PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WILL REED

Will Reed answers questions about being a Soccer Youth Player

Today’s Player Spotlight features Will Reed, a 2010 boy from Jefferson, Georgia. Will has been playing soccer since the age of three and attended his first Soccer Youth event in Gatlinburg, Tennessee back in 2021. Since then, Will has been to three other Soccer Youth events including the Golden Cup in 2021. The thirteen-year-old plays midfield for GSA ECNL in Dacula, Georgia and is a recipient of Soccer Youth’s Golden Boot award.

SY: What is your favorite thing about Soccer Youth?

Will: “I like that it’s not a one-day event. It’s multiple days. I can gradually make friends and get better every day that I’m there. We get to have fun in every single game.”

SY: What is your favorite part about playing soccer?

Will: “My favorite part about playing soccer is that, unlike some other sports, there is so much you have to know and learn. I know other sports have a lot going on, but in soccer you have a lot more that you need to know because it’s complex. To be good at soccer you have to know a lot about the game and play smart.”

SY: Who are some of the people you have met at Soccer Youth?

Will: “I’ve met a lot of coaches there that have helped me, but I made a lot of friends, too. Whether it be the ones on my team or the other team, I’ve made friends and I even exchanged phone numbers with some. So, we became more than just friends for a weekend. I even met some that live around me.”

SY: Can you tell me something that you’ve learned or improved on at Soccer Youth?

Will: “Technical abilities. I’ve gotten better with the ball at my feet and more precise with my passing and shooting. Especially when we get to do the shooting challenge at the Player Card Combine, which I won once. You have to get better at that to win because of how accurate you have to be.”

SY: What do you think about the Player Card Combine?

Will: “I like it because I get evaluated on my skills. I like that they can evaluate me on that rather than me in a game. I might not get as many opportunities in a game to show my skills because of different scenarios. But in the Player Card Combine we get to show all of our skills and it’s easier to evaluate because it’s just you doing it instead of in a game with others.”

SY: Who is your favorite team and/or player?

Will: “My favorite player is (Lionel) Messi. My favorite team is Manchester City. I like them because they’ve been good for a while now and they have a lot of ‘wow’ moments in their history. Plus, they have a player who is almost definitely going to set a record for most goals scored in the Premiere League this season.”

Soccer Youth is thrilled that Will has been able to participate in events in the past and we’re looking forward to seeing him this summer at one of our eighteen locations across the country and Canada!