Gevork Diarbian takes his shot with the New England Revs
Picture this: it’s a cold fall evening in New England. An assortment of colorful leaves are raked away from the soccer field’s byline, as the aroma of barbecue fills the nearby fan section. There’s the sound of freshly pumped soccer balls being thumped one after another, making a ripping ‘schrink’ sound as they hit the back of the goal net. Behind one of those balls is Gevork Diarbian, an Armenian-American footballer who plays in midfield for the New England Revolution II in the MLS Next Pro.
Diarbian was raised in an Armenian household and is proud of his roots. “My dad was born in Lebanon, but he’s 100% Armenian, and my mom was born in Armenia. My parents moved here at a very young age,” he told the Weekly.
Diarbian is from Cranston, Rhode Island, and he made a name for himself playing through the ranks at school and in the New England Revolution academy. He was introduced to the sport at an early age and has been playing since he was eight years old.
“I started playing soccer kind of because of my grandpa. My grandpa [Levon Tovmasian] back in the day used to play for the Armenian national team. So he kind of introduced soccer to my life a little bit, and he’s kind of been my mentor, my coach,” Diarbian said. “My grandpa introduced me to Barcelona and watching Messi.”
Early on, Diarbian had his reservations. “I signed up to play soccer, and it was my first time playing. I remember I didn’t really enjoy it. I played other sports as well — basketball, baseball. I was trying to figure out the right one and tried new things,” he said.
However, with the persistence of his grandfather, Diarbian grew to love the beautiful game. “He saw me actually play one time for fun, and he was telling my mom, ‘oh, you have to sign him up. He has potential. I can see it.’ The first time I didn’t really enjoy it, but then everyone was pushing to try one more year, one more time. So I said okay, and I just fell in love with it ever since,” he said.
Diarbian is still a Messi fan. In fact, he says his style of play is credited to the man many consider the ‘greatest of all time.’
“I remember I was just, when I was a kid, watching his first game, and my grandpa got me a Messi jersey, and I just fell in love with him. I kept watching Messi dribbling videos when I was younger. I was always training to be like Messi — to dribble like him, to score like him, his celebrations. He was just a big inspiration for me for sure,” Diarbian said.
Diarbian started off playing soccer in the attacking midfield, also referred to as the ‘number 10 role,’ and had stints as a striker. Now, he says his best position is on the left-wing. “My type of play is definitely going at people one on one. Being dangerous. Creating for other people. And also scoring goals,” Diarbian said. He went on to explain what his biggest attribute is, “My one on one play, my speed, my dribbling. I think that’s what brings that package. It’s what people want to watch about me.”
The first two years of Diarbian’s high school career were spent playing for La Salle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island. There, he helped his squad win the Rhode Island Division I State Championship in 2017. “Those were obviously the best times — playing high school. You’re with all of your friends. All your people are going to your games. It was amazing. La Salle was also very close to my house. It was only a 10-minute drive. I always wanted to go to La Salle. It was a dream come true for me,” he said.
Diarbian’s prowess on the pitch was recognized, earning a call-up to the New England Revolution academy. The Revolution is the hometown Major League Soccer team for Diarbian.
“I had the opportunity my junior and senior year to play with the Revs,” he said. “Of course, playing for the Revolution academy in high school is two different games, so I’ve learned a lot…At La Salle, I was trying to have the spotlight. I was that guy, but when I went to the Revs academy, there were a lot of other kids that were amazing. I was playing against the best kids in the country. My team was really good, so I actually had to compete, and I had to fight for my spot.”
In order for Diarbian to continue on his path, he had to make some difficult decisions. Ultimately, he says the discipline required to succeed in soccer helped him grow in his sport and as a man.
“With the academy, it was practice every single day. I was missing a lot of school as well. With me, I was just so focused and so locked in that it was more of a sacrifice, because all of my friends were going out. and I couldn’t. I was training or I was traveling, so it was definitely a lot of hard work and dedication,” he said.
