The American striker is making the most of his limited role in Greece this season.
When he gets chances, Nicholas Gioacchini has to be ready. Through the first four games of the Greek Super League season, Gioacchini was on the pitch for only ten minutes. So, when the ball deflected to the striker in the 74th minute of Asteras Tripolis’ game against PAOK, he made no mistake.
Gioacchini tucked the ball between goalkeeper Jiří Pavlenka’s legs, tying the match at 3-3 and completing a massive comeback for Asteras from 3-0 down. With his first goal of the season now and a chance for a fresh start under new manager Chris Coleman, things are looking up.
He may be only 25, but Gioacchini has already seen a lot in his career — good and bad. The American striker was only 19 when he made his debut in France’s Ligue 2, scoring SM Caen’s opener in a 4-2 win over Paris FC, one of his academy clubs. Just over twelve months later, Gioacchini was a full international for the United States.
After two strong seasons with Caen, Gioacchini made the step up to Ligue 1, joining Montpellier on loan. However, things didn’t go quite to plan, as he found minutes hard to come by in France’s top flight. Gioacchini made only three starts and scored no goals, returning to Caen at the end of his loan.
“Montpellier was a bit difficult, not in terms of football level, but in terms of environment for me,” said Gioacchini in an interview with The Soccer Goal.
A return to the United States, his home country, beckoned, and the striker joined Orlando City on a permanent transfer. This move, too, proved to be an imperfect fit. Gioacchini stayed in Florida for only four months, playing six games and scoring no goals.
In November, the MLS hosted an expansion draft for the newly formed St. Louis City SC, giving them a chance to pick a few players from other MLS teams to start their squad. Orlando opted to leave Gioacchini unprotected, meaning he was one of the players they would allow to join the new club. For free. St. Louis immediately drafted him.
It turned out to be a match made in heaven. In St. Louis, Gioacchini was able to rediscover his form, exploding for a career-high ten goals — making him the club’s joint-top scorer — as his side topped the Western Conference. St. Louis City was bounced in the first round of the playoffs, but it was still a memorable season for both the American striker and the club.
“St. Louis was a special moment,” said Gioacchini. “It’s one of those one-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
When the MLS season ended in January, clubs abroad were understandably interested. In the end, he made the move to ambitious (and rich) Serie B side Como 1907 for €2 million. Despite Como finishing in second place and earning promotion to Serie A, Gioacchini’s stint in Italy would not be a long one.
With Cesc Fàbregas in charge and a season of top-flight soccer ahead of them, Como invested heavily, spending almost €100 million to improve the squad. Gioacchini, who had made only nine appearances, was no longer part of the club’s plans.
“It was a bit of a strange moment, because I was told that I was going to stay in Como for the following year, and then one day, things changed,” said Gioacchini. “So I needed to find a way out, a way to play. And I went there [Cincinnati] with a lot of weight and burden on my shoulders.”
The striker returned to America, this time heading to FC Cincinnati on loan. However, within two months, Cincinnati were out of the playoffs, crashing out in the first round to New York City FC. For Gioacchini, while he enjoyed the club’s environment and staff, it concluded a largely unsuccessful and goalless loan spell.
Gioacchini returned to Como, but once again had to look for a transfer — this time, a permanent one.
“I had a couple of other options, a few other options, including the MLS, but I didn’t want to go back,” said Gioacchini. “I wanted to continue my dream here in Europe.”
For all MLS has improved and modernized over the years, it still doesn’t compare to the European leagues. Gioacchini, who has played in front of some of the most demanding fans in the world, knows that better than anyone else.
“I wish the MLS had more of that, in Italy, we say grinta, more of that will to combat, because at the end of the season, you look at your cards, and either you go down and your salary goes down, or you stay up and you go to find more,” said Gioacchini. “Europa League Conference, Europa League, Champions League, there’s always that echelon that you’re reaching for.”
“MLS, you make playoffs, and then you try to win MLS Cup, and then it ends there,” said Gioacchini. “It felt sometimes like some guys [in MLS] would just let go because like, next year is the same thing, it’s ok.”
One of the interested clubs was Asteras Tripolis, a club in the Super League 1. A regular in Greece’s top flight, the Peloponnese club was gunning for Europe and looking to add to a frontline that already included former Manchester United star Federico Macheda. Gioacchini was their man.
“I saw my options, and to me, Asteras was the most concrete. It was a club that I felt wanted me the most, and that is to be respected. You want to go where they want you. It’s a feeling that doesn’t come around all the time,” said Gioacchini. “It was almost a no-brainer.”
