by David Thomsen

Every person has dreams throughout their life, many of which will never come true.  However, that’s not the case for two AHS seniors who are taking the next step to make their greatest dreams become realities.

Lifelong pals, classmates, and teammates, seniors Zachary Brooks and Matthew Smith, took that next step by competing on a club soccer team; one of the best in the region, as a matter of fact.  Two days a week the pair of friends make the road trip to Omaha, where they compete against some of the toughest competition in the region to play on the Omaha FC squad.

“My dream is to play college soccer and hopefully make it to the professional level some day,” said Smith, who began playing soccer before the age of the three.  But dreams like this do not come easily, which both of these players understand completely.  “I practice almost every day and work on stuff I need to work on to get better and better,” said Smith.

When referring to club soccer, there are many differences that occur between the club team and the school team.  Smith said he enjoyed the differences that the club team offered to him compared to school soccer.  “I get to meet new people, be coached differently, and see new places as well,” said Smith.  “The kids are from different high schools, and you travel to different states to play in leagues.”

With a different coach who teaches unfamiliar tactics and styles of play comes new points of emphasis for the players to learn and master.  Smith said one thing he learned is that your first touch can make a difference in a game.

After his high school and club career come to a close, Smith said the next step is to “finish out my senior year, continue to get better, and play wherever I get to play college soccer.”  As for Brooks, he hopes to be playing soccer in Scotland some day in his life.