Adelaide United youngster Joey Garuccio enjoyed a moment he’ll never forget on Saturday afternoon, scoring just two minutes into his professional debut against Wellington Phoenix.
The 19-year-old attacker, who has risen through the Reds’ youth pathway, capped off a whirlwind weekend with a composed finish – a bright highlight in an otherwise frustrating match for the side.
Reflecting on the moment, Garuccio described simply being selected to travel with the senior squad as a milestone in itself.
“First, it’s a dream come true of mine trying to be a professional soccer player. And yeah, the dreams came true basically. It was a good feeling.”
Garuccio wasn’t expecting to feature, but the match situation shifted quickly.
“They were two-nil down, and I guess he wanted to be more of an attacking threat. I came on and just did what I had to do.”
When he was waved over by Airton Andrioli, the nerves were replaced by excitement.
“Pretty surreal, to be honest. You dream of these things. Unfortunately it wasn’t at home, but making a professional debut – you can’t complain.”
What happened next was the stuff of fairytales.
“You probably can’t ask for a better start to your professional debut. I tried to just keep calm, do what I usually do. The ball from Ala [Ethan Alagich] was brilliant, my run was onside, and I just had to do the rest.”
And yes — it was his first proper touch.
“I’d say it’s my first touch. I wouldn’t count a tackle as my first touch. On the ball, my first touch was definitely the goal.”
Despite the team result, Garuccio allowed himself a moment of pride after the match.
“The boys got around me, all the coaching staff got around me. They just said: enjoy it. You don’t really ever get to score your first goal very often.”
Head Coach Airton Andrioli was quick to praise the teenager’s movement, timing, and maturity.
“I have a lot of hope for these young boys. Joey is a very clever kid — he makes the right runs, he understands timing. He came on and broke the offside line perfectly and finished well. He’s another one putting his hand up for more opportunities.”
Garuccio now hopes to turn his dream debut into real momentum as the Reds prepare for Sunday’s clash with Brisbane Roar.
“Honestly, just showing what I can do — getting more minutes, whether that’s NPL level or A-League level. Hopefully I get more minutes and more goals.”
He also admitted what it would mean to feature at home for the first time.
“Last game at Coopers, the crowd was just unbelievable. To show what I can do in front of 11- 12,000 fans would be magical. To come on in that game would be the best.”
Off the pitch, Garuccio keeps things simple.
“I’d say I’m a pretty calm individual. Stay in my lane. Family person.”
And that family support means everything.
“They mean the world to me. I wouldn’t be here without them. It’s magical how they can be at every game I play and train.”
After a debut to remember, all eyes now turn to Sunday – and whether Garuccio gets the chance to create another moment in front of the Coopers Stadium faithful.
