ASC NY CAPTAIN BRIAN SARAMAGO HAS HIS SIGHTS SET ON A CHAMPIONSHIP

December 4, 2025-by Peter Schwartz

Long Island has a rich tradition of soccer and with that comes a history of professional teams on the island winning championships.

Playing at Nassau Coliseum, the New York Arrows of the Major Indoor Soccer League won four straight championships from 1979 to 1982. 

The Long Island Rough Riders won the USISL National Championship in 1995.

And, of course, the original New York Cosmos called Hofstra University on Long Island home when they won the NASL title in 1972 and then Cosmos 2.0 won modern-era NASL championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016. 

So, it would mean a great deal to Long Island native and American Soccer Club-New York captain Brian Saramago to eventually have the Fighting Tomcats hoist an NPSL trophy. 

“That’s always the goal, at the end of the day, is to win a trophy,” said Saramago. “Everyone wants to win and everyone wants to lift that trophy at the end so that’s always a goal.” 

As ASC NY heads into their second season in 2026, the veteran forward has been busy getting ready to help the Fighting Tomcats continue their development into a championship club. He’s currently playing for the New York Greek Americans Soccer Club in the EPSL and is having a strong season. Once this season is over, he will turn his attention to ASC NY and building off of last year’s 2-4-4 finish in the North Atlantic Conference. 

“We were able to represent ASC last year for the first time,” said the 27-year-old Saramago who appropriately scored the first goal in ASC NY history last year and finished the season finding the back of the net six times in seven matches.

“I’m excited to build on what we started last year and hopefully go further and possibly make the playoffs. Last year, we didn’t make it to the playoffs which was obviously disappointing for everyone but it’s understandable since it was the first year.”  

Saramago, a native of New Hyde Park and a graduate of New Hyde Park High School, played college soccer at Loyola University in Maryland before embarking on a pro career that included stops with New York Red Bulls II, the New York Red Bulls U-23 team, the Long Island Rough Riders, NK Rudar Velenje in Slovenia and B-SAD in Portugal. Internationally, he played for the United States U-19 team in 2016.

He was the perfect choice to be named the first captain in ASC NY and with that title comes some added pressure. But, Saramago subscribes to the idea that pressure is a privilege. 

“I put on that armband and I’m titled the captain and it’s a pleasure to be the captain,” said Saramago. “I never look at it as pressure. I love leading. I like to be an example as one of the older guys on the team. It’s nice to share my experiences and lend a helping hand with the college kids.” 

When it comes to being a captain, Saramago is the total package.

“Brian brings the maturity and experience of a pro player,” said ASC NY Head Coach John Fitzgerald. “He’s a solid teammate to all and a role model for the younger guys. He’s impactful up top and a natural goal scorer with a knack to create opportunities.”

With so many children playing soccer on Long Island, it’s important to have a professional club to serve as inspiration to one day play for your hometown team. In their inaugural season, ASC NY built the foundation for a franchise that serves the community and gives these young players something to strive for.

Years ago, Saramago was one of those players and know he’s a role model for the current day youth players of Long Island.

“As a kid growing up on Long Island that there really weren’t any Long Island pro teams,” said Saramago. It was just the Red Bulls out at the Meadowlands at the time. It was actually even the MetroStars when I was growing up.”

But in 2025, Saramago and his teammates became stars for the youth players who attended the ASC NY home matches at Hofstra. After games, the youth soccer player would be prepared with team posters and sharpies to request autographs.

Saramago and the rest of the Fighting Tomcats were more than happy to oblige.

“That was really cool and makes me happy,” said Saramago. “That makes me want to work harder to build and continue building on what ASC NY wants to do in the future.”  

The plan for the future was carved out once John Fitzgerald was hired to be the first Head Coach in ASC NY history. With a resume chock full of experience, Fitzgerald has a blueprint of what it will take for the Fighting Tomcats to be a championship team. 

And Saramago is excited for what lies ahead.

“Coach Fitz is a great coach,” said Saramago. “It’s a pleasure to play under him. He’s someone with a lot of experience and knowledge within the game so it’s always special to play under coaches like that. Off the field, he’s a great person and he knows how to deal with and man-manage each player and get the best out of you. He has a vision and a philosophy that he wants to carry out.”

And the feeling is mutual in this special player/coach relationship.

“I enjoy coaching him because he’s a good person and a good pro,” said Fitzgerald. “He has this calm yet super competitive nature about him.”

It's been an eventful off-season so far for ASC NY including the announcement of the club partnership between the Fighting Tomcats and the historic New York Cosmos who will return to the pitch in 2026 playing in USL League One. As part of the agreement between the two clubs, the Cosmos will come to Long Island each season for an exhibition game with ASC NY. 

That will be a special day or night for Saramago and the Fighting Tomcats playing against an iconic franchise.

“Everyone thinks about Franz Beckenbauer, Pele and all of those star-studded players who came during an era when soccer might not have been so strong,” said Saramago. “Whenever the Cosmos are around, it’s always a talking point playing an historic club.”

It may only be an exhibition game, but the match provides a platform for the Fighting Tomcats to make a big impression.

“You always want to put your best foot forward,” said Saramago. “Who knows…if someone performs well enough, one of the guys could maybe end up getting an opportunity. You never know.”

And you never know what could happen in NPSL year two for ASC NY. There is a championship history on Long Island and there is a partnership with a team that has cornered the market in winning soccer trophies in the tri-state area.

For Brian Saramago and the Fighting Tomcats, the goal is simple…to bring a professional soccer championship to Long Island.

“That was the goal last year even though it was our first year and I think that will remain our goal,” said Saramago. “But, at the end of the day, you just have to take it one game at a time and build on your previous game but of course it would mean the world to lift the trophy for ASC NY.”

And it would also mean the world to the vast soccer community on Long Island.