Cervi's great-grandparents were Italian. He received his Italian passport in May 2009, which eliminated the need to obtain a work permit, thus making him a more appealing potential signing for European clubs.[2]
Club career
Youth
Cervi attended the University of Tulsa from 2004 through 2007, making thirty-one starts for the Golden Hurricane and earning All-Conference USA First Team and NSCAA All-Midwest Region Second Team honors in 2007.[citation needed] The Golden Hurricane's best finish during Cervi's time with the team was during his first year, 2004, when the team reached the national quarterfinal at the 2004 Division I Men's College Cup.[1]
In October 2008, Cervi joined Celtic on a trial.[3] He made two appearances for Celtic's reserve team, one in a friendly match against Manchester United's reserves, and the other against Greenock Morton. After receiving his Italian passport, Cervi officially joined the SPL club. Cervi never made a competitive first team appearance for Celtic, although was an unused substitute in five league matches.[4]
Cervi was released by the Glasgow club at the end of the 2011-12 season.[5]
Loans moves from Celtic
On December 10, 2010, Cervi was loaned out to Dundee,[6][7] but did not make any appearances and returned to Celtic after the loan expired.
On November 4, 2011, Cervi joined Morton on a short-term loan until January.[8] He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 win over Ayr United.[9] Cervi declared himself delighted with the result - saying that it was every goalkeeper's dream to get a clean sheet on their debut.[10]
In 2010, he was named in the US squad that defeated South Africa 1–0 on November 17 in Cape Town. He did not play, however, serving as second choice keeper for the match behind Brad Guzan.[citation needed]
Despite having a number of call-ups to his name, Cervi never appeared in a match for the senior national team of the United States.[citation needed]
Business career
After leaving Celtic, Cervi studied at the University of Denver and graduated with a degree in Finance and Accounting.[12] He then embarked on a career in investment banking with U.S. banking firm Capstone Headwaters.[12]
^ abLatham, Brent (May 18, 2009). "Cervi Anxious to Head for Celtic". Yanks-Abroad.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Mitchell, Jonathan (November 7, 2011). "Cervi: I'm just happy to help". Greenock Telegraph. Newsquest Clyde & Forth. Archived from the original on June 2, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2011.