When he was eight years old, Northampton’s Luca Mannino began affinity with soccer. However, it all began in Italy.

“My love for this sport came when I was 8-years-old in Italy seeing my family,” said Mannino. “I attended a soccer camp without knowing nothing about soccer, and since then I fell in love with this sport. When I came back from Italy I joined a local club team and my soccer abilities were growing day by day.”

Mannino, a senior, is one of the key returnees for the Konkrete Kids this fall. The Kids advanced to the District 11 Class 4A championship game and compiled an overall 17-5 record and a 13-3 slate in the East Penn Conference.

Being the team’s captain this season, Mannino realizes the importance of his role. The Kids recently got off to a 5-0 start this season, and in one of the games against the Salisbury, Mannino netted four goals.

“I feel like my role in this team is very important, and I try to push my teammates to bring us back in the final,” stressed Mannino. “I put all my experience and passion on the field hoping it gives our team some spirit to win. I feel like my ball skills and knowledge will elevate this team on the attacking side, showing to the other teams in our league that we can still score.”

Last year’s district final against Parkland still has some lingering effect for Mannino and his teammates.

“I feel like our last game against Parkland in the district final showed the underclassmen how we never gave up coming down from 2-0,” he added. “I hope that these underclassmen saw and continue to put their all on the field. I do my feel like last season has helped us for this year how giving up is not an option and we are here to share and create memories by winning and having fun.”

Head coach Chris Bastidas certainly will lean on Mannino to set the pace this season.

“We lost a lot of scoring from last year,” said Bastidas. “We’re looking to Luca for is leadership and experience. He is off to an amazing start, and we know he can continue to play well.”

Mannino credits his success to a strong support system around him. However, he knows it all starts with him.

“I always had a lot of support from my family and coaches, but I would have to that I influenced myself,” said Mannino, who also plays for LVU ECNL (Elite Club National League). “When I was a kid I was pushed and striven to better myself. Nobody ever forced to play this sport, I was just a young kid in Italy who found his passion. I have many goals for the future for my soccer career, right now I am working to play at the division 1 level. I always try to challenge myself because I want to achieve many things in soccer.”

Mannino is optimistic that his team can make another strong run this season. He sees a tight team bond as a key.

“All of us have a strong connection together and that might be a reason why we can be a good team this year,” he said. “We all get along and this why our team is different from the others. The younger players are filling in some roles from the seniors that left last year. I do think some kids need a confidence boost, but that comes down from teammates motivating each other, and I think they will gain their confidence soon.”