(WSVN) – A group of young athletes is hoping a new professional soccer team scores major points with the community. 7’s Heather Walker has their story in today’s 7Spotlight.
Soccer fever is growing in South Florida, and two local teens are helping kick-start some extra excitement for the sport.
Reese Klein and Taylor Smith are still in high school at NSU University School, but they have been playing soccer most of their lives.
Reese Klein: “I’m 18 years old.”
Taylor Smith: “Seventeen years. I’m the youngest!”
They may be young, but their skills are at a professional level. They both earned spots on Fort Lauderdale United, South Florida’s very first professional women’s soccer team.
Taylor is a midfielder, while Reese earned a position as a defender.
Taylor Smith: “I was like, this is mind-blowing, like, to be – this is my hometown.”
Reese Klein: “I was super excited. It was a really amazing feeling.”
The Fort Lauderdale United Club formed a few months ago under the United Soccer Leagues Pro Women’s Division.
CEO Tommy Smith says the league was created because women’s professional sports are becoming more popular across the country, and South Florida was the perfect place to kick in some support and start a team.
Tommy Smith: “There’s never been one before. I think that’s one of the main things. I think the timing was right, the location was right.”
The former Dolphins training field at Nova Southeastern was converted into a soccer pitch. Former pro player Tyrone Mears was hired to be the head coach.
Then, it was time to find the best players.
Tommy Smith: “We have players from South Africa to Brazil to Europe. Players that played at the University of Alabama, Texas, [Brigham Young University], Michigan State, you know, really diverse group of players.”
Reese and Taylor made the cut, even though they’re still in high school. Taylor says being the youngest player on the team was a little scary at first.
Taylor Smith: “In the beginning, definitely like my first game, I was super nervous. Honestly, the girls have made it so welcoming that I look up to them, and they help me throughout this path.”
Taylor and Reese practice six days a week while juggling schoolwork and games on the weekends.
It’s a lot of work, but Reese says it’s worth the effort.
Reese Klein: “Yeah, it’s definitely an amazing feeling, being part of something new and building a program to provide for the ones after us.”
And these players are doing just that. Each weekend, the team hosts a clinic to give aspiring players a chance to learn from the professionals.
Taylor Smith: “They all are just like so in awe, and it honestly feels so good that I’m bringing it to them, and they can have a chance to be like me.”
Reese Klein: “It’s my hometown, and these are kids that have grown up also just around me, so it’s really cool to have them in the stands watching what we’re creating here.”
Taylor and Reese hope every game they play, and every goal they score, creates a new love of soccer for South Florida kids.
Heather Walker, 7News.
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