In a world of N.I.L. deals, sponsorships, and early recruitment, athletes like Angel Reese, LaMelo Ball, and Shedeur Sanders amongst many others, have paved the way for the future of the NBA, WNBA, and the NFL. However, one sport always seems to get lost among the noise that is American Sports, and that is soccer.
The likes of Lionel Messi, David Beckham, and Christian Pulisic, have helped the MLS grow exponentially since its inception in 1996 and soccer has quickly become one of the fastest-growing sports in America, even managing to become the next World Cup host in 2026. That being said, the MLS has been plagued by a few things.
- Our pay-to-play system makes it hard for lower-class children growing up to be able to train with the right talent and facilities that would allow them to grow and prosper as professional athletes.
- The style of play that has been adopted in America is not one of “art” and “fun” but rather a game of rigidness and robotic tactics. A game where individualism and imagination are unfortunately not encouraged. It’s no wonder the average sports fan would rather watch an NBA or NFL game, which leads to my third point.
- Finally and most importantly, as a product of the two symptoms above, the MLS has yet to produce a true soccer superstar. I mean sure, we’ve had Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and more recently Christian Pulisic, but in a world of Mbappes, Jude Bellinghams, and the guys that kids want to be, we have severely fallen short in that category.
Enter Angelo Dennet. Better known as Angelo or Gelo. The Utah-born and raised athlete of African-American and Honduran descent has been making a name for himself over the last couple of years and is beginning to stand out as a future MLS prospect. The 15-year-old Real Salt Lake Academy HS stand out most recently won Attacking Player of the Year, Top Scorer of the Year, and Player of the Year for his school along with being Utah League Top Scorer 3 years in a row and being awarded multiple Club MVP awards while averaging almost 2 goals a game. As impressive as that is, what’s more impressive is the crowd’s reaction when the ball is at his feet. Tension fills the air, and the once talkative crowd becomes attentive and silent in anticipation of his next move. In a world of cookie-cutter wingers that only run up and down the line, It’s hard to watch him play and not draw comparisons to a young Neymar, quick, lanky, and eager to have fun with the ball. Entertaining I think would be the word. The girls in the crowd whisper about his “cute” hair and after the game, the spectators congratulate his mother on raising what they deem could be the first soccer star to come out of Salt Lake City, Utah.
The American winger is rumored to be being recruited by Inter Miami FC at the moment and with the list of exciting and entertaining players being as short as it is in America, the future is bright and with players like this, the sky is the limit for soccer in the USA.
