Catching up with Dylan Lopez

 December 13, 2025 - By Peter Schwartz

There’s a lot going on in the life of a 16-year-old.

Between going to school, spending time with family, hanging out with friends, perhaps a part-time job and just simply enjoying life, there’s a lot to juggle.

But what if you were a 16-year-old athlete and you had the opportunity to play for a professional team?

That’s the experience that Dylan Lopez had last season for American Soccer Club-New York as the Connetquot High School star midfielder joined the Fighting Tomcats roster midway through the season and would go on to make play in two games. His story was picked up by local and national media bringing a lot of attention to him and the team.

“I think I handled it pretty well,” said Lopez. “I was really happy to get the chance to play for ASC NY as a 16-year-old. “Being young and receiving that attention really drove me to become better and also helped me mature a little bit. I didn’t want to be seen as a young kid who just got media or seen as someone to only attract attention to the club. I wanted to prove why I was selected to play with them.”

When you think about young players getting an opportunity and thriving, you don’t have to look any further than right here on Long Island with 18-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer already making an immediate impact for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He was taken first overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, but not many 18-year-olds can crack an opening day lineup.

So, think about someone who is 16 years old stepping onto a soccer pitch with players who are older and have more experience. There was something special about Lopez that caught the eye of ASC New York and they decided to bring him aboard. All it took was Sporting Director Brian Neumeyer telling Head Coach John Fitzgerald about the young man. Neumeyer suggested to Fitzgerald that the team takes a look at him during a Connetquot training session.

Instead, Fitzgerald brough Lopez to an ASC New York training session.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

“If we were going to consider him, this was the level he’d need to compete against,” said Fitzgerald. “He immediately impressed our coaching staff. He was composed under pressure making intelligent choices and displayed strong technical ability.”

Dylan did enough at that first training session to warrant bringing him back for a second and he, once again, dazzled the coaching staff.

“He made a positive impression, successfully competing against players who were older and much more experienced than him,” said Fitzgerald. “We could see he had something special, and believe his “specialness” will develop further in the right environment, so we decided to bring him in.”

When Fitzgerald invited him to join the team, Lopez was a bit shocked but he earned that opportunity. In some circumstances, it might be difficult for a 16-year-old to show veteran players that the roster spot was warranted, but the team gave Lopez a warm welcome to the club and that helped Dylan settle in to his new surroundings.

“The older players were very nice,” said the Ronkonkoma native. “They are very funny and I like listening to them when they talk to each other. They have a lot of experience and are super helpful in allowing me to fit in and get some chemistry with them, especially the ones from England they always make me laugh.”

“Because he’s a good kid and hard worker, the veteran players took him under their wing and taught him a bit of professionalism,” said Fitzgerald.

Lopez was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the team and also to learn and grow under a coach like Fitzgerald who has quite the resume and who works well with young players. In Dylan’s case, he was also still in high school under the guidance of the Connetquot coaches, but he relished every opportunity to learn from Fitzgerald as well.

“He is a very good coach with a lot of experience,” said Lopez. “He has helped me with a lot, especially mentally with my game.”

Once Lopez got his foot in the door, he worked diligently to soak up the experience and continue to build on his already strong skills. He learned from his coaches and teammates about what it takes to be a pro and his development gave the team the confidence to put him on the field.

“He continued to progress and because of this his opportunity to suit up came earlier than expected,” said Fitzgerald. “It was well earned. “We brought him on for two appearance and in each of those appearances he showed more positive signs of what he has.”

And now Lopez, who just turned 17 on November 18th, is looking ahead to season two in 2026 while he also prepares to graduate from Connetquot this June. The high school senior took a big leap joining ASC NY last season so now what does he hope for as the Fighting Tomcats get ready for season two?

“I am extremely excited for 2026 and what it has in store for me,” said Lopez. “I’m super happy and grateful to be a part of all of it and I’m sure we can do for next season.”

Next season not only means ASC NY competing for a National Premier Soccer League championship, but it also includes a highly-anticipated exhibition match with the historic New York Cosmos who return to play this spring in USL League One. The game is part of the club partnership between the Fighting Tomcats and the Cosmos that is designed to provide a pathway for players to get to the next level.

“I am really excited,” said Lopez. “When I was younger, I did go see a couple of Cosmos games with my friends. I just gotta keep training, working hard, show up every day and hopefully they notice me and invite me to some trainings.”

Lopez was one of the best stories, not just in soccer, but in all of New York/New Jersey sports in 2025. For a 16-year-old to hang with older and more experienced players at the professional level is truly amazing and he’s just getting started.

“He still has a way to go,” said Fitzgerald. “As long as he stays focused and committed while remaining humble in the process, I’m confident he’ll continue his escalation as a player. I believe in him, and I hope he’s able to bring even more of himself to the table for us next season.”

There’s a lot to look forward to this May when American Soccer Club-New York kicks off their second season and Dylan Lopez is certainly someone to keep an eye on.