Henry Clay senior Morgan Marshall has long been involved in the game of soccer. Now a defender for FC Cincinnati 2, he plans on moving forward in the professional domain of the sport with an ultimate goal in mind.

As the son of a now retired soccer player, Marshall’s journey in the sport began at a young age. He experienced, first-hand, the professional soccer community and not surprisingly, Marshall grew an interest in the sport.

In an interview with MLS Next Pro, Marshall shared his personal experience on observing his father’s career.

“We would be in the locker room with him after the games while he was getting interviewed,” Marshall said. “Just always around him and always around the environment of the professionals.” 

As he relocated to different states, Marshall began playing for several teams, leading him closer to his position on FC Cincinnati 2.

“I moved from Colorado to Kentucky and then to Utah,” Marshall said, “which is where I began playing for the Academy when I was 13.” 

“When I came to Cincinnati people knew me,” Marshall said, “because of how well the team I used to play on was.” 

“It was really easy to move around cause people knew who I was from my playing.” 

As he began to play for the first FC Cincinnati team, Marshall started to envision greater things for a possible career in the sport. 

“They liked me a lot, so that’s when my eyes started to open,” Marshall said, “I could actually do this and go professionally.”

With his father being the coach of FC Cincinnati 2, Marshall is able to evaluate his form of play from a different perspective. 

“We drive up there everyday,” Marshall said, “so when I have a bad training or I don’t think I did as well, we can talk for an hour and a half, just me and him, on the way back.”

While Marshall may be a club soccer player, he also has to balance his education.

“They have training during the day at ten, but of course I can’t make that.” Marshall said, “So I’ll train later in the day with the younger academy teams.” 

Despite having to maintain his soccer playing and education, Marshall has discovered a pattern to deal with his daily schedule.

“I will go to training in the afternoon, drive home, get my homework done, and go to sleep to wake up the next day for school,” Marshall said. “That’s what I’ll try to do most of the time.” 

Marshall suggests this advice to students dealing with similar experiences in their own lives.

“Try to get a rhythm.” Marshall said. “If you get a rhythm, it’ll be easier throughout the whole year.” 

Marshall plans to continue his journey in the sport after graduation, whether it be at a university or professional setting.

“I have colleges looking into me and then I have the first team professional route,” Marshall said. “If that doesn’t happen, I still have college, and I can still go professional from there.”

While he has made tremendous progress to be in this position, Marshall has bigger dreams for his future in professional soccer.

“I would love to make it to Europe,” Marshall said, “That’s where all the big players go and play.” Marshall said. 

While Marshall has many dreams for his future athletic career, he has one clear achievement in mind that motivates him: making a big name for himself.

“I’m trying to make a big name for myself because my dad went and made a huge name for himself.” Marshall said.