Sometimes players receive a single opportunity to stake a claim in the starting lineup, never knowing if another chance will arrive. This can happen at any point in a career, even in the first few months. Roman Celentano answered the call shortly after entering the professional game. The 21-year-old FC Cincinnati goalkeeper was forced to take the reins in April and has yet to surrender his spot in the lineup, helping a perennially struggling organization enter the Major League Soccer playoff hunt.
Celentano was born in Naperville, Illinois and played with the prestigious Chicago Sockers youth program, topping the Mid-American Conference and reaching the national quarterfinals in the now-defunct Development Academy league.