ALL ACCESS ARTICLES
All Access with Ty Giwa
by Elizabeth Long
From across the pond, defender Tyrell Giwa joins Almaden FC.
The majority of his youth career was at Luton Town academy from U12 through
U23, before he made the move to Nebraska, where he currently plays for
Northeast Community College.
Whilst in England, Giwa recorded 7 Premier League Cup appearances and 1 FA Youth Cup appearance; he also served as captain for the squad. His leadership continued from his U18 season; this responsibility, according to Giwa,
"gave me a lot of confidence in myself, which I try to keep going on until now."
All Access with Gaku Nishimura
by Elizabeth Long
Recent UC Berkeley graduate Gaku Nishimura has made an immediate impact to Almaden FC this season.
Born in Japan, Nishimura began his youth career at Yokohama F. Marinos before transferring to Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC. Nishimura described Sanfrecce as "one of the best youth teams in Japan," where he was a "starter from [his] freshman year," and went on to win multiple trophies.
Of the accolades, most notably, Nishimura won the Sanix Cup International Youth Tournament, receiving MVP honors, and the Takamado JFA U18 Premier League trophy. He has excelled in the top and even gained opportunities "to join practice with the top team" at Sanfrecce to conclude his youth career before his sights turned to college.
All Access with Kiel Higginson
by Elizabeth Long
Kiel Higginson has been a consistent presence in the backline for AlmadenFC.
Hailing from South Wales, Higginson began his career in the Welsh League and was U15 FAW National Champion with Risca United Juniors, a club based in the south of the country, with its first team featuring in the Ardal Leagues. Following his success at his boyhood club, Higginson was called to trial at Swansea City, despite being released on a previous stint.
Some might have seen the initial departure as a setback, but Higginson proved "that being released isn't the end-all, be-all. As well as that, you do not need to be pro-environment from a young age to get where you want to [be]." Higginson rapidly progressed through the Swansea academy, signing his first professional contract after only seven months, and serving as captain for the side in numerous matches in his third and final year. Notably, also reaching the U18 Professional Development League cup semi-finals with the club in the 23/24 season.
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