Roma World No.3: Austin, Texas

Name: Alessio Ambrosetti
Age: 34
City: Austin
Country: United States

What is your first memory of Roma?

“I don’t have a story like many supporters who had their father taking them to the stadium every Sunday when they were small. I just remember sitting in our car on Sunday family trips listening to the radio hoping to hear Roma scored. My dad definitely showed me the passion for the colors and living in Rome made the rest possible.”

Who was your first Roma hero and why?

“Totti was my first hero, simply because I was too young to fully appreciate Giannini. I met Totti when he was really young and I was playing in the youth squads of AS Roma Satellite Clubs. I remember being extremely excited as a little kid but not as excited as I was when I met him again in Philadelphia with my family.”

Who has been your favourite Roma manager and why?

“This is a tough question because I have different ones for different reasons. Capello was the most successful manager I remember because he led us to a Scudetto after 18 years, but how can you not like Spalletti and Garcia for how they made us play and Mazzone for his tremendous passion? Plus, Mazzone helped Totti become the champion he became.”

What has been your lowest point supporting Roma?

“In all honestly, my lowest point supporting Roma was last season at a bar counter here in Austin, watching a game with a newly acquired friend and Roma fan. Watching us not being able to connect more than two passes or being able to finish simple shots. Then I knew that we had hit rock bottom and something had to be done to come out of this situation.”

Have you been to a Roma match and if so, what was your memory of your first game?

“I have been to multiple Roma matches throughout the years but not many recently due to my family moving here in Austin, Texas in 1996. The first match at the Olimpico was a Roma versus Borussia Dortmund match in the UEFA Cup that my dad decided to take us to. We won 1-0. I’ll never forget walking up the steps for the first time and seeing the fans on the other side, the smells, the chants. The higher I walked, the more I saw, until I saw the pitch. To this day, walking up to the stands gives me chills.”

Where were you when Roma last won the Scudetto?

“When Roma won the Scudetto, the last one that is, I was in Rome for a summer vacation and I watched the game with my friends at a local club before driving to Circo Massimo to celebrate with the rest of Rome. I lost my voice and had a flight the next day to come back to Texas.”

Do Roma have a passionate fan base in the city you live?

“I think the most passionate Roma fans in Austin are my family, a few other Romans who live here and some other ‘special fans’ who are connected with the Roma world in some way. We are a fairly new Fan Club and unless Roma stabilises in Europe, it’s going to be hard to get the American public’s attention. However, I am pleased to say that we have converted a Juventus fan to the Roma colors because of how passionate we get when we watch the games.”

Which team do you most enjoy seeing Roma beat?

“Is this really a question? Lazio with Juve just slightly below in Serie A. Then all the other teams come in third place.”

What makes Roma so special to you?

“Everything about it. The good and the bad. The moments when you feel like you’re on top of the world and the moments when you sit at a bar shaking your head because things aren’t going the way they should. Roma’s colours are happy colors that scream passion when you see them. Our fans are the most beautiful fans in the world when they’re behind the team. Our stadium… our chants… game day… the fact that supporting Juventus or Milan is just too easy…

“Being a Roma fan is something that is absolutely not easy and you don’t become one because you want to get on a bandwagon. We don’t win often so you become one because there is spark that happens when you see them live for the first time. When you see the passion of the people around you, it’s a type of warmth you struggle to explain to someone on the outside.”

What does Totti mean to you?

“There is a banner that always shows up at every Roma game: No Totti No Party. Now he is getting older but he can still give a meaning to our games. He is a humble person who still loves to play soccer. It doesn’t matter what people say about him, he just keeps playing and keeps doing what he does best. Of course today he can’t be as effective as he was in his prime, but he still fights for every ball and still carries the team when he is on the field. He has been my soccer role model since he started playing.”

Who is your favourite current player and why?

“With the exception of Totti and De Rossi, I particularly like Keita. Here you have an example of someone who has won every possible trophy available to win at the club level, he comes to Roma as his career is coming to an end but he fights and he works as hard as someone who needs to prove himself to the fans and to the club. Much respect for a player like that.”

If you could meet anyone connected to Roma - past or present - who would it be and why?

“In all honesty, I have been lucky enough to have met everyone who I have wanted to meet in the present. However, I would have liked to have met with Viola. He is a president everyone speaks extremely well of and I would have liked to hear his ideas back in the day.”

What makes you most proud to be a Roma supporter?

“A few things… driving around with my Jeep around town and hearing people scream Go Roma… and to piggyback on that, our current ownership. They are doing the right things for Roma, to set us up for a bright future. The problem is that in Italy there seem to be no patience… everyone wants change but no one is willing to wait for it. So seeing our managers go their way without settling for the usual Italian ways makes me real proud.”

Finally, what would be your perfect day as a Roma fan?

“My perfect day as a Roma fan would be Roma playing a summer friendly here in Austin against the Austin Aztex so I don’t have to drive 5,000 miles to watch them play. Or… winning the scudetto by beating Juventus at the Juventus Stadium on the last match of the season!”

Click here to follow Alessio on Twitter @AmbrosettiATX. You can connect with the Austin Roma Supporters Club on Twitter by following @ASRomaATX.