Joe Scally: Homegrown Long Island Pro and USMNT Fullback
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For this week’s blog post, we are honored to spotlight Joe Scally, a 23-year-old American professional soccer player from Lake Grove, New York. Joe currently plays for the United States National Team and as a full-back for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga located in Germany, one of the most acclaimed professional soccer leagues in the world.
Joe’s journey to professional soccer goes way back to his childhood, where he and Better Days founder, Dom, first played together on the Sachem Starbursts! Dom loved the game deeply before his battle with cancer, and he’ll always cherish the memories of playing alongside Joe for a short while.. Dom couldn’t be prouder of his former teammate and friend, and is honored to watch Joe live out his dream of playing professionally in Germany and dominating on the World Cup stage.
Joe’s soccer journey began when he was just 5 years old, although he’s said he had a passion for the game even before he could walk, inspired by watching his older brother play—someone he described as his biggest role model. Reflecting back on the start of his soccer career, Joe shares that he always looked up to his brother and tried to mimic him. His brother was the one who got him into sports and always kept him on the right track, Joe shared that his brother was "always there for him in the good times and the bad."
This love for soccer led Joe to play at Sachem starting on JV as a middle schooler. It was clear Joe had a relentless passion and incredible skill set for the game at an early age. As Joe progressed as a player he had eventually earned a spot on the NYCFC Academy team, A prestigious soccer ac academy in New York. From there, Joe's soccer pedigree continued to grow, eventually suiting up for NYCFC’s professional team from which his talent then took him all the way to Germany, and eventually to the United States National Team where he played in the 2022 World Cup.
Soccer has always been a big part of Joe’s life and is something he describes as “an escape from everyday life.” This was especially true during his younger days, when he always looked forward to getting after it with his teammates in practice after school. Joe is very thankful for his younger years playing the game and the memories he formed with his teammates and coaches.
Joe explains the transition from playing academy soccer to the professional level as a “big jump,” especially when faced with players who were “much older, stronger, and more experienced.” Despite these challenges, Joe didn’t let them hold him back. Although he faced the “demanding pressures” of now being a professional athlete with grown men at a young age, he remained focused and used these obstacles as motivation—not just to improve himself, but to inspire his teammates and be the best teammate he could be.
Starting his professional career at such a young age also taught Joe invaluable lessons that helped him grow both on and off the field. Joe says that the experience has made him more professional, prompting him to be more intentional in his day to day. Joe took steps to improve his diet and sleep, knowing that success on the field required taking care of himself mentally and physically off of it.
Joe experienced both challenges and rewards throughout his journey, from playing at the academy level to advancing to the professional level. One of his biggest challenges was giving up time with family and friends, as he was always heading to training and missing events. Additionally, when Joe moved to Germany at 18, he missed out on the typical college experience that most people his age were having.
Joe shares the difficulties of staying motivated during such a long season, explaining, "There are definitely periods, even weeks at a time, when you feel like you just want the season to end because you’re not having fun.” This challenge is made even harder by being away from his family, adding a mental toll to playing professionally, while pursuing such a fulfilling reward.
While this was extremely challenging, Joe is very thankful for the opportunities he was granted as a result of his sacrifices and hard work. He describes it as one of the most rewarding experiences of his life, being able to live out his childhood dream of playing in front of 50,000 people every weekend—something he calls “special” and will never take for granted. To Joe, “just being able to see the smiles on people's faces in the crowd after you win or have a good performance, it’s a feeling difficult to describe.” That feeling is the hidden meaning behind Better Days—feeling like you’ve won the day, everyday, showing up and accomplishing your goals through strength and resiliency.
Better Days holds a special place in Joe’s heart, as he was once teammates with co-founder Dom at a young age. Joe explains that he embodies the Better Days mission by always looking forward: “There’s always setbacks and days I want to forget, games I wish never happened, but it’s always a chance to be positive, and always a way to get better. For me, it’s always about looking forward. I never want to look back; I just figure out ways to be better.”
Better Days is built on resilience, strength, and looking ahead to better days. Joe leaves us with a positive perspective, stating, “Even when the game doesn’t go as planned, the next one is right around the corner. The next training session is a fresh start, and the next game could be a better day.” Reminding us not to lose sight of our end goal. He truly embodies merch with a message and growing through resiliency—it’s not about the losses, but how we come back stronger and what we do to improve that matters.
Joe has had a very successful career, and we are so proud of him. When asked about his success, he humbly shares, “It’s difficult to describe my success in a sport right now because I’m so young. If you would’ve asked me when I was 10 years old if I would be doing this now, I think I would’ve checked off every box that I ever wanted to do. But as you come along in the sport and keep achieving things, you always want more and more, so for me, it’s very difficult to describe what success looks like right now.” He’s hopeful that when his professional soccer career is over, he will be able to confidently answer with accolades of success, leaving the game better than he found it.
While Joe is still young and has a long, successful road ahead of him, he shares some of his goals and aspirations post-professional soccer. He says, “I hope to show people that dedication and hard work go a long way. I want people to see that even if they think they’re just a regular person, they can make it far in life.” While Joe shares this as a future goal, here at Better Days, we can confidently say he’s already doing this, inspiring us all to be better every day!
Joe’s relentless attitude and the sense of grit he exhibits every time he steps onto the pitch is a true testament to Joe’s drive and commitment to his craft to maintain playing at an elite level. Joe has a strong mindset as he and the rest of the United States national team head into the 2026 FIFA World Cup right here at home! There is no question Joe and the fellas are ready to get after it and bring home some hardware!
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