Montreal native Daniel Pacella grew up in Cartierville, Montreal, his family’s Italian roots incited his dad to encourage him to enroll into soccer as a kid.

“I saw in him something when I started to coach him at the age of 4-5 and coached him until he was 10 when my wife passed away”, said Daniel’s father.

Daniel’s father, Angelo Pacella coached his son from the age of five until the age of 10 when Daniel’s mother passed away.

Daniel later joined the academy of the Montreal Impact now called CF Montreal from the age of 12 years old until 20. Daniel then joined the VCats of the University of Vermont’s men’s soccer team to try and further his playing career while pursuing his studies, something his dad wanted him to do.

“I liked their program and they believed in me as a player, and I wanted to continue my education as well. My dad always told me that education was an important part and to always try to finish it, that’s something I wanted to do for him, I wanted to finish my degree”, said Daniel.

Daniel’s pursuit of soccer brought him to the Green Mountain state of Vermont where he got introduced to Vermont Green FC by his coaches who encouraged him to join the club for the summer, his coaches informed him of the opportunity to place himself in a professional club environment where there will be a daily practice and regular competition.

The Montreal native was impressed at how well the club was running its operations.

“That’s something that stood to me compared to the rest of the teams. The way it’s run is probably the best in the country, even though it’s their first year”, said Daniel.

Daniel grew up admiring Italian legends like Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso. As a kid, he was a big fan of AC Milan.

“I used to play Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso on PlayStation. I grew up admiring lots of midfielders because that’s my position, Kante, Verratti, just loved watching them play,” said the midfielder. 

As a player, Daniel sees himself as a player that loves being on the ball and that loves directing the play. He’s proud of being good defensively.

“I would describe my style of play as someone who loves being on the ball, I love dictating the play, and I pride myself on being very good defensively. I love being on the ball more than anything, but I love defending.”

Daniel wants to continue excelling in his career at the club and at the varsity level to increase his chances of being called up for the MLS Super Draft.