The Academy

“And listen, when you’re out there on the field…don’t ever back down, okay?”

Leo’s dad may not know a lot about soccer, but he knows his son should approach the game with perseverance and gusto. He encourages him to be bold in his moves while also still placing having fun above all else, a message that will be echoed later by Tig and Samantha.

“The people and cars below us were like ants scurrying around their little anthills, and as the Detroit skyscrapers grew smaller and smaller, the city began to resemble a drawing in a sketch book, bigger than I had ever imagined. I had known this in my head, but seeing it from ten thousand feet was different.”

Leo comes from a small town in Ohio. Seeing Detroit for the first time prepares him for the even larger city of London. He comes to love being in the city for all of its hustle and bustle in comparison with his quieter hometown. Leo’s view of the world getting bigger and bigger from the plane window foreshadows how his time in London will expand not only his soccer technique but also his worldview.

“I, on the other hand, felt a little bit like I was dreaming, and that maybe a mistake had been made.”

Leo tries to hide his self-doubt and fear of failure at the Academy, but he’s especially aware of it when he arrives in a brand-new country to compete for the chance of a lifetime. It isn’t until he makes it through the first round of cuts that he begins to feel more confident.