No break for this teen
Back to class, Liberato Cacace.
While the rest of the Wellington Phoenix squad disperses for their offseason break, the youngest member only has a few days left to enjoy his holiday. Then it’s off to school to play catch up on his studies.
Cacace admitted his attendance record took a hit after being whistled into the Phoenix at the back end of the A-League season following a series of consistent performances for the club’s reserves team.
Initially he was just a fill in on the bench during an injury crisis, but it turns out this kid can play, and he ended up making seven appearances with six of those coming as a starter.
In fact, looking back on the dismal season where the Phoenix only narrowly avoided the wooden spoon by beating Melbourne City in their final match, the emergence of the 17-year-old defender was a real bright spot and Cacace, who rides a red scooter with his learner’s plate visible, thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
‘‘Sometimes I have to pinch myself to think I’m playing for the Phoenix and to think I’m actually playing well. It’s a dream come true,’’ said the player who grew up supporting the Nix and attended his first match seven years ago.
‘‘Being here, growing up here, being an academy product and coming through to the first team. It motivates me more to become a consistent player and now to have people in Wellington say I used to go to school with you and now I see you at Westpac Stadium], it’s a bit funny having those encounters.’’
Through his role as prefect, Cacace recently recruited a band of his school mates to attend a home game against Brisbane Roar - his sole appearance at Westpac Stadium. He said it was awesome to have them in the crowd, dressed in their St Patrick’s College uniforms, cheering him.
‘‘A few weeks before I was on the bench against Perth Glory and I never got on. But this time playing the full 90 minutes and getting my first point for the club, it was a great experience to have them there along with me.
‘‘We needed a good amount of fans at the game and to have them support me helped me in my game. I could hear them and it’d push me even more. When I got cramp they told me to get up and keep going.’’
As well as having his school mates backing him, Cacace said his coaches and teachers have been very accommodating as he juggles sport and study, allowing him to ditch classes for training and vice-versa.
His teachers clearly got a kick out of seeing the New Zealand under-17 international playing on the professional stage too, and Cacace said one even threatened to write to the Fox Sports commentators after butchering the pronunciation of his name (for the record it’s ka-ka-che not ka-cha-che).
‘‘Rushing after training to school was quite hard because you’d be missing half the day. But having those supportive teachers and also the coaches, they always told me if you need time off training to go to school then you can. Some days leading up to my exams I’d maybe take one training off a week to focus on the exams but it’s been good, I’ve received some results already and I’ve been getting solid marks.’’
‘‘Dura [captain Andrew Durante] is a good family friend and he always helps me, same with Nathan Burns. They always ask if I’m balancing school because they say school is important.
‘‘My coaches Paul Temple and Chris Greenacre have always said if a big injury happens in your career then what’s going to happen or if I play bad this season or next and I get released, is there a backup option? So finishing school is big.’’
And he does have a back-up just in case. Cacace said accounting is the pick of the five subjects he takes and if football doesn’t work out then he plans to help run his father’s Italian restaurant in the Wellington suburb of Petone.
‘‘That’s why taking a business option at university would be quite good for me, for example next year when I don’t have school. When I retire I could take over my dad’s business.’’
Although it would be mad if he was not handed a professional contract for next season, Cacace must wait for the Phoenix to announce their new coach before negotiations can even begin.
And while the A-League season is over, Cacace is still keeping active. He recently attended a New Zealand under-20 training camp last week and said his goal is to not only make the squad for the World Cup qualifiers but to kick on to the All Whites too.
‘‘I want to put that national shirt on and play for my country. I’ll work hard for the under-20s and see if I can play for the country before the end of the year. I think he [coach Fritz Schmid] is big on youngsters and he came down for the camp and had a look at us.’’