Steven Juncaj was born and raised in Sterling Heights, Michigan. He began playing soccer at the age of three in the local YMCA where he always played with children who were much older than him. His father who is his mentor and coach always put Steven in with the older groups to further develop his son’s emotional, physical and mental skills. Always being the youngest player on the team was difficult for Steven. Sometimes players would pick on him and make him cry. It was not till the age of fifteen that Steven played with his own age group.

Steven has played for many teams in the Metro Detroit Area. When he was 16 years old, Steven enlisted the help of Peter Langens, a Dutch ex-player/coach. To this day Steven holds Peter in high regard. Steven can be quoted saying, “Peter is one of the best advisors/ coach I ever had. He has taught me both tactical and technical aspects of the game. He has given me the confidence to excel in my game and find my rhythm.” With his father’s guidance and Peter’s coaching, Steven excelled and developed into a very talented and disciplined player.

At the age of 17 years old, Steven got a trial with Vitesse Arnhem o19 Academy. Vitesse is regarded as one of the best academies in Holland. Steven was scouted by Martin Pennings from PSV Eindhoven. He made it for Vitesse Academy and couple months later was offered a contract from second division Den Bosch. After listening to his mother, Steven decided to postpone the contract and return to Michigan to finish high school. During that time in the States Steven was approached by New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, IMG Academy, and multiple NCAA Division 1 schools. Still Steven and his father wanted to play in Europe. Kaptiva Sports Academy based outside Barcelona, Spain made an offer to George Juncaj, saying they would train Steven and at the age of 23 he would be an excellent player. Steven, however, decided to go with Grasshopper FC Zurich’s offer due to similarities between his own style and the Germans on discipline and their treatment of their players.

 Playing in Europe was very difficult. According to Steven, “It is hard to adapt in a foreign country where you are all alone. You cannot understand the language and are very homesick.” After being in Europe, Steven decided to come back to the United States and play locally for Oakland University in the NCAA 1. After passing Oakland’s fitness tests with remarkable numbers and performance, he was signed with the university. A couple days later the NCAA investigated Steven on his Amateurism Certification, and because he received a salary and had sponsorships, the NCAA finalized him as “Not Certified”. Steven, however, got an opportunity with the Michigan Stars. With a professional soccer team in his backyard Steven is looking forward to making it in the United States, and showcasing his skills to the public.

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