Anthony Gatto is, according to many, the greatest juggler of all time. There’s another Italian-American, however, who juggles juggling. And then juggles juggling-juggling.

Confused? So, too, were customers of a Venice Beach Starbucks recently when, as they sipped Cappuccinos, Lattes and Macchiatos, Alessandro Canale whizzed past doing keepy-uppies on a skateboard! It’s a transfixing talent he juggles with innumerable others.

Canale is an actor who starred in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. He’s an artist who has painted enchanting canvasses and supersized murals. He’s a designer whose forte is custom sneakers. He’s a freestyler who wowed trick daddy Joe Cole. He’s a sand calisthenics shark. He’s a teqballer. He plays indoor football for the Tacoma Stars. And he’s set to represent USA at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2024 Dubai™.

You just know what the fixture gods had in store for this Santa Monica native with Neapolitan blood, right? Canale chats to FIFA about USA-Italy and a one-of-a-kind lifestyle worthy of a Netflix series.Can you tell us about your acting career?
Alessandro Canale: I grew up in Venice Beach. Los Angeles is rich in the acting world. My mom got my brother and myself involved at an early age. My dad had been doing some acting already – theatrical and also some television. It was always a back and forth between making it to a soccer or basketball practice, or going to an audition for a commercial role. We mostly did commercial stuff, but had a few little television slots. I did an episode of Malcolm in the Middle – I had a small role. We did that until they had a writers’ strike around the early 2000s. It came to a halt and so I focussed all my attention of playing sports. I was playing basketball, baseball, football, soccer. I wouldn’t say I’m fully back into acting, but I’ve done some stuff – some music videos, soccer-specific shoots, motion captures, some video-game stuff. I worked on the FIFA 24. It was very cool to work on those and be in somewhat of the acting realm again but steeped in a soccer-specific role.

How was your experience on Malcolm in the Middle?
It was a really cool experience. I’d done a lot of commercial stuff, some sets too. I was a kid, so I didn’t give it much thought, but when I got there I thought, ‘Whoa, this is a serious thing’. They had the craft service, which is basically a table full of snacks. That’s always a joy to be around when you’re a kid (laughs). You’re kind of in and out, on call. You’re doing your schoolwork, you’re hanging out, but then they need you. It’s a quick bit of makeup, a touch-up, and then you’re on set, doing your job. All the kids were pretty cool. I very much enjoyed that time of my life. It’s something I’d like to get back into a little bit.

How did you get into beach soccer?
I just kind of fell into it. I was doing soccer at UCSD. My assistant coach said I should try beach soccer because I had a good touch. I said, ‘I don’t know anything about beach soccer’, but he insisted. I met Eddie Soto, who was a soccer coach but was also the head coach of the beach team. He invited me down to scrimmage the guys that were in training camp. I remember just playing like I would outdoor on the sand. The next day they invited me back to scrimmage again. Then he asked if I could stick around longer. I didn’t know what the camp was for, but they had qualified for the World Cup earlier that year and they were prepping for it. They had a trip booked to El Salvador. He invited me to go along. I quickly said yes. I was just going along because I thought it would be cool to go to El Salvador, but at the end of the trip he said, ‘We’re going to Tahiti for the World Cup in a month. I want to take you.’ [I replied] ‘Whhhaaat?’ I’m glad I did because I’m still kicking on the sand.

How did it feel to represent USA in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup so soon after?
To go from not really knowing that beach soccer was played on that level, that there was a World Cup, to actually being at the World Cup in two, three months was pretty surreal. My first game was against Tahiti. I remember getting in that game and thinking that the sand was up to my waist! (laughs) The Tahiti guys were big, physical guys. The standard was much higher than what we’d been training against. I was like, ‘Whoa, this is a serious thing’. Then we played against UAE. I scored two goals and I got an assist. Being able to do that in a World Cup was an amazing feeling.

USA have given some really tough games to powerhouses like Japan, Russia and Switzerland at the last two Beach Soccer World Cups, did really well at the Mundialito in 2022, destroyed Mexico in the Concacaf final. How good is this USA side?
I think it’s been a long time coming, but we’re starting to show we can be competitive against anyone. Before we had the pieces, but we just couldn’t find a way to make it click. Now it’s clicking. We’ve got a good mix of guys who’ve been around for a while and guys that are young and eager to learn and improve. We’re starting to put it all together, and it’s starting to show with our results. We beat Mexico 5-0 in the Concacaf final. Keeping a team to zero – you just don’t really do that in beach. Now we feel ready to take on anyone.