The Pursuit of the American Dream In Argentina

Among the academies renowned for their exceptional track record in Argentina stands Velez Sarsfield, boasting an impressive tally of 10 national championships and 5 international titles, including the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup in 1994 for the first team. Notable football luminaries have honed their skills within its ranks, with recent examples including Thiago Almada and Nicolas Otamendi, both pivotal members of Argentina's recent World Cup-winning squad. Additionally, alumni such as Alvaro Barreal, Julian Fernandez, and Yamil Asad started their career at Velez, including stints in the MLS.

Presently, amidst its academy ranks, a young talent hailing from Chandler, Arizona named Isaiah Teng has a dream. Teng's journey to Argentina commenced in 2022, facilitated by a connection forged between one of his coaches in the United States and a scout based in Argentina, affording him the opportunity to undergo trials with various Argentine clubs. Reflecting on this transition, Teng remarked to Footy Access, "It was a very abrupt and sudden move because a few months before July, I had no idea I was moving to Argentina. But one of my coaches had a connection with a scouts here with Club Atletico Independiente, Platense and Velez and they gave me a tryout."

Prior to his arrival in Argentina, had been part of the Real Salt Lake Arizona and Barca Resindency Academy teams and told what his experience was like with them, "I grew up in RSL Arizona and I mean it's you know, where I grew up. It's where I touched the ball the first time, so that's kind of my home club. I learned a lot out there, and my identity as a football player is a lot from them. At Barca Residency Academy, I was there only one year and it was sort of the first year where my team didn't so well. We didn't win as many games as we wanted and we didn't perform as well as we wanted to. But it was definitely something that I enjoyed because I learned a lot about their way of doing things, and my overall experience was very positive".

Regarding the differences that Teng found between the United States and Argentina, highlighted "The differences between Barca Residency Academy and Velez Sarsfield, I think they're very similar in their goals but many differences like the length of training and the intensity of training. My coaches here talked about if the players are not going to play for the first division teams or go pro, then they're gonna be playing football for money at the lower levels. So in Argentina it's either football at a high level or football at a low level, but in the U.S its either at a high level or another job".

The historical precedent for American footballers in Argentina is relatively sparse, with a handful of recent examples including George Acosta, Cameron Johnson, Noah Mavrommatis, Felipe Gutierrez, Matko Miljevic, and the Soñora brothers. Reflecting on his decision to embark on this unique journey, Teng remarked, "Well I think it was mostly moving here making the decision to move here because no one that I knew had done it before so I was moving from a country that I knew it was my home to another country that I didn't speak the language".

Coming from a family of Asian origin and a great passion for sports, his father grew up playing soccer in Malaysia and his sister, Madison Teng, played for the Boca Juniors women's team and is currently playing at Emory University.

Teng says that outside of his training and game day he doesn't usually follow other teams, except for Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Phoenix Rising where his friend Isaiah Kaakoush recently signed, "We have played together since we were 5 years old, I shared time with him at Real Salt Lake Arizona and Barca Residency Academy, he is a great boy”.

The 2023 season was great for Isaiah Teng, his team managed to win the championship and he was a key piece for the team, scoring 14 goals and getting 11 assists in 17 games. The start for Teng was not easy since due to FIFA rules he could not play in the main team (AFA League) and he spent time with the second team (Metropolitan League). Last season he was on both teams and once FIFA approved his signing he focused on the main team. Teng mentioned the importance of unity with his teammates and his coaches to obtain the championship "I think the unity between the players helped us win the championship. It's amazing playing with such good players like Felipe Pujol and Alex Veron (both called up to Argentina U-15) it's a privilege".

Isaiah Teng will seek to make his own path and his objectives are clear, "My goal for this year is starting spot for the team. Now my dream is to see what this is all about becoming a pro player in Argentina, U.S or Europe."

Ramiz Hamouda Signs Contract with Birmingham Legion

Ramiz Hamouda, a promising young talent born in 2008, has recently inked his inaugural professional contract with Birmingham Legion, a prominent club in the USL Championship. Hamouda gained recognition as a vital member of the United States U-15 youth national team, which clinched the Concacaf U-15 championship in 2023. Throughout the tournament, he demonstrated his prowess on the field by starting in four out of six matches.

Before joining Birmingham Legion, Hamouda honed his skills within the Sporting Kansas City academy, notably participating in the latest edition of the Generation Adidas Cup in 2023.

Expressing his excitement upon signing, Hamouda stated, “I’m thrilled to sign my first professional contract with Birmingham Legion FC”.

Birmingham Legion's penchant for nurturing young talent is evident. Prior to Hamouda's acquisition, the Alabama-based club secured the services of Matthew Corcoran, a standout player from the US U-17 team in the previous World Cup for that age group.

United States U-15 Squad Set to Return to Action in May

We revealed yesterday that the United States will partake in the esteemed Vlatko Marković tournament, scheduled to take place in Croatia from May 15th to 19th. This marks the sixth installment of the tournament with Argentina emerging victorious in the inaugural edition in 2019 after a compelling match against Mexico, ultimately triumphing on penalties.

Croatia dominated the subsequent four editions, triumphing over formidable opponents such as Romania, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Belgium. The most recent edition witnessed a tightly contested final, with Croatia emerging triumphant in the penalty shootout following a deadlock after regulation time.

The 2024 edition of the tournament will feature players born in 2009, who showcased exceptional talent during the UEFA Development Tournament in December. The United States U-15 squad, drawn in Group A, is poised to face off against England, Morocco, and the host nation, Croatia. Group B will comprise of Belgium, Japan, Portugal, and France.

March: A Month Brimming with Youth Football Action

March promises to be a bustling month for youth soccer fans. MLS NEXT kicks off with several high-stakes matches on Saturday, March 2, including NYCFC FC versus Toronto FC. New York City will play its second game of the year and for Toronto FC it will be the first. After a very positive mid-season in 2023 for both age groups, both teams will seek to get into rhythm for what will be a very active March.

Real Salt Lake against Los Angeles FC will be a great game this weekend. Both teams have some of the best prospects in the country and this time they will face off in Utah. Real Salt Lake U-15 has just been defeated twice in recent weeks against the Portland Timbers and San Francisco Glens and will look to redeem themselves this Saturday. Real Salt Lake U-17, for its part, comes from being defeated 4-1 against the Portland Timbers and beating the San Francisco Glens 7-0.

Los Angeles FC U-15 comes from drawing 2-2 against Seattle Sounders and fell 5-1 against Portland Timbers in what was their last game. Los Angeles FC U-17 was defeated 4-1 against Seattle Sounders and obtained a 3-2 victory against Portland Timbers