Giacomo Vrioni Is Trusting The Process
Vrioni: "I'm trusting the process and trusting the coaches, and hopefully I will get in the starting lineup.”
Giacomo Vrioni is focused on getting better and helping his teammates.
The Designated Player hasn’t had the smoothest transition to Major League Soccer as an injury limited him to 248 minutes in seven appearances (two starts) in his first half-season.
Though healthier this year, Vrioni has only collected 602 minutes in 15 appearances (four starts).
The striker has looked sharp lately, collecting an assist against Orlando City and a game-winning goal against Toronto FC.
While scoring a goal is a great individual achievement, Vrioni is more focused on how it helped his team solidify their place near the top of the table.
“It was important because I helped the team to win the game against a team that at the end made it a little bit difficult,” Vrioni told media on Tuesday. “We are happy because we won at the end, and now we are focused for Saturday and the game with Cincinnati.”
Vrioni is feeling good after dealing with “a lot of problems on the patella” last year. He noted that “when you are not healthy, it’s more difficult to perform.” He feels strong now and is ready to help the Revs in any way he can.
Recently that has meant coming off the bench. Like any player, Vrioni wants to start, but he’s being patient and working hard with the hope that he will see his name in the first eleven.
“The more you play, the more you feel healthy on the fitness level, because the more you play, maybe the things will come,” Vrioni said. “But at the end, I'm trusting the process and trusting the coaches, and hopefully I will get in the starting lineup.”
Revolution head coach Bruce Arena noted, “[Vrioni’s] a young player who is not really experienced in the league yet, but he’s getting better.”
Vrioni agrees with the assessment that he has improved since joining MLS. He also understands that bumps on the road are part of the learning process.
“I'm still 24 years old,” Vrioni explained. “If I don't do mistakes, I will not learn, so I have to do mistakes because after mistakes I can learn why I do it. I have time to grow up and I am happy.”
Vrioni joined the Revs after a successful year on loan from Juventus in Italy to WSG Tirol of Austria. He was tied for the most goals in Austria during the 2021-2022 season.
Coming to the United States was a new adventure. While it hasn’t been the smoothest of transitions, Vrioni is staying optimistic.
“Working on every part with the strikers can make the difference,” Vrioni said when asked about his conversations with Arena. “I'm trying to do it and I have to grow up, of course. I want to learn because I came here to learn, and of course, I would like to do these things.”
I still think he's going to be the answer if he gets enough reps.