This story seems almost too incredible to be true: The Leeds family’s life-changing decision to take their life savings from real estate and other businesses and move to futbol country began June 1 during a trip to Spain. Leeds showed up unannounced at the storied Sevilla Futbol Club and asked if his son could get a tryout for its youth academy. The club refused, saying Noah would have to be scouted and invited. Then, on the family’s last day in the country, Noah juggled a soccer ball in a plaza on the way to a final dinner. An impressed restaurant manager told the Leedses he knew an F.C. Sevilla scout. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/s...lay-world-cup-article-1.1864663#ixzz37e4bvwR8 That article says he's 14. Since he apparently spent time in the NYRB academy and attended St. Benedict's, presumably he's something of a known quantity in the States. http://www.redbullsacademy.com/academy/rdsgraduate.aspx
Man this is too awesome not to be true, hope he makes it and we get a cool documentary out of it at the very least.
Just from reading his dad's and coach's quotes, this feels like a bit of a hype story. However, I hope he does well. Incredible story if it's true. Edit: In before a representative or parent shows up here taking offense to my post.
Lots of people have. To make it easier, the Daily News gave her a phone and an e-mail address. Snail mail works too, but it's slower.
Yeah, but this is also in a futsal/small sided setting. Totally different game than 11-a-side soccer. Great close control, but that's such a small part of the game that I want to see some actual footage of him in a soccer game.
Me, too. Still impressive for its own sake from such a young kid and not without utility in actual soccer games.
So we just gotta hope he develops into a really good player but not good enough that Spain wants him.
A winner of the annual Cheezy Metz/Vincenzo Bernardo Award. And coincidentally seems as the same school as Bernardo.
This is a player that the MLS academies should be serving. He was at Red Bull, but it seems from the article that he hasn't been there for a year and a half. Why is that? I'm also not sure what this amounts to: That's put in there right after the mention of him once playing for Red Bull. For all I know this kid is gonna flame out like a lot of kids do. So I'm not really concerned one way or another about his personal fate. But as a reflection on the MLS academy system, this move certainly causes me to raise an eyebrow.
http://www.espnfc.com/story/1953339/sevilla-to-sign-14-year-old-noah-leeds-from-brooklyn Not a lot of new info. Family moving for "non-football reasons"? Guess we'll see.
Because he was going to a private school in Holmdel NJ, about a 1 hour drive (without traffic, in NY metro area, yeah right. Good luck) across the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, across Staten Island into the shore area of NJ. Driving that every day can be a bitch. And then practice at RBNY? Not sure where their academy teams practice, but I'll bet it was another drive to get there. As for financially, you usually will have some cash to live in Park Slope. Its not the RBNY academy system, they have had a lot of success. Getting to it and still getting school is another story.
The only other USSDA club in NYC is in Queens, also not exactly a hop, skip, and jump. Of course, neither is the ocean.
There are six in the greater NYC area. RBNY is probably the most consistent top-to-bottom. IMO, I think the family might have been looking for a reason to move overseas and this is a convenient way to do it. Article only mentioned Sevilla. Did they look/try at any other clubs (even within Sevilla)?
I hope I am wrong, but, I agree that this story "seems to incredible to be true." In particular, the following suggests that he has not been (and because he already had a tryout will not be): invited to participate in Sevilla's youth academy upon moving to Spain: In the lead/summary of the article it states that he "expects to participate in Sevilla Futbol Club’s youth academy [emphasis added]" No where in the article does it state that he was invited to join Sevilla's Youth Academy or would have been if he lived in Spain The fact that the Leeds family showed up on the doorstep of one of the world's biggest clubs and expected that he would be given a trial, no questions asked, casts doubts upon the reasonableness of the Leeds' families' "expectation" In the video interview, Noah's Father states that "they decided on Spain a while back [emphasis added]" because Noah plays most like the Spanish Players and it is necessary for Noah to realize his "dream of becoming a professional world class soccer player." The Leeds family first went to Spain on June 1st and the impression I get from the father is that "a while back" means longer than 6 weeks ago. It seems that their trip to Spain was taken for the purpose of planning for a move to Spain (as well as getting Noah a tryout) but that the move would have happened regardless of whether Noah was given a tryout Note: FIFA Regulations, generally, prevent a club from signing a player under the age of 18 unless that player lives in the country where the club is located. As a result, Sevilla may have unofficially invited Noah Leeds to join their youth academy and instructed his family not to speak of the unofficial invitation which would explain my first two bullets.
There is a cross-EU exception for players at age 16. To move to Spain at age 14, you would need either a Spanish passport or a family member relocating for "non-football" reasons. I suppose "retiring to Spain" might qualify, but if someone doesn't have an EU passport or a nice steady income stream, it won't be a pleasant stay.
Noah Leeds attended St. Benedict's Prep in Newark NJ. The articles had the wrong school. Red Bulls Academy practices are in Newark NJ also. I know his family and know his father commuted 5 hours a day to get him to school and practice. He was born in 2000 and played on the Red Bulls '98 squad. When he was on the '98's he attended Mark Twain middle school in Coney Island. The next year he was on their '99 squad and was the 10. He left the club on 12/2012. At that time they were undefeated and the #1 Academy team in the country. His parents decided it was more important for him to develop as a player than to have a team win.