Jamesville-DeWitt HS’ Abdusattorov arrived in CNY from top European academy
Bekzod Abdusattorov, a junior at Jamesville DeWitt, has imprressed thus far with 21 goals in three seasons, just three years removed from moving to the United States. Courtesy of Bekzod Abdusattorov
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UPDATE: This story was updated at 7:07 p.m. on Sept. 30
Gliding through defenders, Bekzod Abdusattorov typically uses a familiar move to get free. He employs the same stepover he used against Real Madrid’s young superstar Arda Güler when the two squared off as members of European giant Galatasaray’s academy in Turkey.
The only difference? This time, he’s playing for Jamesville-DeWitt High School’s (New York) soccer team.
Bekzod has had plenty of change in his life. His entire family moved from their hometown of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to Istanbul in 2020 when he was offered an academy contract by Galatasaray. Then, they decided to immigrate to central New York in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Through it all, he’s remained passionate toward soccer. In his sophomore year at J-D last season, he earned First Team All-League and Second Team All-CNY honors after scoring a team-high 14 goals while adding six assists. This year, he’s still shining, with eight goal contributions through 10 games while still adjusting to the U.S.
“The transition wasn’t exactly easy, especially moving to a new country and not knowing the language,” Bekzod said. “But soccer is a fundamental part of my life, and that made everything easier.”
Bekzod’s initial dream was to earn a professional contract with Galatasaray. The club is known for producing some of European soccer’s best young stars and being one of the best teams in Turkey. After a year of traveling across the continent and consistently facing top competition, his parents decided to move to the U.S.
Bekzod was going to try out for soccer academies in America. However, after talking with his coach from his team in Uzbekistan, Ayder Kurbaev, he decided to play for J-D instead.
His family moved to central New York just in time for the start of his freshman year, but he was placed on the junior varsity team since he missed fall tryouts. But, when J-D men’s soccer head coach Dan Law saw him play for the first time, he knew Bekzod wasn’t just another promising athlete — he was a game-changer.
“We had some injuries on the varsity team, so we went over to the junior varsity team to see if there was anyone who could temporarily hold a spot on the bench,” Law said. “My assistant pointed him out to me as he was practicing and said, ‘Hey, this kid is pretty good.’”
The transition wasn’t exactly easy, especially moving to a new country and not knowing the language. But soccer is a fundamental part of my life, and that made everything easier.Bekzod Abdusattorov, J-D HS soccer player
Though he was just a bench player to start, Law and his staff decided to take a chance on the transfer freshman, calling him up for a few games. At the time, he was still learning the English language. Luckily, his older brother, Shakhzod Abdusattorov, was a senior on the team and helped him out as a translator.
“At the start, it was hard for him because he couldn’t communicate too well with our coaches and teammates,” Shakhzod said. “I talked and translated for him a lot, but then he got better as time went on.”
His play on the field, however, translated seamlessly. In his first few varsity games, he made it hard for Law to pull him off the field, notching a goal and an assist in his first two games.
“He’s always been incredibly creative with the ball,” Law said. “He’s not just a guy who creates for himself and scores goals, but he’s also learned to be a playmaker and dish out assists.”
The strong start led to his sophomore explosion last season, racking up 20 goal contributions.
While the goals, assists and accolades continue to stack up, he knows he’s not on this journey alone, consistently looking to others for guidance. Even with his older brother at Le Moyne College now, he still turns to him often.
“He texts me pretty much every day,” said Shakhzod. “Some days he calls just to chat, and other days he calls when he needs help or advice.”
Through the stress of global immigration, the dangers of war and pressure to perform, soccer has always been an escape for Bekzod. It’s an open field where he can be creative and connect with the people around him, regardless of where he is around the world.
“We are all in the soccer community and we share our soccer language when we play,” Bekzod said.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect accuracy in Bekzod’s move to the U.S. The Daily Orange regrets this error.
