Alessandro Canale (soccer)
Alessandro "Sandro" Canale is an American traditional, beach soccer, indoor soccer, and teqball player who plays as a forward for the U.S. Men's National Beach Soccer Team and indoor soccer for the Tacoma Stars. He played collegiate soccer for the USC, Santa Monica College, and UC San Diego, and has competed internationally in Teqball.
Early life and education
Canale was born on December 29, 1989, in Santa Monica, California, and grew up in Venice Beach. He has an Italian father and a Costa Rican mother. Canale played youth club soccer for the Santa Monica United Scorpions. He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 2008, where he helped the Vikings go undefeated, win the CIF Los Angeles Section Division IV and CIF Southern Regional titles, and earn first-team all-league honors.Soccer career
Collegiate soccer
In 2010, he played as a freshman forward for the Trojans men's soccer team at the University of Southern California, appearing in 12 games and scoring one goal. In 2012, he competed for Santa Monica College, scoring 24 goals and earning Offensive Player of the Year honors. He transferred to the University of California, San Diego, playing for the UC San Diego Tritons from 2013 to 2014.As a junior in 2013, he started 15 of 18 games, scored five goals, and earned NSCAA All-West Region Third Team and All-CCAA honorable mention. In 2014, as team co-captain, he started all 12 games played, led the team with 37 shots, and recorded two goals and five assists before a season-ending injury.
He also competed in beach soccer during this period, representing the U.S. at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Tahiti.
Canale majored in Urban Studies and Planning at UC San Diego Muir College.
International beach soccer
Canale made his debut for the United States men's national beach soccer team on August 4, 2013, in a friendly against El Salvador. He was the youngest member of the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup U.S. team.He has represented the U.S. in multiple FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, including 2013 in Tahiti, 2019 in Paraguay, in 2021 against Paraguay, and 2024 in Dubai. After the 2024 Beach WC, Canale became the first U.S. player to score at four Beach Soccer World Cups
For the 2021 World Cup Canale led the U.S. team in scoring for the tournament scoring 5 of the 11 goals scored. At the 2025 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship, Canale contributed to the U.S.’s 6–2 victory over the Bahamas, securing third place. For the 2022 Mundialito, the team beat Mexico 5–0.
He reached his 100th cap in the 2025 semifinal against El Salvador on March 15, 2025, becoming the second U.S. beach soccer player to achieve this milestone.
Canale's goal tally of 76 ranks him second all-time among U.S. beach soccer players. He joins teammates Nick Perera and Chris Toth, along with former player Francis Farberoff, as one of the U.S. Beach Men's National Team players with the most FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup appearances.
Indoor soccer
Canale has been playing as a forward for the Tacoma Stars since 2019. In his rookie season he appeared in 18 games with 14 goals. By his fifth season with the team he averages 1.3 points per game with 61 points.Club soccer
Canale played for Orange County FC. Canale in 2017 won player of the week chosen for the 2017 NPSL season as the 18th Mitre National Player of the Week. At the end of the 2017 season, Canale won the Golden Boot award for his performance in scoring 10 goals across two games and 18 goals on the season. During the 2018 season. He made a appearance in the US Open Cup, scoring one goal in the second round against Fresno FC.In 2019, Canale played for the Los Angeles Force in the National Independent Soccer Association. He made 3 appearances, all as a starter, logging 262 minutes and scoring 1 goal. He contributed to 2 wins and 1 loss during the regular season. He received 1 yellow card and took 2 shots in total.
In the 2020–21 season, Canale made one appearance for Billericay Town in the FA Cup in England, registering no goals.
Canale played for Culture By Mo Ali FC during the inaugural The Soccer Tournament in 2023. In this tournament, he appeared in four matches, starting three, and played a total of 262 minutes. Despite his significant playing time, he did not record any goals or assists. The team achieved two wins and one loss during the group stage, with a total of 11 goals scored and 9 conceded.