Kirk Urso passed away early Sunday morning.
The death of the well-liked 22-year-old rocked the Columbus Crew and the U.S. soccer community, bringing what should have been one of Major League Soccer’s feel-good stories to tragic conclusion.
The cause of Urso’s death is unknown at this point. Police were called to a bar in Columbus, Ohio around 1 a.m. Sunday. Urso was transported to Grant Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
“It’s a shocker,” Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers told with MLSsoccer.com. “My immediate priority right now is to try and support the Ursos and do what we can for them.”
“He was known as a leader for an NCAA championship team [at the University of North Carolina]. He was known as a kid with a lot of character.”
“He was an unbelievable kid,” he added. “He was a kid that I would certainly point to and tell my son, ‘That’s the kind of person I want you to be.'”
Urso was a rookie midfielder with Columbus. Despite being overlooked in the 2012 MLS Superdraft, he earned a spot on the Crew roster during training camp and worked his way into the starting lineup by the start of the season.
That feat came as no surprise to those that followed his career. Urso was the captain of the 2011 College Cup-winner, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. He played 91 games for the Tar Heels, scoring 15 goals and adding 24 assists.
He was also a U.S. youth international and played at the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The goal he scored against Belgium sent the U.S. into the second round of that tournament.
The Downers Grove, Ill. native is survived by his parents Michael and Sandra Urso and one brother.
“We appreciate the support and kind words from everyone,” the family said in a statement. “Kirk touched so many people and was looking forward to coming back from his injury. The kind messages are what is keeping us going during this hard time and we thank you for respecting our privacy.”
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Photo via Twitter/@JustinMeram
