PHOENIX RISING FC

Rising FC signs 17-year-old academy player, Phoenix native Alex Krzykos

Jun 21, 2020, 3:00 PM | Updated: 7:45 pm

Alex Krzykos (Photo via Phoenix Rising)...

Alex Krzykos (Photo via Phoenix Rising)

(Photo via Phoenix Rising)

Phoenix Rising FC signed its fifth academy player in club history, the team announced Saturday morning.

Alex Krzykos, a 17-year-old Phoenix native, will join his hometown soccer club.

“It all happened really fast,” Krzykos said in a statement. “I was just watching these guys play in the stadium a year ago and now I’m playing with them. I’m still getting over the nerves but it’s exciting. It’s incredible. The intensity is a lot higher than what I’m used to, but I think it is a great place to develop.”

Krzykos has played youth soccer with Moon Valley SC and spent more than 10 years with SC del Sol in North Phoenix.

He will maintain his amateur status and register as a United Soccer League Academy Player.

“He has been very positive. He is always smiling. We decided it would be best for the club to have him with us for the rest of the season as an academy player,” Rising head coach Rick Schantz said in a statement. “Not only will he help us in training but if he does well, he’ll also have the opportunity to see time in matches.”

Schantz said signing a homegrown player is a sign that youth soccer is growing in the state.

“It’s great to see. Until Arizona United and Phoenix Rising and even FC Tucson, there was never really any high level youth soccer for players in Arizona,” Schantz said.

“Now, we are finding there are a lot of very good players in the state. They don’t have to leave to go to Salt Lake City or California anymore. They now have an opportunity to be part of Phoenix Rising and to be a professional. We now have a full youth-to-pro pathway.”

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