At 18, Conor Shanosky has had a year of incredibly tough decisions – and they’ve all paid off for the recent Potomac Falls High School graduate.

Shanosky’s soccer career has taken a meteoric rise from playing with Potomac Falls in the 2009 Group AA state championship game to signing a professional contract with D.C. United earlier this month.

The defensive midfielder talked about his sudden fame – and all the Facebook new-friend requests, good-luck texts and the cell-phone messages.

“I looked down at my phone one time and I had 14 new messages. I had just checked my messages 30 minutes earlier,” he said with a bit of awe in his voice.

Shanosky and the Panthers lost that 2009 state title game in the most cruel of ways – they gave up a tying goal in the final seconds, then lost in overtime to Blacksburg.

Not long after that game he made his first tough decision – to leave his Great Falls travel team and join the D.C. United Academy program. That meant leaving friends behind to train with the youth program affiliated with Major League Soccer club D.C. United.

That led in turn to a second decision – to forgo his senior high school season and concentrate on his D.C. United Academy team.

Shanosky took a leadership role on that team. He was named a captain, and he was starting to put the ball into the goal from his midfield position. His scoring ability led to a call-up to train with the U.S. Under 20 national team in San Jose, Calif.

“I was becoming more of a complete player, scoring more goals,” Shanosky said. “I was still playing my normal game, which was to keep possession, but I was going forward more and with my size I was doing well in the air.”

Shanosky admitted to being nervous when he trained with the U-20 team, but his stellar performance on the field led to a spot on the U-20 roster. The team played in the Milk Cup this summer in Northern Ireland under veteran professional coach Thomas Rongen.

Shanosky came off the bench in the final 30 minutes of a 3-0 win over host Northern Ireland that clinched the title for the Americans. He also started in wins against China (1-0) and Denmark (3-2).

“The U-20 team is very good. There are a lot of professionals on the team and some very good college kids,” Shanosky said.

Through it all, D.C. United – which already had Shanosky practicing with the professionals—was watching their prodigy grow, and soon the contract offer came. United made Shanosky the third player to make the jump from United’s Academy to the senior squad, following midfielder Andy Najar and goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

What’s next

Shanosky’s contract allows him to train with United’s first team. However, he will not be eligible for selection until the 2011 season.

“We are pleased to have signed Conor as our third homegrown academy player,” United general manager Dave Kasper said.

“Conor has made tremendous strides in the past year both with D.C. United and with his recent play with the U.S. U-20 National Team,” Kasper said. “He is tactically a very astute player, is excellent technically, and he is extremely committed and dedicated to becoming a successful professional.”

Shanosky said that his first practice with the first squad was an intimidating experience.

“The first time I walked out on the field I was just trying to take everything in. I was very excited and I had a lot of different emotions that day,” Shanosky said.

Now those professional players are his teammates. And with that contract came another tough decision—Shanosky will not play soccer or enroll at George Mason University as previously planned. He said he may take classes online, but for now his employer is D.C. United and his full-time job is soccer.

The club is putting the 18-year-old into the weight room for his first serious weight training. He weighs in at 185 – so expect some increase on his big frame by spring.

“Every day I’m learning something new on the soccer field. I just want to focus on doing my best, day in and day out,” Shanosky said.

Although he won’t attend college right now, his education on the field and off will continue. Shanosky’s passport is ready for a trip to Peru with the U-20 team this fall.

Shanosky has come a long way since that tough state final loss in Radford just 14 months ago. There is no telling how far he will go.

Conor Shanosky

Age: 18
Residence: Sterling
Position: Mfd./Def.
Height: 6 feet 4 inches
Weight: 185 pounds
Jersey number: 17
Became a pro: Signed contact with D.C. United Aug. 16