Goalkeeper Goes From High School to Serie A

When you're the cellar dweller in Serie A, you'll look anywhere for talent that can prevent you from getting relegated to Serie B. Italian club Cagliari is doing just that, signing a goalkeeper from, of all places, a high school in San Ramon, California.

Sometime in the next two weeks, David Bingham will board a flight to Italy to join one of the top soccer leagues in the world.

Bingham, a senior at California High and a star goalkeeper for the Grizzlies, said Wednesday that he has been offered a contract by Cagliari of Italy's Serie A and will leave school to join the team. He is rushing to finish some crucial classes at California and will complete his schooling via independent study in Italy.

Bingham reportedly turned down full scholarships from 14 NCAA Division I schools to sign with Cagliari, who saw him at a tournament in North Carolina and invited him to Italy for a two-week tryout. Now he'll be an American teenager in Italy, getting paid to be a reserve goalkeeper in one of the top domestic leagues on the planet. Must be nice.

Bingham does not appear to have any caps with any U.S. national soccer teams, which are packed to the gills with goalies. If he manages to crack Cagliari's lineup, though, that might change.

(H/T: The Offside)