This monthโs UEFA European Football Championship final between England and Italy created quite a spirited commotion in the FC Tucson clubhouse โ especially from Chester, England native Deri Corfe.
โI get quite intense every tournament England plays in,โ Corfe said. โI always believe โItโs Coming Home,โ perhaps a little too much so.โ
โItโs Coming Homeโ are lyrics to one of the most beloved football songs of the English sport: โThree Lions (Footballโs Coming Home).โ For Corfe and FC Tucson teammate Charlie Dennis, another Brit, it was a refrain throughout the tournament.
โWe were saying โItโs Coming Homeโ every day,โ Corfe said.
Italy beat England in penalty kicks in the July 11 final, crushing Corfe and Dennis โ and delighting Luca Mastrantonio, the lone Italian on Tucsonโs roster.
โLuca didnโt give me and Charlie nearly enough smack,โ Corfe laughed. โI know I would have said way more if weโd have one.โ
The friendly banter has helped Corfe, a 23-year-old forward, adjust to his first season in USL League One. Corfe is tied for the team lead with three goals heading into Saturdayโs match at Richmond.
โ(Tucson) has been a great place to call home and enjoy my football again,โ Corfe said. โThey have a great style which suits my play.โ
FC Tucson interim coach Jon Pearlman said Corfe has been an invaluable member of the club this year, and praised his performance in last weekโs match against Union Omaha. Corfe came off the bench to notch his first assist of the season in a 2-1 Tucson win. The Men in Black are 4-4-5 heading into the midway point of the season.
โDeri was fantastic,โ Pearlman said. โHe gave us a quality check, again.โ
Corfe made his American professional debut in 2019, scoring 14 goals in 12 games for the Ocean City Norโeasters and earning USL League Two Most Valuable Player honors. The success put Corfe on MLS Draft radars, and the New York Red Bulls selected him with the 41st overall pick in the 2020 SuperDraft. Corfe played the 2020 season with the Red Bulls II, a USL Championship team, before being released in November.
Corfe returned home to England and weighed his options. It didnโt take long for he and his agent to decide that a return to America was the right path.
Corfe moved out of his parentsโ house at the age of 12 to play for the Manchester City youth development team, then graduated from high school in 2016. Corfe moved to the United States and enrolled at the University of Rio Grande in Ohio, and played two seasons there before transferring to Wright State. Over 70 college games, Corfe scored 40 goals.
โIโm a tricky winger,โ Corfe said. โI like to go one-versus-one against guys and I like to get a lot of shots on net and score goals. I think I can be quite an enjoyable player to watch.โ
FC Tucson and former coach John Galas were interested in Corfe as far back as 2018. The two sides talked again this spring, and Corfe signed with the club in mid-April. He has played in all 13 of FC Tucsonโs games this season, meshing well with Tucsonโs talented midfielders and forwards.
โWe have very talented forwards, like Deri,โ said Shak Adams, who also has three goals this season. โWe can rotate at any point in time. Weโre a very dangerous attacking team. If itโs not me, itโs Deri, or Toby (Uzo).โ
Corfe said heโs focused on improving in the second half of FC Tucsonโs season.
โIโve been really enjoying it here,โ Corfe said โJust gotta keep working hard and keep trying to score goals.โ
