"Wearing the Azzurri shirt is a dream." Simple words but, at the same time, rich in subject matter, just like him: Giulio Misitano is a forward currently involved in the elite phase of the European Championship in Friuli-Venezia Giulia with the Under 19 national team.

Born on 30 January 2005 in Rome, he moved to Milan at a very young age before moving stateside, due to work reasons regarding his father, Rodolfo, at the age of eight: "The first four and a half years we lived in Newport Beach in California," the Azzurrini player remembers, "and, following that, another four years in New York: practically from the boiling hot to the freezing cold (laughs, ed.)". On the West Coast, he started playing football at Andersen Elementary School ("before I played rugby") and then continued with Newport Mesa and Strikers Irvine FC. On the East Coast, he found started to make a real name for himself with the Met Oval Academy, before returning to Italy in 2022, destination Rome and the Giallorossi. "I had two other opportunities, he specifies: "Atalanta and Empoli, but I chose to return to where I was born". A return to his origins which, to date, has allowed him not only to win two trophies (Coppa Italia Primavera 2022/2023 and Supercoppa Primavera 2023) but, above all, to earn the respect of the Italian Under-19 coach Bernardo Corradi: "When I lived in America," he remembers, "I did a couple of training camps with the US Under 16s (despite having neither citizenship nor a double passport, ed.), but my dream was always to, one day, wear the Azzurri shirt".

It is a shirt which, in recent days, has been receiving a lot of affection from the American people for the Men's National team's trip to the USA, which sees them face Ecuador in a friendly at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison, in New Jersey (21:00 CET, live on Rai 1) not far from where Misitano grew up: "Several places where the Azzurri have been in recent days," he admits, "was part of my daily life when I lived there: it's a weird feeling but, at the same time, it's personally brilliant to see them there." And who knows, maybe one day, not too far away, father Rodolfo, mother Camilla and younger brothers Giorgio (2007) and Guia (2008) will not be 'forced' to return to the United States... perhaps for the 2026 World Cup: " I don't deny that I would like to play there," he confesses, "but, now, I just want to think about doing well with the Under 19s."

Squad List

Goalkeepers: Renato Bellucci Marin (Roma), Federico Magro (Lazio);
Defenders: Wisdom Amey (Bologna), Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Cristian Chiarodia (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Christian Corradi (Hellas Verona), Filippo Calixte Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Filippo Pagnucco (Juventus), Marco Palestra (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Aaron Ciammaglichella (Torino), Luca Di Maggio (Inter), Jonas Harder (Fiorentina), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Marco Romano (Genoa), Kevin Zeroli (Milan);
Forwards: Lorenzo Anghelè (Juventus), Giulio Misitano (Roma), Simone Pafundi (Losanna), Diego Sia (Milan).

Staff - Head of delegation: Gianfranco Serioli; National Youth Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Coach: Bernardo Corradi; Assistant Coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Goalkeeping Coach: Graziano Vinti; Fitness Coach: Marco Montini; Match Analyst: Francesco Donzella; Doctors: Paolo Manetti and Cristiano Benelli; Physiotherapists: Giuliano Gepponi and Tommaso Cannata; Nutritionist: Micol Purrotti; School Tutor: Gabriele De Fraia; Press Officer: Alessandro Paoli; Secretary: Aldo Blessich.

Schedule, results, and Group 5 standings in the Elite Phase

Matchday 1 (Wednesday, 20 March)
Georgia 0-1 Czech Republic
Scotland 1-3 ITALY

Matchday 2 (Saturday 23 March)
Czech Republic 1-2 ITALY (Friuli Stadium of Udine)*
Scotland 2-3 Georgia (Stadio Giuseppe Morigi, Manzano)

Standings: Italy 6, Czech Republic and Georgia 3, Scotland 0.

Matchday 3 (Tuesday 26 March)
14:30 CET: ITALY v Georgia (Stadio Guigo Teghil, Lignano Sabbiadoro)*
14:30 CET: Czech Republic v Scotland (Stadio Giuseppe Morigi, Manzano)

*live streaming on the FIGC website.

*diretta streaming sul sito FIGC.