 Cervi andVictor Wanyama warming up | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dominic Cervi | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-07-09)July 9, 1986 (age 39) | ||
| Place of birth | Norman, Oklahoma, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2003 | Norman Celtic '86 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006 | Michigan Bucks | 7 | (0) |
| 2008–2012 | Celtic | 0 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | →Dundee (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | →Greenock Morton (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | United States U23 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 8 June 2012 | |||
Dominic Cervi (born July 9, 1986) is an American former professionalsoccer player who played as agoalkeeper.
Cervi grew up inNorman, Oklahoma. He played eight seasons for his youth club, Norman Celtic '86.[1] He attendedNorman North High School, where he played soccer for all four years. He was named Oklahoma Defensive Player of the Year byThe Oklahoman during his junior and senior seasons in 2003 and 2004.[citation needed] He also earned three letters[clarification needed] inbasketball,[citation needed] where he additionally earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004.[citation needed]
Cervi's great-grandparents were Italian. He received his Italian passport in May 2009, which eliminated the need to obtain awork permit, thus making him a more appealing potential signing for European clubs.[2]
Cervi attended theUniversity of Tulsa from 2004 through 2007, making thirty-one starts for theGolden Hurricane and earning All-Conference USA First Team andNSCAA All-Midwest Region Second Team honors in 2007.[citation needed] The Golden Hurricane's best finish during Cervi's time with the team was during his first year, 2004, when the team reached the national quarterfinal at the2004 Division I Men's College Cup.[1]
Cervi was drafted by theChicago Fire with the twelfth overall pick of the2008 MLS SuperDraft,[3] but he did not sign for the club after rejecting a league-minimum contract offer fromMajor League Soccer.[4] He was the second goalkeeper taken in the draft.[3] After a trial at2008 FA Cup winnersPortsmouth he was not offered a contract.[5]
In October 2008, Cervi joinedCeltic on a trial.[6] He made two appearances for Celtic's reserve team, one in a friendly match againstManchester United's reserves, and the other againstGreenock Morton. After receiving his Italian passport, Cervi officially joined theSPL club. Cervi never made a competitive first team appearance for Celtic, although was an unused substitute in five league matches.[7]
Cervi was released by the Glasgow club at the end of the2011-12 season.[8]
On December 10, 2010, Cervi was loaned out toDundee,[9][10] but did not make any appearances and returned to Celtic after the loan expired.
On November 4, 2011, Cervi joinedMorton on a short-term loan until January.[11] He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 win overAyr United.[12] Cervi declared himself delighted with the result - saying that it was every goalkeeper's dream to get a clean sheet on their debut.[13]
Cervi was named in theUnited States national team's 21-manWorld Cup Qualifying roster for the home-and-home series withBarbados on June 15 and 22, 2008.[14]
Cervi was called up for theUSA Under-23 team as the number two keeper for the2008 CONCACAF Men's Pre-Olympic Tournament.[citation needed] He started for the US in a 1–0 loss againstHonduras in the championship game,[citation needed] and again at the U-23 level in aToulon Tournament match againstTurkey.[citation needed] Cervi is eligible to only represent the United States internationally due to his appearances against Honduras and Turkey.[2]
On May 15, 2008, he was invited to camp for friendlies againstEngland,Spain, andArgentina, but made no appearances.[citation needed]
In 2010, he was named in the US squad that defeatedSouth Africa 1–0 on November 17 inCape Town. He did not play, however, serving as second choice keeper for the match behindBrad Guzan.[citation needed]
Despite having a number of call-ups to his name, Cervi never appeared in a match for the senior national team of theUnited States.[citation needed]
After leaving Celtic, Cervi studied at theUniversity of Denver and graduated with a degree in Finance and Accounting.[15] He then embarked on a career ininvestment banking with U.S. banking firm Capstone Headwaters.[15]
