Using a self-made highlight video showcasing his time with the Fresno Fuego, Sergi Nus spurred his move to one of the top college programs in the nation ahead of the 2016 season, and he has thrived in the talented Atlantic Coast Conference since then.

Nus, who was recently ranked No. 9 on the Top PDL Defenders in college list, has been proactive in his pursuit to reach the professional ranks. After starting his collegiate career at Fresno Pacific University, the defender transferred to the University of Virginia before the 2016 fall campaign.

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Nus has also been a key member of the Fuego in recent years, playing 26 games in the previous two PDL regular seasons. Eager to take the next step in his career and life, the 19-year-old from Barcelona, Spain, decided to send game clips of himself in matches where the Fuego faced off against professional clubs.

“We played the New York Cosmos and Sacramento Republic FC, and they were really nice games for me – to test myself and find out where I was,” Nus told the PDL. “So after those games, I thought I did a really good job, so I decided to transfer to Division I.

“I made a video tape, and I sent it to Virginia, one of the most, if not the most, successful programs in college soccer. George Gelnovatch and the coaching staff, the curriculum is amazing. So I send them the video with the games against the pro teams because when you’re playing in DII, people say, ‘OK, you may do well in DII, but in DI, you’re not going to be that good.’ So I think playing in those games helped them to see me.”

The Fuego were not the only PDL team to play against professional or international opposition in 2016. During the summer, Burlingame Dragons FC scrimmaged both the Argentina National Team and the Mexico National Team, FC Tucson played a closed-door scrimmage against the Ecuador National Team’s reserves and the Des Moines Menace and Jersey Express competed against pro clubs during the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Having the opportunity to play pro clubs was not the only reason why Nus, who moved Stateside after Fuego Head Coach Brian Zwaschka suggested the idea ahead of the 2015 PDL regular season, saw value in playing for the Fuego.

“In the PDL, you play with players like Milton Blanco who has had an incredible career, so it really helps you,” Nus said. “It is a little bit closer than college in terms of what you will see in USL because some of the players are older, and they have more experience, so the combination of both college soccer and PDL is exactly what a player needs.

“College soccer is a really physical and intense game, really tough, especially here in the ACC. At the end of the day, every place you go, you learn, and I think the combination of both are really, really helpful, and I would recommend every player to try PDL and college soccer if they have the opportunity.”

"Moreover, he had the ability to process instructions without delay. As long as I would give him a rationale, he would adopt a tactical instruction on the fly without resistance, realizing it would help the whole unit. Technically, he was a reliable player in the back in a system that we stressed keeping the ball and playmaking often from deep positions to help advance and support the ball. For these reasons, I see him as a player that is capable of continuing to advance his career and fit into a variety of teams at the next level.”

In 18 starts, Nus has helped the program record nine shutouts while also scoring three goals. Crediting the amount of game film he watches and analyzes with assistant coach Terry Boss, Nus believes he has improved his game since making the move, and he hopes to continue leading the Cavaliers from the back as they search for their eighth NCAA title.

“Defensively, one-v-one, these kinds of situations and reading the game, as well as when to step and when not to step, how to face the striker, these are the things that I am learning a lot,” Nus said.

“Also, the better teams you play against, the better you get.”