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Cellerino Prepares for New Challenge in New York

The Argentine forward is enjoying his first weeks on U.S. soil.
Published Sep 4, 2015
By Jason Lind (@JasonKLind)

Gastón Cellerino has scored goals in Tuscany, Spain, Argentina and Chile, but until a couple weeks ago he had never set foot in the United States.

“The food seems good,” the new Cosmos striker told NYCosmos.com of his brief culinary adventures stateside. “I’m practically always in my house – I spend a lot of time with my family – so I haven’t gotten a lot of it, but I’m getting used to it.”

Cellerino, a sturdy 6-foot-1, 29-year-old striker with experience in Chile and Argentina’s top leagues plus Italy’s Serie B and Spain’s Segunda División, will don the No. 8 with New York in the NASL.

“It’s a new day for me, a new start,” he said. “The truth is I’ve been fortunate to play around the world. I played in Europe, and I had spent two years playing in South America.

“When I was in Europe and South America I had a chance to learn more about the game and adapt to its rhythms in each place. Now that I’m here in the United States I’m ready to stay, learn more and share the experience with the great teammates I have here with the Cosmos.”

Cosmos head coach Giovanni Savarese told the media on Thursday that the newest member of his squad is available for selection, but it’s important that he’s comfortable before he sees match time.

“We just want to make sure he’s at his best,” Savarese said. “When we see him there in practice we’ll decide. It’s difficult to say if that’ll be tomorrow or the next day. When we see him reach that point, we’ll make a decision.”

It’s been less than three weeks since the club announced Cellerino’s signing, but the Boca Juniors youth system product is already starting to feel acclimated on the training pitch with his new teammates.

“From the first minute I’ve been feeling really good,” he said. “I felt the good vibes the moment I got here. The guys have been really great about integrating me into the team, and now I can say I feel very comfortable. I’ve gotten some rhythm. I’m able to train each day now knowing that I’m fitting in, and my teammates have my back.”

A powerful force in the box with a demonstrated ability to finish through his right foot and his head, Cellerino says he’s eager to seize an opportunity that, “virtually any other footballer in the world would want”: linking up with Raúl in the Cosmos attack.

“I want to give one hundred percent whenever possible,” said Cellerino. “And I want to do whatever necessary to have a good future here. I want to lend a hand to the team’s attack and play my role of striker. My principal goal is to give one hundred percent on the pitch and score goals.”

He’ll get a chance to do his job in a country with an increasing appetite for the sport.

“In South America we all talk about the American leagues like the NASL and MLS,” Cellerino said. “Simply put, these are leagues that have grown tremendously in the relatively small amount of time they’ve existed. There are good players here, no doubt. And I think little by little the leagues here gain notoriety around the world.”

Cellerino joins the second-highest scoring team in the league. The Cosmos’ 35 goals this season trail only Minnesota United FC’s 36. Riding an eight-game unbeaten streak, New York leads the league’s Combined Season Standings and sits just two points behind Fall Season leaders Ottawa Fury FC.

“Gastón was the player we thought would be the right guy for the moment,” said Savarese. “We approached him and now he’s here and available to play. We are just making sure that he adapts properly. We want to go through the whole procedure so he is ready to play and perform at his best.”