North Carolina FC Duo Training With Croatian First-Division Team
Midfielder Nazmi Albadawi and goalkeeper Brian Sylvestre are training with NK Istra 1961 for the Croatian club’s preseason as part of a new partnership between the two clubs, North Carolina FC announced Thursday.
Albadawi and Sylvestre will play with the first-division team in Pula, Croatia, including a preseason tournament in Arizona with MLS teams in February. The pair will return to North Carolina FC for the 2017 NASL season.
“This new relationship is very exciting because it’s the first partnership we’ve had with a European team,” North Carolina FC coach Colin Clarke said. “It gives our guys an opportunity to gain valuable experience abroad and provides them with MLS and European exposure. It’s going to strengthen our club overall by developing our players in the offseason.”
NK Istra 1961 is majority owned by a group of American investors who purchased the team in June 2015.
As part of the partnership, two to three NK Istra 1961 players will be on loan to North Carolina FC during the 2017 NASL Season. Those players are to be determined.
"We are very excited to start a mutually beneficial relationship with North Carolina FC,” NK Istra 1961 Executive Director Michael Glover said. “We believe that there is a lot of positive synergy between the two clubs that can help both organizations from a technical and business perspective. We hope to form a long lasting relationship to help create a global network that will help with player development, team accomplishments, and financial success for both organizations.”
In the 2016 NASL Season, Alabdawi was named to the league’s Best XI and was voted the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player. He also broke an NASL record for most assists in a single season with 10. Albadawi was an NASL Golden Ball award nominee.
Sylvestre was a standout in goal as he was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year. He posted five shutouts and made 62 saves in the 2016 season. The six-foot-four 'keeper was nominated for the league’s Young Player of the Year Award at 23 years old.
“I think it will be a great opportunity for me and Brian to get out there and play at a high level and experience the European game,” Albadawi said. “We can learn different parts of the game that we don’t see here in America and bring it back to not only improve our play, but the play of the team in general. [NK Istra is] a great club and a great city from what we’ve heard and what we’ve seen.”
The pair played their first match with NK Istra against Beijing Renhe, a Chinese second-division team. Sylvestre played 65 minutes in goal, and Albadawi came on in the 55th minute and scored a goal to help defeat their opponent, 5-1.
