Former D.C. United star Santino Quaranta to coach high school soccer in Baltimore
Santino Quaranta was one of the top players ever to emerge from the Baltimore soccer scene, a star at Archbishop Curley High School before earning an opportunity to attend U.S. Soccer’s prestigious Bradenton Residence program in Florida.
He eventually became the youngest player in history to be drafted by Major League Soccer when D.C. United selected him as a 16-year-old phenom in 2001 (a record which was later broken by United draftees Bobby Convey and Freddy Adu), beginning a decade-long pro career which also included a number of appearances with the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Now Quaranta, who called time on his playing career last year, is adding another facet to his growing coaching career in his hometown. Having already partnered with his childhood friend Sean Rush to found Pipeline Soccer Club, a nonprofit enterprise intended to provide opportunities for local talent to develop as elite players, he and Rush have joined the coaching staff of the boys soccer team at The Friends School in north Baltimore.
“I’m not a big fan of ‘kick and run’ soccer that a lot of teams play,” Rush told the Baltimore Sun. “Our 8-year-old girls [club team] can do it, so high school boys should be able to do it as well.”
