By Jacob Dickman
NKyTribune intern
For Dom and David Do, dreams can become a reality. But of course, as these two young men know, that does not come without struggle and sacrifice.
Born to Vietnamese immigrants in Louisville, Kentucky, both brothers found enjoyment in soccer at a young age.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I was 3 or 4 years old. Basically, as early as I can remember, I’ve always been playing soccer.” Dom said, trying to recount his early days of the sport he and his younger brother dream of playing at a professional level.
Dom Do (Photos provided)
But in order to achieve this dream, the brothers had to leave family behind and move away from the city in which they have lived all their lives.
Dom and David decided to play at the highest youth level they could find in Louisville, which led to the brothers joining the youth academy of Louisville’s USL team, Louisville City FC.
However, they quickly found that the skill level was not high enough, and realized that their best opportunity would be in Cincinnati, playing for FC Cincinnati’s youth academy.
“FC Cincinnati offered more benefits to the players, and it is just a better opportunity than it is in Louisville.” David said when recounting why they moved.
Leaving Louisville was understandably not easy for these two young men, as doing so would mean leaving their friends and family behind.
“Just my dad and brother, and [our] roommate from Argentina, moved with us, but my mom and the two youngest brothers are still back at home with my uncle’s family who just moved from Vietnam as well,” Dom said.
“[It was] very difficult leaving all my old friends behind,” said David, added to his brother’s statements on the difficulty of leaving Louisville.
Not only did the brothers have to leave Louisville, but they also had to integrate themselves quickly at a new school in Northern Kentucky.
Dom is currently a senior, which is one of the things he found toughest about the move. “Moving up here for my senior year was the hardest thing,” Dom said.
David Do
At first, he was nervous, a feeling which he and his brother share.
“I was pretty nervous just meeting new people that I have never met before.” David said.
Now, the boys are fitting right in, something Dom attributes to the welcoming nature of Northern Kentucky. “Everyone has been very welcoming to me. The first day I was very shy and wasn’t planning
on talking to many people, but everyone was always trying to get me to talk to them and including me in things.” Dom said enthusiastically.
And not only have they improved their skills on the pitch, but they have also learned from this experience. “You have to be patient with yourself,” Dom said, “not everything goes as planned…but you
have to be patient with the whole process. Learn from everything you have failed or succeeded from.”
“Give 100% in what you love and putting yourself out there.” David said when asked about what he has taken away from the whole experience.
As for where they go from here, that remains an unknown. For Dom, he hopes to play at a Division 1 school in the fall after he graduates from high school.
From there, he hopes to be drafted into the MLS, where he can live out his dream of being a professional soccer player.
In David’s case, he hopes to follow in the steps of his older brother, and play in the MLS as well.
Regardless of where they end up, this experience has taught these two brothers lessons that will help them succeed in or on any field.
Jacob Dickman is a student at Covington Catholic and the Mike Farrell intern at the NKyTribune.
