NYCFC defender excited for highly anticipated matchup vs. Lionel Messi: Great privilege

Roughly two years ago, Kevin O’Toole was simultaneously a rookie on trial with NYCFC and finishing his senior thesis for Princeton. The topic was the U.S.military withdrawal from Afghanistan and he graduated in 2022 with a degree in commercial real estate.

A professional soccer career, he acknowledged in an interview with The Daily Princetonian, was “a pipe dream.” But O’Toole, a product of Montclair, N.J., is resilient, not to mention talented at soccer.He overcame being dropped by the Red Bulls youth program.

He juggled an Ivy League thesis with MLS training camp in Latin America.He won a starting spot on NYCFC’s backline.

He picked up his first professional assist Wednesday. And on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium — assuming coach Nick Cushing doesn’t adjust the starters — he will line up against Lionel Messi.It will be NYCFC’s left back from Princeton against Inter Miami’s very right winger from Argentina. “He’s a player I’ve looked up to my whole life,” O’Toole told The Post, “so to share the same pitch with him is going to be a great privilege.” Messi’s appearance in The Bronx is microcosmic of the entire Messi/MLS experience.

He has been in the league for 14 months, but this will be Messi’s first game against NYCFC outside of an exhibition.He was a DNP-hamstring the two previous head-to-heads.

Messi will pack Yankee Stadium.Fans will arrive in No.

10 Argentina and Barcelona uniforms. He will be monitored by O’Toole, whose salary this season is $196,000, according to the MLS Players Association.Sign up for Starting Lineup for the biggest stories.

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Never miss a story.Messi may very well dominate, as he’s done regularly when navigating the MLS pitch. And then the league’s one-man revenue stream heads to the next stop, or may...