From construction work to MLS stardom: Orlando City’s Marco Pašalić opens up about his path to pro football

Marco Pašalić, Orlando City's 24-year-old winger, has taken an unconventional route to professional soccer. Growing up in Germany as the son of Croatian immigrants, Pašalić learned the value of hard work from an early age. At 18, he balanced his soccer aspirations with a job in construction, demonstrating the grit that would define his career. In a pre-match interview, the Croatian admitted that he worked while he was playing U18 and U19 football after leaving school.

“I think my childhood was good. But after this, when I go to school, I saw that school was not for me. And then my father told me I have to work and then I go to work. It was when I played in under 18, under 19 in Germany, you know,” Pasalic told MLS on Air.

“And for me, I was believing like I believe today in myself. And it was difficult, [but] it taught me a lot in my life. And when I took the next step to Croatia, then I finish the work before when I was in Dortmund, I finished it. And then, yeah, like football writes its own stories and my life also.”

Pašalić's rise to prominence is part of a broader trend of players with diverse backgrounds finding success in MLS. Now at Orlando City, Pašalić is proving to be a key player, having scored four goals in seven games, tied for third in the MLS Golden Boot race. Not only that, he also won Goal of the Matchday for a superb strike in Matchday 6.

After a hard fought goalless draw against the Philadelphia Union, Orlando City remain in sixth on the Eastern Conference table with 11 points after seven league games. They sit four points league leaders Columbus Crew (15) and host the New York Red Bulls next on April 12. Following that, the Lions go on the road to face CF Montreal on April 19 and then return home to host Atlanta United on April 26.