After graduating from the New England Revolution academy and high school, Diarbian kept his talents in New England, joining Providence College. His first year, however, was impacted by the looming COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was always around Providence College, and my dream was to play at Providence College. I was really close with the coaches. They knew me very well as a person and as a player too. I was really excited to get started, but of course with the pandemic going on, I was scared we weren’t going to have a season, we weren’t going to play games,” he said.
Diarbian led his team in points (7) in his freshman year with three goals and one assist in nine games. In his four college seasons, Diarbian tallied 12 goals and 17 assists in 64 games. He was named to the All-BIG EAST Third Team in his freshman year and All-BIG EAST Second Team for each of his remaining three seasons.
“The biggest thing for me, playing at Providence, was that my family were always there to come to my games, all my friends and stuff. That was a big thing for me. Just being on the field, seeing your parents and all your friends cheer you on, it’s a special moment, and I’ll never forget those days,” Diarbian said.
In college, Diarbian had the opportunity to play against pros. USL League Two’s Vermont Green called Diarbian up for six games in 2022 following the end of his junior year. He ended up scoring four goals and collecting two assists.
“I think it was my sophomore year, I went down to Chicago and I played for a USL League Two team called Peoria. I was very close with one of the coaches. His name is Coach Rubin. He reached out to me to go play in Chicago, and I was there for the summer, and it was amazing. My Providence coach knew the Vermont coach very well, and they wanted me to go to Vermont to play in the summer,” Diarbian said.
It was an experience that gave Diarbian a glance at what to expect during a rise through the U.S. soccer ranks. “I definitely had a great time there. That atmosphere was crazy, and it was just a nice place to be in the summer. My confidence was really high over there,” he said.
Diarbian’s college career would conclude, but his soccer career would fly. On February 21, New England Revolution II signed Diarbian to an MLS NEXT Peo contract.
“For me, I always believed in myself that I could get there one day. Hard work beats dedication. I was with them for two weeks, trying out with them, trying to get a contract. They invited me to preseason in Florida, and I had a really good preseason. Once I got that call and they told me that I was going to get signed, it was a dream come true. It didn’t feel real,” Diarbian said. “My mom and dad were so excited for me, and especially my grandpa, because they saw the hard work and dedication that I put day in and day out.”
Diarbian credits his positivity and patience for getting him through the beginning of his time with the Revs. Starting on the bench, Diarbian had to prove himself, that he deserved playing time.
“I knew that I was going to get that moment whether I was starting or not starting. I just always had that mentality to always stay ready. You never know what could happen. I had my first start, and I was just so focused and locked in. I believed in myself that I can achieve it, whether it’s scoring a goal or getting an assist. I’m so grateful to score a goal, and it was definitely that relief of, wow, I can do this,” Diarbian said.
Diarbian is still in the midst of his rookie year with New England Revolution II. He’s played 17 games, scored two goals and registered four assists. Diarbian also started 11 of the 17 games he featured in.
“We have a great team. All the guys on the team are very close. It’s been an up-and-down kind of season I would say, but with 12 more games left, I feel like we’re all locked in, and in practice you can see it. We’re very intense. All the other guys want to make the playoffs. They want to continue even more from that, so I think we’re all locked in,” Diarbian said.
Diarbian is focused on the 2024 USL League Two season. His goal is to represent the New England Revolution in the MLS and other domestic and continental tournaments.
“Of course I would want to play for the Rev’s next year. Like I said before, it’s a dream place to be at. It’s a great club and great environment. Just focused on this year. Hopefully everything goes well, and hopefully they can sign me again next year,” Diarbian said.
When it comes to international football, Diarbian has expressed his interest in representing Armenia. “That’s for sure a big dream — that I would want to play for the national team with Armenia. We’ve been in talks, and I think they want to see me a little bit more and how I do in a professional environment and kind of just go from there. I need to do my part to make a name for myself, and hopefully I can play for the Armenian national team. That’s my ultimate goal,” he said.
Jason Takhtadjian
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