WILLIAMS COLLEGE: Nick Pugliese '12 Playing Pro Soccer in Afghanistan
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – When the book, Only At Williams is written, this will surely be a chapter.
Those who know Nick Pugliese '12 as a high-energy, high achiever were not all that surprised that he ended up taking a job with Roshan Telecommunications in Kabul, Afghanistan, upon graduating from Williams. They were somewhat surprised to learn he is now playing professional soccer in Kabul.
A four-year key figure in the Eph midfield under head coach Mike Russo, Pugliese was a co-captain his senior year and played in 71 games for the Ephs, notching four goals and recording six assists.
He was also a three-time Academic All-NESCAC selection and received the NCAA's Elite 89 Award at the 2009 NCAA Tournament Final Four as the player with the highest grade point average. A political science and philosophy major, Pugliese was elected to Phi Beta Kappa as one of the class members in the top 5% of his class academically.
Pugliese left Roshan and joined Ferozi FC in time to play in the final three games of the Pre-Kabul Premier League Tournament that Ferozi won.
Four of Pugliese's teammates on Ferozi FC play on the Afghanistan National Team and two are members of the U19 Afghanistan Team.
"Nick Pugliese was a highly fit, indefatigable midfielder who could run all day," noted Russo. "He had a tireless work ethic. However, he was not just a runner as he scored some excellent goals; one a left footed blast from 20 yards out versus archrival Amherst in 2011 at Cole Field. He also possessed skill with the ball as he could play the final pass to his strikers as well as anyone in the league."
"I was not surprised that Nick chose to work in Afghanistan as he was always up for challenges and helping those not so well off as himself," Russo said. "It did surprise me when he left the company he worked for in Afghanistan to try professional soccer there but I do know Nick was passionate about the game and when the opportunity arose, he could not say no."
Gaston Kelly '11, played three years with Nick Pugliese and he is currently assisting Nick on the creation and operation of his website and blog – "Nick Plays Football in Kabul."
Kelly notes, "Nick was always a top-class teammate. An instrumental part of the "engine room" (the center midfielders) during our Final Four run in 2009. He was the tireless, behind-the-scenes key to our many successes. Nick held himself and others to an extremely high standard. He often led by example and earned the immense praise and respect of teammates, coaches, parents, and rivals."
"When I heard Nick was going to Kabul I can't say 'surprised' was my first reaction, but I was, however, shocked he would take a telecommunications job," Kelly stated. "He strikes me as somebody who would be an ambassador or an educator. I guess in more ways than one he is an ambassador now as a professional player in Kabul, representing himself, Williams, the US, and American soccer."
Having to decide between staying with Roshan Telecommunications and taking the opportunity to play professionally in the Kabul Premier League, Pugliese turned to Kelly for advice. "Gaston's someone I can talk to about difficult stuff and expect honest feedback," Pugliese stated.
"Nick asked me if I thought he should pursue soccer professionally and quit his job," said Kelly. "I told him that this was not a once in a lifetime opportunity, but rather a once in a million lifetimes opportunity and that he could really do something fantastic, if he felt moved and determined to pursue it."
Kelly added, "I voiced all of my concerns but as he told me more and more about the fantastic people he had encountered, the support network he could rely on, the family-like sense of team he had been adopted into, and the often-endearing anecdotes (that later became some of the first blog posts), it sounded like a true adventure," Kelly said. "I'm just happy he's decided to share his stories with us."
See Grant Wahl's SI.com feature -- American Nick Pugliese breaking barriers by playing in Afghanistan -- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130627/american-soccer-player-afghanistan-nick-pugliese/index.html
You can follow Nick Pugliese's soccer journey in Afghanistan on his website Football in Kabul website -- http://tumblr.footballinkabul.com/
