From Atlanta to Argentina: Matteo Berrio's Road to Aldosivi

Matteo with a teammate at Aldosivi (photos from Matteo)

Matteo Berrio is 18 years old, from Buford, Georgia, and right now he is training with the reserve side at Club Atlético Aldosivi in Mar del Plata, Argentina, a Liga Profesional club, with eyes on time with the first team as well. For a kid who grew up in the Atlanta soccer scene, that is not a small thing.

Getting here was not a straight line.

Berrio's path ran through Envigado FC in Colombia, one of South America's most respected development academies and the club that produced James Rodríguez and Juan Fernando Quintero. He also spent time in Uruguay, where a third division club wanted to sign him but the fit wasn't right. Back home in Georgia, he played UPSL with Pachuca Georgia under coach Ricardo Montoya before heading back to South America to keep pushing.

That pursuit eventually brought him to Estudiantes de La Plata, another Liga Profesional club and one of Argentina's most storied institutions. A documentation issue prevented him from signing there, but instead of coming home, Berrio found his next opportunity at Aldosivi, where he is now training with his age group and working toward sessions with the senior side.

Matteo during his time at Estudiantes.

In a recent interview on the SDH Network, Berrio talked about what makes the Argentine environment different from anywhere else he has been.

"It's the best of both," he said. "They're technical and they're super physical."

He described arriving at training by 7:30 a.m., gym work before the field session, rondos, possession, and scrimmage on the pitch, then a second gym session for upper body, with additional evening work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Three sessions a day is the standard. His body took time to catch up.

When asked what he would tell American coaches based on what he has seen abroad, the answer was simple: prioritize time with the ball. In Argentina, he said, his teammates play pickup and work against walls even on off days. The ball is not a training tool. It is a way of life.

He was equally honest about the mental side of this kind of journey. The rejections pile up. His message to any young player thinking about going overseas to chase the game: don't let the no stop you. Keep working. Something eventually breaks through.

Matteo during training at Aldosivi last week.

Berrio's Colombian heritage and bilingualism have helped him adapt quickly everywhere he has gone. At Aldosivi, he said there was no real adjustment period. He was expected to perform from day one.

He is still a teenager, navigating trials, documentation hurdles, and three-a-day sessions in a foreign country, all because he believes in what he can do. That kind of relentless pursuit is exactly what Soccer Down Here exists to spotlight. There are more Matteo Berrios out there in this region, kids with the talent and the guts to go chase it somewhere most people wouldn't dare. We want to tell every one of their stories.

Follow Matteo Berrio's journey right here on Soccer Down Here.