Like many young athletes, Henry Latimer was bitten by the soccer bug while watching it on TV. The players racing across the field, the ball going in the net for a goal and the celebration that comes with it immediately captivated his attention.
Having recently moved to the United States from England, Henry signed up for the La Jolla Impact Recreation League in August 2022 to try his hand — er, feet — at soccer and make new friends at the same time.
Finding that the game was as exciting on the field as it was on his TV screen, Henry stuck with it.
“I practiced a lot and wanted to score goals,” said Henry, 8. “It was hard because I didn’t know anything about it at first, but I started to love it.”
After just a year, he qualified for the Impact All-Star team, which would go on to an undefeated season, with Henry a top scorer.
“He is one of those kids who becomes obsessed with something,” said his mother, Jasmine. “He would wake up early to practice at home before school, and still does.”
Henry joined his school team at Stella Maris Academy in La Jolla.
“There weren’t enough boys in his first grade, so he had to play in the league with boys a grade up,” said his father, Chris. “It was a great experience. Stella Maris Academy has a great program built on the school’s ethos of community spirit.”
Henry’s team finished the season undefeated as well.
Continuing that momentum, Henry tried out this summer for the Valencia Club de Futbol Academy when it hosted trials in San Diego, and he was invited to train with the club in Spain in November. But he and his family were in for a surprise when they arrived.
“The intent was to just play with the club, but when we got there, someone said there was a tournament and the coaches wanted him for the tournament team,” Jasmine said.
So the week of Nov. 20 — Thanksgiving week in the States — Henry played in the Surf Cup International tournament in Salou, Spain.
The event, billed as “the international youth soccer tournament of the year,” is attended by various elite professional academies and clubs worldwide, including teams from La Liga and the Premier League.
“It was so exciting,” Henry said. “I played with a 17-year-old during a scrimmage and other older players … from Spain and [countries in] Africa. It was fun and difficult, but I like the challenge.”
Henry said he simply tries to move “as fast as I can and shoot as much as I can.”
Though his team got knocked out of the tournament in the quarterfinals, Henry is preparing for another tournament that starts in January. That one will be at locations across California, beginning in San Diego.
Source: La Jolla Light
