FCT 253 reveals first Italian import for NPSL side

TACOMA, WA— FCT 253 has revealed their first Italian import for the men’s NPSL side. He’s 26-year-old forward Oussama Essabr.

Oussama came through the Juventus youth system, and after a very successful time with Primavera squad, he was loaned to Serie B side Vicenza.

In June 2009, he returned to Juventus but was loaned again in August, this time to Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Arezzo.

He went on making 18 appearances and scored once during the 2009-10 Lega Pro championship before returning to Juventus in June 2010. Essabr spent the next two seasons on loan, to Cosenza and Crotone respectively, appearing 23 times and scoring 5 goals.

After being released by Juventus in July 2012, Essabr signed for Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Prato on a free transfer.

Oussama spent two weeks in February 2014 with Impact Montreal, for its pre-season.

“I’d like to become a professional player in the USA and play in MLS,” Essabr told the club website. “The experience I had last year with Impact Montreal made me think that this is my soccer. I hope to be luckier the next year!” When it comes to playing professionally in America, he knows it is harder than the rest of the world thinks it is.

“Forget (the idea) that American soccer is not a high level one. It is a movement growing exponentially even on the technical side. This country is hungry of soccer and wants to love this “new” sport even if it doesn’t belong to its culture. I’m sure that in the next five years US soccer is going to tie the gap with Europe.”

Oussama Essabr was born in Morocco in 1989 and has both Moroccan and Italian nationality. Essabr came to Seattle in 2008 with Juventus Primavera for the friendly match against the USL Sounders (Seattle won, 3-0.)