For Cumberland County Jets senior Nicolo Azzani, soccer has never just been a sport. It has been part of his family and his identity for as long as he can remember.
Now entering his 13th year playing the game, Azzani said he has grown from a local recreation player into one of the Jets’ most dangerous offensive threats as he begins his final high school season.
“Soccer is just a way of life for Italians,” Azzani said. “My family, my dad, everyone loved soccer and my brother was playing ever since he was really young too, so since my brother was playing, I wanted to play as well and I started as soon as I could.”
Azzani first kicked a ball in Crossville’s Chrysa recreational league. What started as a local youth experience quickly evolved as his family became more involved in growing the sport in the area.
Five years after he began playing, Azzani’s parents helped start a club team, Crossville Football Club. The program helped develop a pipeline of players who would eventually feed into the high school programs at Stone Memorial and Cumberland County.
From there, Azzani’s soccer journey continued to expand. He later played with All In Football Club in Cookeville before moving to Knoxville to compete with Crush. He also spent a season with One Knox and finished his final two club seasons with FC Alliance.
Through every stop along the way, Azzani said the friendships built on the field have remained one of the biggest reasons he has continued playing.
“Ever since from Chrysa to Crossville Football Club, all the people I played with back then are people I’m either playing with now or people I’m still friends with now whether they’re playing or not anymore,” Azzani said. “Almost all of my friends that I met through soccer have stuck with me forever, and it’s just a giant family, so it’s kept me playing for as long as I have.”
That sense of continuity has carried over into the Jets’ roster this season. Azzani said six starters on Cumberland County’s squad trace their roots back to those early youth teams, from Chrysa through All In, with a few additional teammates coming from the Knoxville club scene.
On the field, Azzani has already established himself as one of Cumberland County’s key offensive players. Last season he led the Jets with 22 goals and six assists, emerging as the team’s primary scoring threat.
He also has experience playing in high-stakes postseason matches. During his freshman season, Cumberland County advanced all the way to the substate round. The past two seasons, however, have ended earlier with regional tournament exits. Azzani said those tightly contested games are exactly the type of moments he enjoys most.
With his senior season underway, Azzani said he hopes to help push the Jets back to another deep postseason run.
“I’d like to just have my best year yet and help the team get the furthest we have since I’ve been here,” Azzani said. “Whether that means scoring a bunch or assisting a bunch, whatever it takers, to just get the team as far as I can.”