Call me Puffi
My name is Sydney Koszo aka Puffi.
Puffi is my childhood nickname
In Hungarian it means, chubby little girl. I never took offense because that is what I was, I was a chubby baby.
I started playing soccer at a very young age.
I was born and raised on Marco Island, Florida. I am the daughter of Adam and Lyndsi Koszo and the sister of Vayda and Oliver.
My father is a Hungarian citizen and this has allowed me to be a dual citizen of the U.S. and Hungary.
As soon as I started walking at very early age of 9 months, I had a soccer ball at my feet.
I started playing soccer with the Optimist Club of Marco Island at the age of three. After playing a few years on a competitive boys team. I soon started to play in Naples for the Florida Fire. I played a few years with the Fire and realized that
I wanted nothing else in life but to play soccer.
In sixth grade I enrolled in the First Baptist Academy in Naples, Florida, as a homeschooled student, so I could play for the high school varsity team.
At the age of 12 I decided to take training up a notch and try out for the IMG Academy girls soccer team in Bradenton, Florida. I made the team and started my training career at IMG Academy. I stayed at IMG for three years then realized it was not the right environment for me.
I took the advice of the famous Abby Wambach when she told me,
“find a coach and a club that is going to champion you”.
So I transferred to Florida United
which is also in the Girls Academy League and a little closer to home. My mom drives me an hour and half five days to Fort Lauderdale to train. As well as travels to all of my showcases and league games all over the United States.
On September 6, 2021 I was contacted by the Hungarian National Soccer Team Manager.
They were interested in having me try out for the u17 Womans National Team. My father and I, with the financial sponsorship of the Carvelli Restaurant Group, packed up and went to Hungary for training camp. It was a week-long training camp where I was evaluated by Hungarian National coaches. They liked me and invited to play in Norway for a three-game series.
I headed back to the USA that same week to catch a bus with my IMG team to play Top Hat in Atlanta, GA. Unfortunately, I was injured in Atlanta and was unable to travel back to Hungary to play for the National team the following week. I was devastated.
The phone rang again in September 2022. I was honored and humbled to be invited once again to the
Hungarian National Team for the U17 European Championship Qualifiers
I got to Hungary October 12, 2022. I was greeted by a whole new group of girls and only a few old faces from the previous year. Our group competition included Czech Republic, Bosnia, and Norway. They are all very good teams! We had a really hard group to face. `I was lucky enough to start two of the three games and finish the third. Our first game was Czech Republic we won 1-0. Second game was against Bosnia we finished 0-0. Last game we played Norway and lost 1-0. These stats were good enough to put Hungary through to the next round of EUROS in the spring of 2023.
I have decided to go back into the homeschool world. My training was ramping back up to two trainings everyday. I love playing for Hungary. I know it makes my dad and his family very proud to see that Hungarian Crest on my chest. I know that if I want to continue to play for Hungary I have to work extra hard. When I step on that pitch I know that all eyes are on me and there is someone right behind me wanting my spot on the National team.
At 15 years old I have sacrificed being a normal teenager for the love of the game. Clocking in hour after hour on the pitch.
At age of 16 I signed my first professional contract and moved to Europe to play for my team.
At age of 16 I signed my first professional contract and moved to Europe to play for my team.
Leaving my family behind to live on my own was scary at first. But my club, St, Mihaly FC and my teammates were by my side.
I am also the member of the U19 Hungarian National Team.
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