Fairport’s Palmer named All-American

By PAUL GOTHAM

Bill Teasdale recalls a Rochester District Youth Soccer League match from several years ago. Set to face Pittsford, a team that had handed his Fairport squad a pair of losses, Teasdale knew a change in goal was needed if fortunes were to be reversed. He turned to his best athlete looking for an answer. Teasdale’s hunch proved accurate.

Myles Palmer registered a shutout that day. Fairport came away with a 2-nil victory.

Since that game protecting the goal, though, Palmer has tormented local defenses with his ability to produce offense.

And his efforts were rewarded with an All-American selection by the United Soccer Coaches.

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“It’s kinda crazy,” Palmer said by phone when asked about the honor. “I don’t even know how to put it into words. It’s a great feeling.”

A four-year performer on the varsity level, Palmer scored 20 goals and handed out seven assists this past season for the Fairport Red Raiders (12-3-1) who advanced to the Section V Class AA semifinals as No. 2 seed.

The senior attacker joined former Fairport standouts Peter Critchlow (2016), Hunter Critchlow (2015), Guido Cristofori (1998) and Mark Fish (1986) who previously earned the distinction.

“I just wanted to be at that level, to be able to play on varsity,” Palmer said. “I wouldn’t say I looked at them as idols. Obviously, being called up to play varsity freshman year, I knew I could be a great player. I knew I had something in me that they had. That was an inspiration for me knowing that where they stand I could get there as well eventually.”

Palmer started as a freshman for the 2019 Fairport team that advanced to the New York State Class AA finals. He scored seven goals and set up three on that team.

His play confirmed the early promotion. Teasdale noted such when recounting the Red Raiders’ victory over Shenendehowa (II) in the NYS Class AA semifinal game.

“We go into overtime against Shenendehowa and Jude Rouhana scored the winning goal in overtime. The kid who really pressured the goalie and created the opportunity was Myles. So there’s Myles out there in the state semifinals playing a big role as a freshman. I knew that year if this kid continues to grow and develop, he can be an All-American.”

The following year, he had five goals and four assists to help Fairport to a sectional final in the Covid-shortened season. Palmer scored 24 goals to go with seven assists in 2021.

A two-time All-State selection, he has also been the Monroe County Division I Player of the Year the past two seasons (shared the honor in 2021), along with a three-time All-Tournament choice and the Ron Zorn Section V Boys’ Soccer Large Schools Player of the Year.

“He’s always been a standout kid,” said Teasdale who has coached Palmer since he was seven years old. “We just put him wherever there was a need. If we had a lead, we put him in the back. If you need a goal, you keep him up top. For a while when he was 11, 12, 13 years old, I also used as an attacking central midfielder.”

Teasdale was the school’s junior varsity coach when Palmer was brought to that level as an eighth-grader. Something that didn’t happen frequently in the Fairport program.

“When he was in seventh grade, he played modified-a which in Fairport is typically ninth graders and some eighth graders,” Teasdale explained. “Typically, we make every kid spend at least one year at modified-b to learn the expectations of the program before we think about promoting them. He skipped over modified-b.

“He’s an eighth-grader starting on the JV team, and he scored over 30 goals (in 16 games). He was a dominant JV player as an eighth-grader.”

With Palmer in the varsity lineup, Fairport finished with a combined record of 31-8-1 in Monroe County Division I over the past four seasons. This coming in a division that has produced three sectional champions and two state finalists during that time.

“He’s absolutely deadly in the air,” said Penfield’s John Cotsonas whose 2020 Penfield squad outlasted Fairport in the AA final, 1-0. “He found ways to score goals without having to be the guy that gets the ball to his feet and take guys on. He knows how to make runs and put himself in the right position to score.

“Yes, you could say the ball’s going to get played to him every single time, but he’ll get it and lay it off. Then you’ll lose him in transition. Next thing you know, he’s popping up in front of goal and you’re like ‘oh no,’ there it is. Over and done with.”

