A-League soccer, 2022: Jets arrival Reno Piscopo sets new goals, but will forever cherish Barcelona moment

The 24-year-old scored a goal and laid on another for the A-League All Stars against Barcelona in a 3-2 loss to the Spanish giants in front of 70,000 people at Accor Stadium in May.

"I was rooming with Callum Timmins and we were talking about it the night before," Piscopo revealed. "He said: 'Reno, imagine if you score tomorrow night'. I was like, yeah imagine scoring against Barcelona.

"It is something I will cherish for the rest of my life and look back on with great joy."

Piscopo had agreed to move from Wellington to the Jets, where he is again teamed up with Timmins, before the game against Barcelona.

And while he will cherish his Barcelona moment, the fiercely driven 24-year-old doesn't want it to be the high point of his career.

"I have ambitions and am no where near achieving what I want to achieve. I am going to work extremely hard this year. I want to win something with Newcastle. If we do well as a team, individuals will do well also.

"I have focused on my diet and have been doing all the extras I can to make sure my body is right. That means rocking up early to training and being the last one out."

Like most of the 10 fresh faces on the Jets roster, Piscopo was drawn to club by the up-tempo possession-based game coach Arthur Papas has implemented.

"I like the ball to my feet and want to be in a team that plays football all the time, not just for 10 minutes in a game," Piscopo said.

"The Jets played some great football last season and deserved a lot more. I spoke to Arthur [Papas] and he told me his plans for the team this season. I was sold."

The admiration is mirrored by Papas, who intends to play Piscopo in the front three.

"I genuinely feel that he is one of the country's most creative players," Papas said.

"He sees things others can't and he can execute.

"He is versatile enough to play out wide or inside.

"We want him doing his work higher up the field. The closer to goals he is, the better."

The Jets will play an internal trial at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday, which doubles as a members launch, before finalising preparation against Melbourne Victory behind closed doors on Thursday. They kick-off the A-League season with an F3 derby against the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on October 8.

"In our friendly games, we have played some really good football and the team has come a long way," Piscopo said. "Once the season starts, playing A-League teams week-in, week-out, we are just going to grow.

"I haven't played a derby in the A-League. This one has so much history behind it. Watching last year's games, it looked pretty intense."

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