Alessandro DeBrevi
Reporting correspondent
adbrevi@jccc.edu
Sporting Kansas City and U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team star Graham Zusi made an appearance at the college on Tuesday afternoon to check out some of the facilities available on campus and meet some fans.
Zusi was met by a large number of students, faculty and fans who were already lined up when he arrived. Zusi said he enjoyed his time on campus.
“It’s been great. I got a bigger reception than I thought I would,” Zusi said . “I got to meet a lot of the students [and] a couple of the athletic teams. It’s been a lot of fun.”
While Zusi spent most of his time signing autographs and taking pictures, he also had the opportunity to interact with both the men’s and women’s soccer teams.
The 2017 MLS All-Star also explained why he enjoys interacting with fans.
“They’re what drives us throughout the match and to be able to say thank you to them is a lot of fun as well,” Zusi said.
After he finished visiting with fans, Zusi walked down to the CoLab, where CoLab staff members gave him a tour of the facility, which opened in 2016. They explained how the so-called “toolbox for creativity” helps students study and pursue academic goals in an open and innovative environment.
Zusi also got to see one of the CoLab’s programs in action. The staff showed him their state-of-the-art motion capture studio that allows to students to create video games and other digital animations.
This is similar to the technology used to scan soccer players like Zusi into video games such as FIFA, a soccer simulator released by Electronic Arts.
Fans of Zusi can watch Sporting KC take on the Vancouver Whitecaps at 8:00 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 30 at Children’s Mercy Park.
“It’ll be a tough matchup,” said Zusi. “But luckily we’re at home in front of our home crowd and I think we can pull it out.”