TULSA – Growing up on Roosevelt Island, everyone has a story. The island in total is just 147 acres in size, just barely smaller than Disneyland in California (160 acres). It’s located in the East River, smack in between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens. That’s where Leo Folla grew up, one of just under 12,000 people that live there.
“My father worked with computers,” Folla said. “He’s retired now, at 66. My mother is a preschool teacher, right there on the island. The school is like two or three blocks from our house.”
Renato Folla, Leo’s father, is Brazilian-Italian, born to first generation Brazilian parents. Renato’s grandparents (Leo’s great-grandparents) emigrated from Italy around a century ago. Leo’s mother, Eunice, is a first-generation Brazilian born to Japanese parents. Leo holds American, Brazilian, and Italian passports, and speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. His entire life has been spent in the melting pot of New York City, which he says has shaped him.
“It’s one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city,” Folla said. “I had friends from all backgrounds. My best friends that I hang out with, still to this day, my childhood friends, were from countries all over. Obviously on top of growing up in a diverse family–multiracial, multiethnic, speaking Portuguese and English. It all came together in this whole melting pot, and it was it was incredible.”
“As immigrants, we always thought children’s lives should be focused on activities that keep them busy,” Eunice added. “And in our house, we tended to put sports first.”
Folla will feel right at home in Tulsa, a club which has players with more than eleven different nationalities among the sixteen players on the 2021 roster so far.
“I had Moroccan friends, Algerian friends, friends from Mauritania, Mali, Pakistan, another Brazilian friend,”
Folla counted. “I had friends from all over. I’ve met so many people from different countries, I think it has a big affect on my identity.”
Leo Folla’s path to Tulsa has been winding, to say the least. He spent his five years in college at three different schools, and his professional career has taken him from Sweden to Chattanooga, Tennessee and now to Tulsa. All in pursuit of a childhood dream.
The 25-year-old defender comes to Tulsa after two years with Chattanooga where he was a fixture on the Red Wolves backline. Folla made 15 starts in 2019 before a career year in 2020 that included appearances in all but one match and starts in all but two. Overall, in his two seasons in Chattanooga, Folla led the Red Wolves in clearances and finished second on the club in interceptions.
“My dream has always been to be a professional soccer player, since I was very little,” Folla remembered.
Renato said that soccer was the thing that helped his son overcome his shyness at a young age and give him a sense of confidence as he grew up.
Now, Folla is an established USL standout. He’s made a big splash in League One, and head coach Michael Nsien has brought him to Tulsa and to the USL Championship.
“I’m very grateful to Coach Nsien for giving me the opportunity to wear this shirt and represent this city,” Folla said. “I like the way he sets his teams up to play, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Folla counted. “I had friends from all over. I’ve met so many people from different countries, I think it has a big affect on my identity.”
Leo Folla’s path to Tulsa has been winding, to say the least. He spent his five years in college at three different schools, and his professional career has taken him from Sweden to Chattanooga, Tennessee and now to Tulsa. All in pursuit of a childhood dream.
The 25-year-old defender comes to Tulsa after two years with Chattanooga where he was a fixture on the Red Wolves backline. Folla made 15 starts in 2019 before a career year in 2020 that included appearances in all but one match and starts in all but two. Overall, in his two seasons in Chattanooga, Folla led the Red Wolves in clearances and finished second on the club in interceptions.
“My dream has always been to be a professional soccer player, since I was very little,” Folla remembered.
Renato said that soccer was the thing that helped his son overcome his shyness at a young age and give him a sense of confidence as he grew up.
Now, Folla is an established USL standout. He’s made a big splash in League One, and head coach Michael Nsien has brought him to Tulsa and to the USL Championship.
“I’m very grateful to Coach Nsien for giving me the opportunity to wear this shirt and represent this city,” Folla said. “I like the way he sets his teams up to play, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
You can learn more about Leo Folla from the 2015 documentary from Alianza de Futbol, “Leo Folla, un talento multicultural“
You can learn more about Leo Folla from the 2015 documentary from Alianza de Futbol, “Leo Folla, un talento multicultural“
