University of North Carolina Athletics
Captain Kirk: Urso a mainstay for the Tar Heels
December 8, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 8, 2011
by Neil Amato, TarHeelBlue.com
When a middle-school teacher urged Kirk Urso's math class to write down a goal and a dream, Urso took the assignment seriously.
He didn't set himself up for success with an easy goal. His vision was specific and challenging, yet reachable if he worked hard: To be selected for U.S. Soccer's Under-17 Residency Program.
About two years later, Urso could put a check mark beside that goal. He joined fellow "90" players (the year of his birth) in Bradenton, Fla., diving into accelerated schooling - the last three years of high school in two years - and accelerated training.
Some kids no doubt dream of winning the lottery or traveling around the world, hoping the dream will fall in their lap.
Urso, by reaching that initial goal, opened more doors and carved out a path to the dream he wrote down back in Lombard, Ill. As he's grown on the field and off, he probably feels like he's won the lottery.
"It's amazing how far a passion can take you," Urso said.
This weekend, Urso is going to his fourth consecutive College Cup. As captain of the North Carolina soccer team, he knows what it's like to play on this stage. He doesn't yet know what it's like to win on it.
But that's the goal, and Urso and the top-seeded Tar Heels (20-2-2) are two wins away.
In the first of what could be several reunions for Urso, the Tar Heels take on UCLA in the semifinals on Friday night (8:30, ESPNU) in Hoover, Ala. The first semifinal matches Creighton, the No. 2 seed, against Charlotte.
Creighton's coach is Elmar Bolowich, the same coach who was on the sideline for the Tar Heels' three most recent trips to the College Cup. Urso also has a close relationship with several opposing players.
UCLA's Andy Rose and Creighton's Greg Jordan were fair-haired club teammates with the Chicago Sockers. Urso met Rose first, probably around the age of 12.
"I remember we would always work together in practice, and we both had that ambition to make something out of the little drills," he said. "Just the memories from that, it's funny to think about (how) we both made it somewhere."
On his Twitter account, Urso wrote to Jordan: "You me and Andy, who would have though the three #sockersfc blondes (would) be in the College Cup."
Urso is a big reason the Tar Heels have a four-year streak of making it this far. He scored the winning goal in the NCAA quarterfinals his freshman and sophomore seasons and the tying goal last year that gave the Tar Heels the opportunity to advance in penalty kicks.
In each of last season's three NCAA tournament victories, the Tar Heels needed penalties to advance. Urso made all three of his. This season, he helped UNC to the ACC regular-season and tournament titles.
North Carolina has a 26-match home unbeaten streak, the longest active streak in the nation, and has won nine matches in a row overall. When Urso takes the field Friday against the Bruins, it will be his 90th match in a Tar Heel uniform, a school record.
Urso is solid in the midfield, able to strike the ball well with either foot. UNC coach Carlos Somoano is equally if not more impressed with Urso's efforts behind the scenes.
"He's our captain on and off the field," Somoano said. "When you talk about bringing a team close together off the field, you need guys like Kirk to do that. He said it best. We pride ourselves on trying to become a close-knit family and team, and there's a lot of things that go into doing that. There's a lot of time, just reaching out to the new players, communicating the message from the top and bridging the gap between the coaches and the players. He's done all those things."
Family is important to Urso, a theme passed down from his parents, Mike and Sandy, who rearrange work schedules and sometimes drive through the night to see Kirk play. They will make the drive from suburban Chicago to suburban Birmingham as if it's nothing: 700 miles compared with the 800 to Chapel Hill.
Kirk's older brother, Kyle, is making the drive as well - from New Hampshire. So, yes, family matters.
"A lot of teams say they are families but don't really embody that," Urso said. "We are a family. We have bonds that can't be broken no matter what happens."
Urso sacrificed family life for the goal of joining the residency program, but it was worth it. He played for the United States in the Under-17 World Cup. His passport has stamps for Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Portugal, Spain and elsewhere. His dream, the one he wrote down in middle school, is still intact: To someday play for Real Madrid, the famed Spanish club.
Interestingly enough, when Urso was playing in a showcase event in Orlando, before coming to UNC, he caught the eye of a Real Madrid scout and ended up training with the team for a week.
So you could say that dream is already realized. Urso, though, resets his goals with each season, each segment of his life. He's graduating later this month, but for this weekend the goals and dreams are one: Bring home an NCAA title.
