Getty ImagesAfter setbacks that turned into comebacks and then setbacks again, the USMNT defender intends to seize opportunity
Marlon Fossey has been waiting to tell this story but, before he could, there were some things he needed to accomplish and some things he had to leave in the past. The story wouldn't be particularly inspirational if he didn't. Without a big moment at the end, without that bow on top, there wouldn't be much of a story to tell. There needed to be that high point, that crescendo to tie it all together.
The high point came last month in Cincinnati. He felt it as he stared out into the crowd during the pregame rendition of the The Star Spangled Banner before a friendly against New Zealand. As he surveyed the stadium ahead of his first U.S. men's national team cap, Fossey felt as if one long, grueling chapter was over – and a newer, more exciting one was just getting started.
"I was just looking around," Fossey told GOAL, "and I think at that moment, I was like, 'OK, it's real now."
So begins story time with Marlon Fossey and, while it doesn't necessarily start in a sweaty gym at Fulham, it also kind of does. It's a story with more lows than highs, with setbacks that turned into comebacks and then setbacks again. Somehow, he's still standing – literally. It's a miracle his legs still work given the hurdles he's encountered.
This story comes alive with a USMNT debut, but, in Fossey's mind, it really extends back to a time in London when it seemed as if the rest of the soccer world forgot he existed.
