By now, Shaun Russell has gotten used to the feeling of having doors close on him. The 25-year-old defender, who joined Forward Madison FC’s inaugural roster Monday, didn’t take an easy route on his way to becoming a professional soccer player. With each step along the way, Russell has faced pitfalls that could have deterred him for good. Pitfalls that made him into the player he is today.

Unlike many professional soccer players, who are practically born with a ball at their feet, Shaun Russell didn’t come from a soccer family, nor did he grow up in a soccer culture. At home in Chesapeake, Va., soccer was without a doubt a lesser-known sport. His parents hadn’t grown up playing the game, and so as the first person in his family to take up soccer, Russell often had to carve out a path on his own.

“As I got older, most kids would be playing basketball and football, soccer was the thing in my family that no one knew about,” he said. “My dad played basketball, my mom ran track, so I really started to take pride, as I got older, in playing in the top teams for my age group.”

As the years went on, Russell continued to show signs of progress. First he had just wanted to learn the sport; soon he dreamed of becoming a professional. In 2011, Russell started school at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. It was the next step towards his dream, but being at a small Division I school meant he had another obstacle to overcome if he was going to stand out from the pack.

“Being Saint Francis University, most people don’t know (it), like ‘where’s that school at?’” he said. “Going to that school, a small D1 school, we made a name for ourselves in the mountains of Pennsylvania.”

Only a handful of Saint Francis players have entered the pro ranks, and although it wasn’t an impossible task, Russell was facing long odds. Still, he ended up playing well for the Red Flash, starting for four years as the team’s left back, and so his pro dream continued to grow.

“I knew once I got to college, I knew I wanted to go pro after college, no matter whatever I did, whatever it took to do it,” Russell said. “Training, going to open trials, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I’m good enough and I can play with the best out there.”

After graduating in 2015, Russell embarked on the next stage of his journey. Finding a professional contract, though, wasn’t easy. For a while, he played in the semi-professional National Premier Soccer League, featuring for Virginia Beach City FC and New York Cosmos B.

In the meantime, Russell went to open tryouts and trials across the country, hoping to find a team that would take a chance on him. Time and time again, he would come close, but no one seemed to be willing to make an offer. Again and again, the door would shut.

“I would always get to the final day of the tryout and it just wouldn’t work out,” Russell said. “Some coaches, they like what they see from me, but have always taken the more experienced player over me. They (told me), ‘we like you,’ and things like that, but for me, it’s like, ‘if you like me, why not give me a chance?’

“I’ve gone through a lot of adversity playing this sport, a lot of doors that have closed in my face. But I love the game so much that I did whatever it took to get to playing at the professional level.”

In 2018, Russell finally found his opportunity. It came, in predictable fashion, because he had refused to give up in the face of hardship.

During the offseason, he had gone on trial with the Richmond Kickers of the USL Championship. The team had invited him to preseason camp, but with the regular season just around the corner, the club decided to sign another player in his position instead, and it seemed like Russell’s chance had gone.

“It was like, ‘back to the drawing board,’” he said.

Instead of turning away, though, Russell came back to Richmond’s coaching staff with an offer: He just wanted to train with the team. According to Russell, he thought that if he could just spend some time playing with a professional club, he could raise his game to the level where a contract would be possible in the future.

“Being at home, by yourself, when all my friends that I grew up playing with are playing professional soccer, it’s hard to train by yourself consistently every day,” he said. “All I wanted to do was just be in that professional environment, and that’s what I did.”

The coaches responded positively, and so for six months, Russell drove two hours each way from Chesapeake to Richmond for training.

“I love the game so much, it wasn’t about the money. This is what I love, I’ve been playing the sport since I was four. This is the passion I have for the game,” he said.

Finally, near the end of the year, it all worked out. Richmond signed Russell in mid-September, with just weeks left to play in the USL Championship season. He made his debut on Sept. 26 with a start against league-leading FC Cincinnati.

“When I walked into the locker room, I saw my name on the board, I was like, ‘this is it,’” Russell said. “It was a great opportunity. I really enjoyed it.”

Russell had been delighted to get an opportunity in his home state, but when Richmond’s season finished, it was time to pack his bags again. He’d worked for months to finally get the short-term contract, but now it was just a notch on his belt, a line on his résumé, and Russell would have to go back to square one to find a new team. Another difficulty to be sure, but Russell had overcome more, so why couldn’t he again?

He started out this year in training at ONYX Elite, a camp run by former U.S. national team defender Oguchi Onyewu. While there, he encountered an unexpected challenge when Onyewu told him he should try switching from the left side of defense to being a center back.

“It took a lot out of me, because I’ve been playing left back all my life,” Russell said.

Undeterred, he adapted to the new role. With little more than a week of experience in his new position, Russell earned an invite to preseason camp with Indy Eleven of the USL Championship. He played with Indy until close to the start of their season, but in the end, they decided not to offer him a contract.

For some players, that would have been a debilitating blow. But Russell had had enough of doors closing on him, and this time, he had a plan to make one open.

“It was one of those things, like, maybe it wasn’t meant to be, but I’ve overcome things like that,” Russell said. He got in touch with his former Richmond teammate, Neil Hlavaty, who had become the assistant coach for Forward Madison in early January. Russell had been talking to Hlavaty throughout his time with Indy Eleven, and got a chance to meet up with his old friend in person after FMFC’s preseason win over Indy on Feb. 22.

In a moment where everything could have fallen apart, Russell rebounded. On Monday, he officially became the 19th-ever member of Forward Madison FC. Now, for the first time, he has a full professional season ahead of him to look forward to.

“This isn’t new to me, none of that is new to me,” Russell said. “Once Indy Eleven decided not to continue with me, Madison opened up right away and I was ready to get to work, I was ready to get started.”

The door had nearly closed again on Russell. This time, he didn’t let it happen.

“I finally got in the door,” he said. “Now that I’ve got my foot in the door, I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep that door open.”

Shaun’s signing will be confirmed pending league and federation approval. Follow Shaun on Instagram and Twitter at @big_shaun_15.

Forward Madison FC’s inaugural season is nearly here! The team will kick off its first-ever game on April 6 at Chattanooga Red Wolves, and open at home on April 27 vs Greenville Triumph SC. Get tickets to see Shaun and the rest of the team in Forward Madison’s inaugural season at: https://www.forwardmadisonfc.com/tickets.