Buffalo Grove Native Shoots for Professional Soccer Contract

A Buffalo Grove native who is pursuing his dream of becoming a professional soccer player will have the opportunity this month to showcase his ability for talent scouts.

Gordy Gurson was among 11 male soccer players in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics who were accepted into the United Soccer Leagues (USL) PRO Combine. He will travel to Florida in late January, when he’ll be among 102 soccer players to play for American and International scouts and professional coaches. 

Gurson, 21, plays forward for Robert Morris University’s soccer team. He recently set a school record by scoring 44 goals in three years.

He will graduate in May with a degree in applied health studies. Patch caught up with this athlete to talk about his recent accomplishments and his goals — no pun intended.

The last time we talked, you were playing for the Chicago Inferno. What have you been up to since the summer of 2012? 

I have been training every day playing for Chicago Inferno indoor and outdoor as well as other teams on top of that. 

You were recently named Robert Morris University’s all-time leading goal scorer by making 44 goals in three years. Were you trying to set a school record? How did that feel?

I wasn't trying to set the record for goals scored. Once I found out that I did I felt very accomplished and felt that all my hard work has paid off throughout the three years at Robert Morris University. 

What do you hope happens at the USL PRO Combine? 

My goal for the USL PRO Combine is to get picked up by a team there or at least start making a name for myself in the pros.

Is there a specific professional soccer team you’d like to join?

If I had one choice to pick any team in the USL to play pro with I would probably choose the Dayton Dutch Lions because it's the closest team to home so hopefully my parents and friends would be able to make it out to some games.

What is a typical day like for you now? 

A typical day for me starts out with the gym at six in the morning until I have class at 8 a.m. I get out of class at 12 p.m. and then by then I go back to my apartment and then I nap and then I usually have multiple games and or practices at night and by the time I get home it's about 1 o'clock in the morning every night. 

What do you envision yourself doing a year from now? 

In a year from now I see myself playing professional soccer and having a great fan base like I do already from my parents and friends that follow me throughout my games whether they are home or away. I honestly couldn't have done it without them because they have kept me going and kept me pushing so I only owe it to them to keep going and having them keep supporting me.