Cotsonas noted Palmer’s influence on teammate Paul Murgoci.

“It was such a good combination. When everybody would focus on Myles, Paul would get those opportunities and who would mainly get him those opportunities? It would be Myles.”

Murgoci scored 14 goals and 13 assists this past season.

“A kid who is the top player and the big goal scorer would try to turn, take three guys on and maybe lose the ball. Not Myles. Myles was going to get it, play the ball and lay it off.”

Cotsonas also pointed to the psychological influence Palmer has on the game.

“His calmness and coolness set him aside from anybody else. You’re not going to get him flustered. You’re not going to make him drop his hands or throw his hands up in the air. That type of stuff. He’s just going to keep going until he finds a way to get the job done. He’s such a good teammate. He’s a good leader for them. He’s the consummate smooth player. He’s that guy you want on your team. It’s tough to get to them mentally. That was because of the tone Myles set with how he approached things.”

Palmer joins Brighton’s Sam O’Connor (2018), Greece Athena’s Dylan Rice (2019, 2020) and Hilton’s Cody Cavuoto (2021) as Section V’s recent All-American selections.

Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 170 pounds, Palmer’s physicality sets him apart from others on the pitch. Hilton head coach Mike Ellicott noted that it was more than that.

“Over the years I have been frustrated by Myles and how to plan our games around what Myles will do. He is physical, fast and strong. Unlike others with these attributes, he couples this with finesse, skill and an incredible game sense. Too many moments over the past few seasons I have caught myself on the opposing sideline fixated on a moment of Myles Palmer brilliance. His languid, laid-back style, clicks into a high-energy juggernaut in the blink of an eye. I found myself holding my breath, waiting, hoping, he would not score against our defense.”

“He’s always been stronger, faster than a lot of the guys,” Teasdale said. “He’s more than a big, physical presence. He also has technical abilities that he has developed.”

Palmer was drawn to the game at an early age. His mother, Marlene, brought Myles and the rest of his family to her native Jamaica.

“I used to play with my cousins all the time,” said Palmer who also dabbled with a little American football as well as basketball and track during his time at Fairport. “Coming back to the U.S., it was just natural for me to play soccer. It wasn’t something that I would ever lose interest in and had a passion for it.”

In Fairport, he found a community that went beyond the playing field.

“Obviously, wherever you go soccer-wise, you’re going to have to make friends with your teammates,” he said noting that there have been opportunities to play with other clubs during the travel season. “It was more a family and a community in Fairport. It was more than my teammates. It was their parents and everything.”

As for that time playing in goal.

“I played a little bit before that,” Palmer said laughing at the memory. “I was one of the younger kids on the team. I was having fun. I wasn’t even thinking about it. In practice, I would try to go up and score when I was in goal. In games, I focused on not getting scored on. I hated getting scored on.”

“He’s pulling balls out of the air,” Teasdale said recalling the game. “He’s just such an athlete, a gifted athlete. He can play anywhere. Obviously, we didn’t want to keep him in the goal because he’s a scoring threat. It just shows you his natural talents and athletic abilities.”

Palmer, who intends to play in college, was one of three Upstate New York student-athletes to be included on the 81-player list announced by USC. He is joined by by Wyatt Dupell (Cicero-North Syracuse) and Drew Leardini (Lewiston-Porter).

“Most importantly for me, Myles was always the first to shake my hand when our teams met,” Ellicott said. “Over the years we grew an appreciation for each other and the high five turned into a hug, regardless of who beat who. On one hand, I will be so happy to not face Myles Palmer next season, but on the other hand Section V just graduated a true legend. An incredible young man, with fantastic character to match his fantastic skill. It has been a true pleasure to coach against Myles.”

“It’s more than soccer to Myles,” Teasdale said. “He cares about his family. He cares about his teammates. He cares about his classmates. He also respectful of his opponents.”