L'Italo-Americano

" Soccer today, soccer t o m o r r o w ! " W i t h t h e s e w o r d s , I t a l - ian-American coun- c i l m e m b e r J o e B u s c a i n o i n t r o d u c e d o n stage producer and entrepre- neur Aurelio De Lauren- t i i s , n e p h e w o f t h e l e g - endary Dino De Laurentiis, a t t h e U . S . p r e m i e r e o f A g 4 i n , a d o c u m e n t a r y chronicling SSC Napoli's his- toric fourth Serie A champi- onship in 2025. The April 6 gala at the Egyptian Theatre i n H o l l y w o o d b r o u g h t together soccer fans, Holly- wood figures like actor Joe M a n t e g n a a n d d i r e c t o r Steven Zaillian, city officials, and special guests to honor De Laurentiis for his dual achievements in sports and cinema. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass took the stage to recognize De Laurentiis, presenting him with a certifi- cate of honor and officially declaring him an Angelino. "Seeing what you have built, h o w y o u h a v e s a v e d t h e team, and contributed to the spirit of soccer throughout the country, it is my plea- sure, on behalf of the City of Los Angeles, to present this recognition, and declare you an honorary citizen of Los Angeles," she said. B e f o r e t h e s c r e e n i n g , Napoli head coach Antonio Conte delivered a special m e s s a g e t o f a n s i n a t t e n - dance, energizing the crowd a n d r e i n f o r c i n g t h e d e e p connection between the club and its international sup- porters. On top of that, Pres- i d e n t D e L a u r e n t i i s announced that, "This year marks 100 years of Napoli. N e x t y e a r , w e w i l l r e t u r n with another film to tell the story from 1926 to now." He also reflected on the unique role of soccer in uniting peo- ple: "Once you see soccer, it brings everybody in agree- m e n t e v e r y w h e r e i n t h e world. But that's just not the t r u t h , b e c a u s e t h e r e a r e wars, differences between rich and poor countries… We are paying the price for this everywhere, even in soccer." The documentary, direct- e d b y G i u s e p p e M a r c o A l b a n o , e x p l o r e s t h e human side of the club: play- e r s , c o a c h e s , a n d , m o s t importantly, fans. De Lau- rentiis described the chal- lenge of filming during the s e a s o n : " I t ' s n o t e a s y t o make such a movie, because you have to follow schedules and respect privacy. Anto- nio Conte doesn't like to be on camera all the time, and p l a y e r s h a v e l i m i t s . B u t when they are emotionally involved, you capture some- thing real. We make the film f o r t h e a u d i e n c e , n o t t h e critics." The result is a vivid portrayal of Napoli's cul- ture, the loyalty of its sup- porters, and the intensity of p r o f e s s i o n a l s o c c e r . T h e film shows moments from training sessions, matches, a n d c e l e b r a t i o n s , g i v i n g audiences a window into a club that has been an inte- gral part of Italian sports for a century. Following the screening, a panel discussion focused on the future of soccer in the United States, with De Laurentiis, LA Times sports- writer Kevin Baxter, and Joe T u t i n o , v o i c e o f t h e L A Galaxy. De Laurentiis spoke c a n d i d l y a b o u t t h e c h a l - lenges facing American soc- cer: "In the United States, there is a very important culture of sports in universi- ties, but not enough for soc- cer. If you want to promote soccer, you need a consis- t e n t a p p r o a c h , n o t j u s t i m p o r t i n g p l a y e r s f r o m E u r o p e . P o p u l a r s p o r t s should be for everybody, not only those who can pay mil- l i o n s . " H e a l s o p r o p o s e d n e w i d e a s f o r g r o w t h , including a pan-American c h a m p i o n s h i p : " I m a g i n e teams from Mexico, Califor- nia, and other U.S. states playing together with the best from South America. It w o u l d c r e a t e a u n i q u e , exciting championship and increase engagement across cultures. Spanish is the sec- ond most spoken language in the U.S. and we could use that to our advantage." D e L a u r e n t i i s s t r e s s e d that soccer's global nature can help bridge socioeco- n o m i c d i v i d e s . " I n L a t i n America, soccer is every- thing. Kids play barefoot on the streets; it's part of their daily life," he said. "Here in the U.S., we must connect the sport to communities, just like in Brazil or Europe. Soccer should be accessible to all, not just those who can afford it." His idea of a com- b i n e d N o r t h a n d S o u t h American tournament aims to foster excitement, raise competition levels, and cul- tivate a new generation of fans. "Take a page from the World Baseball Classic," he s u g g e s t e d . " B r i n g t e a m s from Mexico, the U.S., and C a n a d a t o g e t h e r . L e t t h e best players compete. That's how passion grows." Tutino emphasized the need to inspire the next gen- eration of fans. Drawing on Napoli's centennial history, he noted, "Fandom starts at about 10 years old. That's when you become passion- ate about your team. Napoli is 100 years old, imagine ten generations of fans growing up with the club and spread- ing that passion around the world." Tutino also high- lighted the importance of storytelling to engage fans: "We need to tell the story of t h e s e g a m e s , s o k i d s a n d adults alike understand why they matter. If we do that, American soccer can rise to t h e s a m e c u l t u r a l p r o m i - nence as other sports." Kevin Baxter added per- s p e c t i v e o n h i s t o r i c a l moments in American soc- cer. "The defining moment for U.S. soccer was the 1994 World Cup," he said. "It laid the foundation for MLS and professional growth. This upcoming World Cup in Los Angeles could be another defining moment, but there a r e c h a l l e n g e s , s u c h a s political conflicts that might prevent fans from attend- ing." The panel also focused on Los Angeles' role as host city f o r t h e u p c o m i n g F I F A W o r l d C u p a n d t h e O l y m p i c s . D e L a u r e n t i i s emphasized that timing and organization are key: align- i n g A m e r i c a n s c h e d u l e s with the FIFA calendar will allow top players to partici- pate and raise the standard of play. "Once players com- pete on the right schedule, t h e y ' l l b e r e s p e c t e d b y national coaches and fans," he said. Tutino reflected on the growing passion in the U . S . , c i t i n g M L S a n d L A Galaxy games: "We are still developing a fan culture like Europe or South America. But this World Cup will help the U.S. move to the next stage. Experiences, story- t e l l i n g , a n d c o m m u n i t y engagement will create life- l o n g f a n s . " B a x t e r a d d e d that international competi- tions also provide inspira- tion. "When young athletes s e e t o p - l e v e l s o c c e r , i t sparks a desire to pursue the s p o r t p r o f e s s i o n a l l y . B u t salary structures and expo- s u r e n e e d t o i m p r o v e . American soccer is on the way, but there is still a lot of work to do." SILVIA NITTOLI "Ag4in" premiere in the USA: Aurelio De Laurentiis on the future of soccer in Los Angeles THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY Consul General Raffaella Valentini (right) with Aurelio De Laurentiis, at the presentation of Ag4in in Los Angeles; bottom left, De Laurentiis with Los Angeles City Council Member Monica Rodriguez (Photos: Mark Savage)

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