America is getting its first taste of Long Island’s finest.
Loradana Paletta, Syosset’s soccer phenom who inked an NIL deal at age 14, is ready to showcase her star-caliber talents to the world by debuting with the USA’s under-17 national team this week.
“It’s always been a dream when I was little — being on the national team,” Paletta told The Post just before joining training camp for the Four Nations Tournament vs. Mexico, Costa Rica and Canada, which begins Saturday in Mexico City.
“I really want to make the U-17 World Cup roster, which is coming up soon. … For long-term goals, definitely the [senior] World Cup — winning gold,” added the midfielder, who initially was “really happy, excited, terrified, nervous.”
Paletta — the team’s youngest member and a last-second call-up for the tournament — has been on the national U-16 team for about a year, where she has already thrived among the girls, many of whom are two years older than her.
“I try to stay humble and not really brag about it,” the soon-to-be ninth grader at Syosset High School said.
“I do tell my close friends, but I don’t really tell anybody else. They really just find out.”
Now, her story resonates well beyond the teen cliques of the North Shore. Paletta became the first American athlete — professional or amateur — to sign a deal with the luxe Italian cleat and gear brand Lotto.
She was plastered all over social media in a hype video for the mid-July announcement and received widespread praise from the soccer world. Paletta, who proudly sports tons of vividly colored cleats from Lotto, is interested in designing her own cleats someday as part of her branding portfolio.
“Maybe in high school I could learn more about the business side of things,” she said. “But right now, I just want to focus on my game and getting ready.”
Paletta said that she doesn’t balk at the pressure of playing the nation’s best soccer stars who are years older than her — and the young teen has her family to thank for that.
“My dad always put me in teams with boys since I was little, even if they were two or three years older than me,” she said.
“I always had a passion — I wanted to be better than them … playing with the boys makes me stronger.”
Along with her soccer die-hard father Alain’s eagerness of challenging Paletta to reach new heights, older brothers Gianluca, 17, and Leonardo, 15, also played their part.
“My brothers really toughen me up, and just really make me a better version of myself. I can be a leader around them,” said Paletta, who added her 5-year-old sister, Luvisa, is next in line for football greatness.
“They motivate me. They’re always there for me whenever I need them, especially when it comes to soccer. They would always pull me and go out to the field. It’s just nice to have big brothers there to support me.”
The family boot camp was so successful that Paletta was in such high demand with male teams that one even adjusted its schedule so she could play with them.
Aside from Team USA, Paletta is also part of NYCFC’s boys U-14 academy squad, just like her brother Leonardo, who plays on the U-18 team.
“My family is just my biggest supporters — my mom, my dad, my brothers, my little sister, they just all really connect to my story.”
And whether it’s at home or abroad, keeping a top-tier standard is priority number one for the future World Cup hopeful.
“I’m going to give it my all and play the best that I can because I don’t want to disappoint anybody,” Paletta said.
“Also, I just want to be myself. Soccer brings me joy and love — and that’s the sport that I fell in love with, too.”