Charlotte Soccer Standout Credits His Family DNA For His Success
Resolve, readjustment and resilience define 49ers men’s soccer player Samy Kolby. He comes by these traits honestly as they are traceable to his great-grandparents, who years ago fled work camps in Ukraine to ultimately find refuge in the United States.
Kolby describes his ancestors as “very tough people” as over their lifetimes they learned by necessity to cope with hardship, navigate war and conflict and overcome adversity. Their experience, he says, has become woven into his family’s DNA. He sees clearly how Kolby-family persistence has served him through a soccer career that started around the time he learned to walk.
Kolby remembers vividly sitting in the stands of Charlotte’s Transamerica Field at age 8 or 9, cheering on the 49ers with his buddies as they watched standouts Giuseppi Gentile, Tyler Gibson ’13 and Brandt Bronico ’16 (now a pro with FC Charlotte).
“The 49ers were in my head even then,” he said. “But at that time I really didn’t think about playing here. It’s interesting how it came full circle.”
Playing with Charlotte Soccer Academy prior to the existence of FC Charlotte and its MLS Academy, Kolby’s best option to continue developing his skills was to leave Charlotte at age 12 to train for four years with Atlanta United MLS Academy. Saying goodbye to his friends and shifting to homeschool for his education were challenging.
“Leaving Charlotte to dedicate myself to soccer required tremendous effort and sacrifice — for my entire family,” Kolby said. “Atlanta was as close to a professional environment as a teenager could get. It was very cutthroat; every year the team would change as friends I’d made left the club, and I made new ones. You have to develop mental toughness.”
Living in Atlanta wasn’t easy. His parents left their business in Charlotte to find new jobs after relocating. Kolby still spent a lot of time alone in their apartment completing his classes online.
“There were a lot of ups and downs; sometimes things did not go well with the team. At times I thought it might not work out or that maybe I should have stayed in Charlotte,” he recalled. “Thankfully, the up-times outweighed the down.”
After four years in Atlanta came six months with Orlando City’s soccer academy before Kolby returned to Charlotte. Not long after, he landed a chance to play in Germany with one of the world’s most traditional soccer programs.
Through a process that included participation in several ID camps, which offer players a glimpse of collegiate or professional soccer careers, Kolby connected with GPS Academy, which had a relationship with FC Bayern Munich.
“You had to be invited to the main, high-level recruitment event,” he explained. “From there, two guys were chosen to train for two weeks with Bayern Munich. I did that two years in a row; it was definitely important for furthering my playing career.”
The time he’d spent in Atlanta, Orlando and Germany made a difference in cultivating Kolby’s soccer skills and — leaning on the strength instilled by his family — contributed to his personal growth.
“The qualities my family values most are hard work, strength and toughness,” he said. “Shaped by past experiences, those values will always be a part of me and influence how I play, study and do everything.”
While playing for Charlotte Soccer Academy, Kolby was recruited by the Charlotte 49ers as a four-star prospect, considered elite with potential to be a freshman starter. The midfielder appeared in every match his first year with the 49ers, starting in five games.
Now a sophomore, Kolby realizes that at the heart of the challenges he’s overcome is thanks for his family.
“My father played soccer growing up and pushed me from a young age; without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Kolby said. “Now that I’m older, I appreciate the challenges. When I was younger and having a hard time, I thought I should have gone to a regular high school and been a normal kid. Now, I’m grateful for what I learned; it helped me mature quickly.”
As Kolby’s Niner journey evolves, it’s clear his family’s bonds endure across generations — and continue to influence his choices. Majoring in construction management in the William States Lee College of Engineering, he follows a path blazed by his grandfather — who at age 80 still works in construction.