Cobi Illian
Chicago Fire Youth Soccer Club
General Information
Academic Information
Name: Cobi Illian DOB: 09/18/1996 Location: Long Grove, IL NCAA ID: 1310506327 Height: 5’ 10” Weight: 148 lbs Email: info@scholarathleteusa.com Contact Number: (708) 496-6662
High School: Graduation Date: GPA: ACT: Major Interest: Extra-Curricular
Adlai E. Stevenson HS June 2015 4.0 TBC Math/Finance High School Fundraisers (Project Dance)
Athletic Information Club Team: Club Coaches: HS Coach: Position: History • 2012-13: • 2012: • 2011: • 2009-11: • 2009:11: • 2008-12: • 2009-10: • 2011-12: •
Chicago Fire Youth Soccer Club Marc McElligot – mmcegillot@chicago-fire.com Larry Sunderland – lsunderland@chicago-fire.com TBC Right Midfielder
Chicago Fire Academy DP Kick It 3v3 National Champions (‘97 Boys Elite Invitational Division) Hertfordshire (UK) County Squad St. Albans District Squad Player of the Year – Verulam School (St. Albans, UK) Watford FC Player Development Squad Luton Town FC Performance Squad MK Dons Advanced Center Squad
Has also been doing additional training with EFT Performance Center Please click on the picture below to view the video footage
Video Coming Soon
Cobi Illian brings European style to Stevenson
h6p://www.highschoolcubenews.com/news_ar>cle/show/284641?referrer_id=596370
Cobi Illian moved to Europe in sixth grade. Since returning to the U.S., he's brought addi=onal elements to his game. Stevenson midfielder Cobi Illian (25) charges through two Warren players Sept. 7. | Mark Ukena/For Sun-‐Times Media LINCOLNSHIRE — There is something recognizable about the way Cobi Illian plays soccer. “Watch his mannerisms. The way he shelters the ball with his body,” Stevenson coach Mark Schartner said. “It comes from an English style.” That style — where body posi=on is stressed first before making the correct touch — doesn’t come from watching soccer across the pond. It comes from par=cipa=ng. Illian, a 5-‐foot-‐10, 150-‐pound Patriots junior, grew up in Cary. But in sixth grade, he moved to Europe with his family. He lived just north of London in a city called St. Albans. There, he played for a local team called Kings Langley. Illian honed his skills on a developmental club team, learning English methodology on the pitch. “Mostly tac=cal stuff. They emphasize looking forward, how to look more for dangerous passes to create chances,” Illian said. Saturday, that European-‐fueled aggressiveness displayed itself when Stevenson played Warren in a game that was eventually p ostponed by lightning (no makeup date had been set as of Monday). Midway through the first half of a scoreless game, Illian was up top as the Patriots regained possession on their side of the field. Junior defender Sam Zwirn passed the ball to senior Cesar Navarro. The striker trapped the ball in space, then stroked a pass up the field toward a streaking Illian. The ball led Illian, who did not break stride as it came to his feet ahead of the Blue D evil defense. With his right foot, he launched a shot over the charging goalkeeper. The ball found the back of the net for a 1-‐0 Patriots lead. It was a play that required a mul=tude of talents all converging at once. “We worked the day before developing the drill that accented what happened on that play,” Schartner said. “The concentra=on it takes to have a goalie coming at you at full speed, that’s a kid who has prac=ced (quite a bit).” Illian added, “The second the ball is placed through, I knew there was a chance I could get to it. I was planning on pueng it over the keeper’s head.” While Illian learned how to make English-‐style plays from =reless training and prepara=on, he did pick up a few tricks by watching. His father, Jeff, played soccer at Carnegie Mellon University and in adult leagues afer college. When in England, his parents would occasionally take him and sister Sabrina, a sophomore soccer player at Stevenson, to local pubs to watch the Premier League or the English Championship Division. He and his schoolmates would argue over which was the beger team — Illian prefers Manchester United — and talk about players and strategy. Since he’s been back in the United States, Illian has no=ced a higher level of knowledge about the game. He said his American friends are star=ng to have the same debates he had in England.
“There’s increased coverage now. You can watch every game now,” Illian said. “That will help give people more exposure to it.”
And a beger understanding of Illian’s dis=nct, English style of soccer.
Scholar Athlete USA
info@scholarathleteusa.com
(708) 496-6662