With one week left before the Super League transfer window closed, Asteras signed the American striker from Como on a free transfer. For the third time in a year, Gioacchini was on the move.
This time, it was to a completely new environment. Gioacchini had lived in every country he had played in before — the United States, France, and Italy. Greece was not just a different league — it was a different culture, a different language, a different everything. Things were different on the pitch, too.
“MLS has a gameplay that’s a lot more transitional than most European leagues,” said Gioacchini. “It’s very back and forth, because tactically, it’s not as sophisticated as Europe. Greece is very physical. It’s very physical, it’s very combative.”
One of the biggest differences, though, is the fans. Gioacchini has played in Italy and France, two countries famed for their strong support. Greece, though, has some of the most passionate fan bases in the world, particularly with the likes of Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens, and PAOK Thessaloniki.
“Football here is a religion for people,” said Gioacchini. “I felt like in the US, it wasn’t as powerful. You hear chants, but the chants are not as energetic and adrenaline-racing and pushing as they are here.”
A late-season slump meant that Asteras would only finish eighth in the regular season, winning just one of their last six games. After the regular season, the Super League 1 branches off into three groups — the Championship round, Conference League play-off group, and the relegation round.
Asteras qualified for the Conference League play-off group, where the top team qualifies for the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League (as the name implies). While Asteras couldn’t top their group to reach Europe — that would go to Aris Thessaloniki, who were promptly eliminated by Azeri side Araz-Naxçıvan PFK — they finished second, showing marked improvement by winning half their games.
It was during these games that Gioacchini scored his first goal since leaving St. Louis, heading home what would prove to be the winning goal in a 2-1 win over OFI Crete in April. Given that OFI had knocked Asteras out of the Kypello Elladas, the Greek Cup, just two weeks earlier, it was a nice revenge win for the Kitrinoble.
This season, Gioacchini didn’t have to wait nearly as long to score his first goal. The American had been on the field for only eleven minutes — more than he had played in the first four games, combined — when he scored that equalizer against PAOK for a crucial 3-3 draw to earn just the club’s second point of the season.
“It’s been a rough year and a half since I’ve left Cincinnati. So to get on the scoresheet again, have a couple goals in Greece now is good, but I’m just looking forward to what’s next,” said Gioacchini. “There’s a lot more to be done.”
Despite his limited minutes so far this season, Gioacchini is not worried about his role.
“This season, I’m not focused on the numbers. I’m just focused on making every second I get on that field an opportunity to make a difference,” said Gioacchini. “And prove a point to both myself and the outsider that I have what it takes.”
After winning none of their first six games, Asteras decided to make a change. Manager Savvas Pantelidis was sacked and replaced by Welsh manager Chris Coleman.
Coleman has managed all over the globe, but he’s perhaps best known for leading Wales’ memorable Euro 2016 campaign, where the Red Dragons managed to reach the semi-finals against all odds. Since then, he’s had a nomadic career that has taken him everywhere from Sunderland to Hebei to now Tripolis, where, according to Gioacchini, he’s made an immediate impact.
“So far, we’ve had about a week worth of training together,” said Gioacchini. “It’s been great. It’s been a breath of fresh air. And the environment feels very positive, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come.”
In Coleman’s first game, Asteras almost got their first win of the season before a late Kifisia goal ensured they split the points in a 2-2 draw. Gioacchini came off the bench midway through the second half and looked generally dangerous in what is hopefully a sign of things to come under the Welsh manager.
It’s been four years since Gioacchini made his last appearance for the United States national team in the Gold Cup Final against Mexico. The young striker played just over a half hour, but caused problems for Mexico’s defense and crucially earned the free kick that led to Miles Robinson’s 117th-minute goal.
Gioacchini did not earn another call-up under Gregg Berhalter, even after his strong season with St. Louis City. Nor has he earned a chance to play under Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Berhalter last year. A lot has changed since that last national team appearance, but Gioacchini still takes pride in representing his country and would welcome another chance.
“[If] they decide to give me another opportunity, I’ll make the best of it,” said Gioacchini. “If not, that’s what it is.”
For now, though, he is focused on the present — and doing as well as he can both as an individual and for Asteras. With so many young players coming up, Gioacchini explained, players can get pushed aside quicker than you’d expect.
“My objective is to make the best of what’s left of my years,” said Gioacchini. “I want to be able to look back in my career, and just say, I did my damnedest to get to where I got.”
