Weighing his options

Stonewall’s Kyle Andrade looking at a future that could lead him to Mexico soccer club

Posted By Darren Ridgley

Posted 16 days ago

Like most teenagers nearing the end of their high school years, Kyle Andrade, 17, is thinking about his future. The path he chooses, given his options, present some very different possibilities- one of them being a shot in the big leagues.

 

Andrade, has proven himself more than capable on the soccer field, most recently playing with the Winnipeg Alliance, a professional indoor team, and with amateur team CSSE-Winnipeg Juventus, which just won the Manitoba Major Indoor Soccer League championships. Last year, he was picked for the Manitoba U19 soccer team to compete in the 2009 Canada Summer Games in P.E.I.

 

His success on the soccer field have given him the chance to play on national and international levels over the years, but during a trip to Mexico with his father, Victor, he was given what might just be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Victor, who runs Chico's School of Soccer Excellence (CSSE) in Stonewall, travelled to Mexico earlier this month to take a soccer team to compete in this year's 2010 Monterrey Cup, an international youth soccer tournament. While they were there, Kyle was were given the chance to train with The U20 team of San Luis FC, a pro club in Mexico. He also spent some time, though not as much, training with Queretaro FC, another pro team in the country.

Kyle was first asked to play with San Luis' U17 squad to see what he was made of. He soon proved he was well-trained.

"He's fast for that age group," Victor says.

After proving himself with the U17s, he was asked to train with the U20 team. While he trained with the squad, he made an impression on the coach.

"The coach had all good things to say about him," Victor says.

Kyle's still waiting on an evaluation from Queretaro, but San Luis FC has offered him a chance to take a long-term development program with the team, where he could play for the U20 team, have the chance to go to school, and get taken care of to boot.

"The (San Luis) one, they'd look after the meals, the home stay. He'd go into the soccer club," Victor says.

So now, Kyle is pondering a few options in front of him: To attend school in Canada or in the United States-He's received offers from numerous schools- or head to Mexico.

"When they have a scrimmage with the A-team, they do it with the squad of U20s," Victor says.

"You're going to get seen... Again, it goes back to getting that opportunity."

Most people, Kyle says, don't really understand the gravity of the opportunity San Luis presents- the chance, he says, is equivalent to getting a shot at playing for the NHL.

"It's exciting. People don't really understand how far I'm actually going," he says.

At this stage, Victor says it's time for Kyle to have his own agent. So far, he's been handling Kyle's affairs, but it's time to get someone involved to take on the general responsibilities to make sure Kyle gets the best deal out of any agreement he enters into.

"In general an agent is needed at this point," Victor says.

"I want to make sure it's been looked after, the terminology and that kind of thing."

Concerning and agent, Kyle says he wants to make sure that any opportunity he takes is in his best interest.

"I don't want to sign anything and be bound," he says.

It comes down to what he wants to focus on: Going to school in Canada or the US would be more academically-oriented, though he could still play soccer. But were he to head to Mexico, he'd be enveloped in soccer culture, and have the opportunity to play the sport professionally.

"The ones in Mexico give me the opportunity to actually play professionally, and have the opportunity to live in that environment," Kyle says.

"The one in Canada, the ones in the states, the opportunity is for school, right? It would be more for school than for soccer, but I'd still have the opportunity to play soccer for them."

While he considers his options, he'll be keeping busy, playing with the Juventus outdoor club, practicing with his dad, and working on strength and conditioning. But whatever he decides, he says he's ready to move forward.

"I'm excited, I'm really excited to get my life started. I'm still in high school but it feels like life started a month ago, two months ago. It's time to get going," he laughs.