THUNDER BAY – Two members of the Thunder Bay Chill will soon be taking to the pitch with some of the best soccer players in the province.
Under-17 forward Alex Iossa and U15 centre-back Nathan Miller will play for Ontario’s XCEL teams in three games against a provincial squad from Quebec in Vaughan during the Victoria Day long weekend.
This marks the first time that Miller has made the XCEL squad, while Iossa is making his second straight appearance.
“I’m very excited,” Miller said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity to learn some new things.”
“You learn something every time you go down there,” Iossa added. “It’s always a brand new experience.”
There was a bit of a process for both players to make their respective teams.
Iossa and Miller each sent in footage from one of their games from last season to be evaluated.
From there, they were invited to a provincial screening competition in March, where they were evaluated once again and then selected for the final rosters.
“All of the players down there are really good and it makes for nice competition,” Iossa said. “You have to find a way to stand out and try your best.
“I was excited to make the team last year but I was even more excited this time around. It’s just a nice feeling to make it twice.”
Miller admitted that he was a little bit nervous during his first trip to the provincial XCEL camp.
“I didn’t actually think I was going to make the team, but when I did, I was really excited,” Miller said.
Both players have been working on their skills in Thunder Bay and have also made trips down to Vaughan ahead of their three matches against the Quebec squad.
“I haven’t played a team from there before but when I was training with my teammates a couple of weeks ago, it was really intense and I think there are going to be some really fast-paced games with Quebec,” Miller said.
“There were different styles of play between the two teams when I was down there last year, but they are still really good players and everyone is going to be playing at a very high level,” Iossa added.
Both players said they are hoping to take away different techniques from the coaches for each team as they look to continue to develop their skills.
