Fri June 17, 2016 League 1 Ontario--Vaughan's Godinho Signs With Scottish Club Heart Of Midlothian (from League 1 Ontario website)

Vaughan's Godinho Signs With Scottish Club Heart Of Midlothian
06/17/2016, 1:15pm EDT
By League1 Ontario staff

Vaughan Azzurri and ex-Toronto FC Academy player Marcus Godinho has been 
signed to the U20 squad of Scottish professional club Heart of Midlothian. 

Nineteen year old Godinho also plays with the Canada U20 side, and was 
a part of the team that went to England in Spring 2016 in a showcase 
camp and beat the home side 2-1 at St. George's Park.

Godinho first entered League1 in 2014 as a part of the Toronto FC Academy 
team that won the inaugural league title. He proceeded to feature 
in the club's USL level.

"In 2014, I made the senior TFCA team, which featured in the inaugural 
League1 season," he said. "Played just about every minute 
as a right back. Following the terrific season we had I went on trial 
with TFC II. I ended up playing a few games for them, before returning 
to League1."

After several trials in Europe, Godinho came back to League1 Ontario 
in the current season, this time as a member of Vaughan Azzurri.

"In December I made the decision that I wanted to give it a try 
in Europe so I quit TFC II and looked around for a good agent to take 
me overseas," he explained. "In the meantime, I began to train 
with Vaughan to stay fit."

"The coaches, Carmine Isacco and Patrice Gheisar, were really helpful 
giving me a place to train just about everyday. I went on trial 
in and around the beginning of April. Barry MacLean set it up for 
me and the trial went very well. They told me before leaving that 
they were going to offer me a contract. Barry and Patrice were 
amazing and helped me get everything sorted out. When I came back 
I continued to train with Vaughan and decided to play a few matches 
with them in League1 up until my departure."

Godinho points to his experience as a teenager in League1 and 
the USL as pivotal in his development as a player.

"The leagues I have played in have been crucial to my development 
as a player," he said. "Playing in League1 at the young age 
of 16 was very tough."

"The league was very physical, as a lot of the players I was 
up against were men. It really helped me learn to cope with the 
physicality at the next level by forcing me to play a lot quicker. 
As the season went on it became easier and easier, as my speed 
of play began to increase. The high speed of a lot of the players 
in the league also helped me develop my defensive abilities. 
It really helped me improve my footwork when defending."

"Following League1, I played a few games in the USL, which was 
another great experience. Playing in this league allowed 
me to experience what it is like to play professionally. It helped 
me understand what I need to do off the field to be prepared 
because if you weren't prepared you were exposed on the field. 
Playing in a professional league really helped me understand 
the tactical portion of the game and made me think a lot more 
on the field. The high speed of play also helped with this and 
sharpened up my technique. The combination of these two leagues 
were crucial to getting me where I am today and will continue 
to be going into this next challenge."

Now stepping into a higher tier of play in the physical and 
tactically demanding Scottish league, Godinho said he was 
impressed with the approach at Hearts, and the support from 
staff and players alike.

"Upon coming over to Hearts I was very impressed with the 
organization," he commented. "During the trial I trained the 
full week with the first team and I was very impressed 
with them."

"They move the ball around very well, they are very patient 
and like to get forward. I felt like the style of play suited 
me well and I really enjoyed playing with them. The guys were 
very welcoming and the team almost felt like a family, which 
was also great. I was also really impressed with facility 
and staff. I feel like the combination of the two will help 
me develop into an even better player."

back to 2016 League 1 Ontario Men's index

.

.