Former Vermont Green FC Forward Gevork Diarbian Aiming For MLS
After his debut season with The Green and four years of collegiate soccer under his belt, Gevork Diarbian has his eyes set on MLS.
Gevork Diarbian only spent a short time in Burlington this summer but he made friendships that will last a lot longer. After the conclusion of his senior year at Providence College, the Rhode Island native has his eyes set on MLS.
The forward told The Blazing Musket in an exclusive interview that he will be declaring for the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.
Diarbian quickly became a fan favorite with his attention-grabbing ability on the ball. He constantly would bolt down the wing and put defenders on the ground with his skill and technique. In his short stint with The Green, he tallied four goals.
“Vermont Green was definitely a great experience for me,” Diarbian said. “Playing in that atmosphere, and just being around, a lot of new guys definitely helped me in my game to kind of experience something different. Vermont, Green was just an awesome experience in the summer. I was there for one month or two months and it was definitely good for me, and it helped develop my game as well and just being around those fans, and just everything about Vermont was just an awesome experience. So, definitely a lot of takeaways from that.”
While fans might expect one of his goals to be something he looks back on from the summer, Diarbian remembers the training sessions where friendships were truly forged.
“I feel like the training sessions, being around all the guys,” the forward said when asked about the moments that stand out from the summer. “I feel like, we were very close as teammates, and built my relationship with them off the field as well. So the guys have made an impact, just being close with them, as well as just playing at home in those stadiums, it was just an amazing feeling. So I would definitely say those memories will last forever.”
But Diarbian’s time in Vermont is just a moment in the span of his growth as a player. He spent four years at Providence College where he tallied 12 goals and 17 assists in 64 games. His performance earned him three All-Big East Second Team honors.
This past season Diarbian started all 17 games for the Friars and secured the game-winning goal in Providence’s 1-0 upset against then-ranked No.5 Georgetown.
But beyond the honors and accolades, playing at Providence was a dream come true for the Cranston native.
“I mean since I was a little kid, Providence has always been a dream school for me,” he stated. My brother went there as well so, I've always been part of Providence, and I used to always go visit him, and there was no other school that I wanted to go to except Providence. Just being a local guy, seeing my family and friends come and watch me play was just an amazing feeling for me, seeing them when I was playing. It went by so quick. I can't believe it’s over now but looking back at it, it was definitely a successful career for me. I wish the best of luck for them. It was definitely a lifelong memory that I will always have in my life.”
Spending all four years at one school allowed for Diarbian to mature as a player but also at a person.
“I feel like as a person, as a player, I feel like I've matured a lot,” Diarbian said. “Freshman year, I feel like it was a lot of new things. I was learning from the coaches, as well as the program, and a bunch of the older guys as well. I kind of had to adapt, but as I got older, I feel like my game has changed in a lot of ways and I feel like the maturity part has definitely played a big part of that. So, I would definitely say there's a lot of things that I would take away, but I feel like being mature and kind of seeing how my game has grown as a player and how dangerous I can be is definitely a big impact for me.”
With the 2024 MLS SuperDraft on the horizon, Diarbian could once again have his dream come true. While any MLS club will do for the forward, playing for the New England Revolution would surely be special for Diarbian. Especially considering that he is a product of their Academy.
With his familiarity with the club, Diarbian has gone on trial with the Revolution on multiple occasions including his most recent training stint with Revs II.
“I've been at the Revolution for two years now playing with the Academy,” he stated. “So I definitely have a good connection with them as well. It was my sophomore year, I actually was in Peoria for some for USL 2 and actually did the same thing where I left Peoria and I went to go train with the Revs for a little bit, about a two-week spread."
“It's definitely developed me and helps me to see the professional level and how these guys kind of work and the difference between a lot of other players as well as the teams and how they run,” Diarbian added. “I feel like it definitely has kept me to a very high standard. It was a good experience for me to play with the Revs and also see a bunch of the guys that used to play with Academy as well as the coaches. So yeah, definitely have a good connection with them.”
Between his time with Providence, Vermont Green, and the Revolution Academy, Diarbian will have the entire region cheering him on wherever he ends up playing. It will just take some time to see where the game takes the forward next.