilles.

If you watched Toronto FC II at the beginning of this USL season, the club’s goalkeeper definitely caught your attention. Angelo Cavalluzzo played in five matches for the Canadian squad, tallying 16 saves and a clean sheet. Then, his promising campaign was ended by a ruptured Achilles tendon. “It’s definitely the worst injury I’ve had,” Cavalluzzo says. “Rehab is going well. I’m about 10 weeks in, so I’m finally able to start walking out of the boot they had me in, which is nice. And I’ve started to do some strength work in the gym now as well.”

While their goalkeeper’s progress is positive, this season has been anything but that for TFC2. They have yet to win a match, while their first-choice keeper was either healthy or injured. “It’s really frustrating only being able to watch and not contribute. And being injured puts me on a different schedule from the rest of the team, so I don’t get as much interaction with them either,” he explains. “So obviously, as an injured player, you feel disconnected at times.”

Despite the frustration, the 25-year-old is not letting this process get him down. He says, “I’ve been getting very involved with the coaching side of things within Toronto FC’s Academy and the club has been very supportive in helping me get my coaching licenses, which I’ve begun. So I’m trying to at least use this time I have and put it to good use to further my knowledge of the game.”

His work with the TFC Academy takes Cavalluzzo back to where his journey began with the club. He joined the youth ranks in 2012. Unlike when he started, there is now a direct pipeline from the Academy to the USL to the first team. “It’s really awesome to see what the next step is all the way from 12 years old to the first team. And, you take information from all of the different coaches as you go to help you progress,” he says. “It’s also really nice to be able to come into the training ground every day as a young kid and run into a first or second team player and see that they’re doing the same sorts of things you are. So, it validates all of the hard work you put in every day.”

Not only has the setup for Toronto FC grown, the sport of soccer has become a bigger fixture in his native Canada over the last ten years. He credits the MLS sides and their creation of youth academies. “I think all of this has raised awareness for the sport and really provided some great opportunities for young Canadian footballers either professionally or with the ability to go south and play in the NCAA,” the Hamilton, Ontario native says.

Cavalluzzo is also excited about the upcoming Canadian Premier League. He explains,”It’s difficult to say how big it will become but I think some of the markets that have announced teams have done well and made it really seem like it could be a good option for Canadian footballers to develop.”

Like his favorite goalkeeper growing up, Gianluigi Buffon, Angelo Cavalluzzo won’t let anything get in the way of his passion for the game. Once he is back healthy, you can expect to see big-time saves from the massively talented Canadian keeper.

Carson A Merk

Reporting live from Sin City, I have covered both RGVFC and Las Vegas Lights FC since their inceptions. I also write profiles to highlight players from the NCAA to USL to NWSL and everywhere in between.