Soccer experts in the U.S. are more careful about anointing teenagers The Next Great Thing after watching the Freddy Adu hype machine sputter before the kid was old enough to vote.
But surely it is safe to say that Stefan Jerome, a 17-year-old forward from Davie, Fla., is among the brightest young talents in the United States.
Jerome is in Nigeria competing with the U.S. national team in the U-17 World Cup, a 24-team tournament that offers fans and pro scouts a chance to see a preview of tomorrow's stars. He is considered one of the players to watch, along with fellow American Jack McInerney, Neymar (Brazil), Bryan Leyva (Mexico), Daniel Alberto "Keko" Villalba Barros (Argentina) and Alessandro de Vitis (Italy).
Jerome exceled at the CONCACAF championship in April, during which the United States totaled 12 goals in three games. Unlike American youth national teams of the past, this one likes to attack. Coach Wilmer Cabrera, a Colombian who played in two World Cups in the 1990s, has instilled an aggressive mind-set in his players.
McInerney, a Georgia native, leads the team with nine goals in 11 matches this year, including five over three April games. Jerome scored twice in a 5-0 victory over Gambia in London last month.
The chance to represent his country on the international stage is precisely why Jerome, a Haitian-American, quit American Heritage High School after his freshman year and moved alone from Davie to the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. He was barely 15 at the time, and admittedly scared. But as much as he loved his high school team and playing club soccer at West Pines United, he knew the best way to excel at a national level was to leave home.
Ten of the players on the U.S. roster have been in the residency program since the fall of 2007.
The move was particularly hard because Jerome's mother, Kareen, was raising the family alone after his father, Joseph, died of a heart attack at age 51 while working concessions at a youth soccer tournament in Pembroke Pines, Fla., on Nov. 3, 2001. Joseph was 9, and he said his father's memory inspires him.
"It was really hard to leave my family at such a young age, and there were times I was really lonely, but my goal was to make the U.S. national team, and by going to Bradenton, I would get to train every day against the best players in the country," Jerome said.
"I had to grow up really fast. It's like going away to college at 15. I have to make my bed, discipline myself, go to classes and practice. But I talk to my mom every day, and she still gives me a lot of advice. I think about my dad every day because this was his dream. He was a really good goalie in Haiti but never had a chance to pursue his dream, so I'm doing this for both of us."
The U.S. team opens Monday against Spain, one of the favorites, and then faces Malawi on Thursday and United Arab Emirates on Nov. 1. The U.S. team had a poor showing at the 2007 U-17 World Cup in South Korea, losing in the round of 16. Cabrera is determined to exceed the best U.S. showing in this tournament, a fourth place in 1999, when Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley were on the team.
"We have been working for two years to find the right players, first for qualifying and now for the World Cup," Cabrera said. "We have made some changes over the years to overcome different challenges, but we feel that we picked the best 21 players who are ready to represent their country for this World Cup."
The team traveled to England, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Spain in 2009 to prepare for this event. They totaled 33 goals in 16 international matches. Other key players include 6-3 goalkeeper Earl Edwards, defenders Jared Watts and Eriq Zavaleta, midfielders Nick Palodichuk, Alex Shinsky and Carlos Martinez, and forwards Marlon Duran and Luis Gil.
In addition to Spain, the other teams to beat are Argentina, Italy, and Brazil, which won titles in 1997, 1999 and 2003. The Brazilians are eager to make up for a stunning loss in the round of 16 in 2007, and a loss to Mexico in the 2005 final.
"This is going to be such a great experience," Jerome said. "Just being in Nigeria, a place I've never been, seeing the culture, and then playing against the best players in the world. It's a great chance for me and my team to show that we belong."
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Jerome a rising star on U.S. soccer scene, now on international stage
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