Let me explain a few things to clarify what the soccer opportunity looked like when we were contemplating this decision:
The highest youth soccer in the US
is run by US Soccer and is called the Development Academy (DA). In the map
below you will see all the teams in the US at the U13/14 level.
The Frontier Division, one of the top 3 strongest divisions in the US is Texas. Every
Major League Soccer (MLS) professional team has to have a DA associated with it. Houston's pro team, The Dynamo, has the Dynamo DA, Kevin's new team.
Kevin was part of the Minnesota U14 DA but it is not associated with a pro team. Also they are not as strong as The Dynamo's team this year.
The Dynamo MLS team filters all training techniques and
facilities down to the youth DA teams. We noted the excellent opportunity we saw with the Dynamo for training
and development.
The Dynamo U18 team, last academy level, is the number one team in this league so far this season. This level is where all the training and development
should start to pay off and it does for The Dynamo.The Dynamo mission is to filter their DA players into
the Dynamo MLS team, however, only a few ever make it every year.
Kevin was also
thrilled that one of his coaches that selected him was a high level player for major European soccer teams and well known in that community and his home country Sierra Leone (Mohammed Kallon;
Google him. He is quite reputable.). Also, they were in need of his skill and position on the roster and asked him to play with them the first night of a 3 day trial.
That was amazing.
We are seeing this as an opportunity for Kevin's future. With excellent training and competition, he is in a better position at the U18 level to receive one of the few soccer scholarships handed out each year. This also puts the focus on him to keep his education a top priority. Of course his goal is to be a pro, but we aren't putting all our eggs in that basket.
We have prayed, sought counsel and asked the Lord to open every door. God has given Kevin talent and passion. Now he has been given more opportunity. Our sincere prayer is that this is the Lord's will for our family. Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated.
Love from Texas! More to come!
