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People On The Move - Sean Davis
10/31/2010 - By Chad A. Safran
ON HIS WAY TO SOCCER STARDOM
Soccer has long been a sport which has thrived in New Jersey, helping produce such talents as John Harkes, Tab Ramos, and current U.S. national team goalkeeper Tim Howard. And it may not be long before one of the area’s own joins the ranks of top U.S. soccer stars. Holmdel’s Sean Davis is ranked as the top high school player in New Jersey and the number two overall prospect in Top Drawer Soccer’s list of the best recruits in the Class of 2011.
Sean’s ascension to soccer success began as a four year old when his mother and first coach, Lynn, signed him up for Holmdel’s recreation soccer program. It did not take long for Sean to demonstrate his skills; by second grade he was a member of the Holmdel Bulldogs travel team. The sport came easy to him for a long time, but in his early teens he began to see what was necessary to make the leap to another level. He was playing for a state travel team at the time and aspired to earn a spot on a regional team but failed to even get called into the tryout camp for that particular club.
“It was really a wake up call, and I was really upset,” says Sean, a senior at Holmdel High School. “From that day, when I did not make it, I was motivated to work a lot harder. I wasn’t dedicated enough at the time. I didn’t know what it took until I was told I wasn’t good enough. It was all about soccer from that point on.”
The diligence paid off in many ways. Sean earned his high school varsity team’s MVP award as a freshman. He won a spot on the regional team, where he caught the attention of scouts from the U.S. soccer program at a number of tournaments. He was called into the development camp for the U.S. boys under 15 team in February 2008 but did not make the international squad. However, more hard work and a great performance at a tournament in St. Louis later that year helped him gain a position on the U.S. boys under 17 team. Before he knew what was even happening, Sean was traveling to Argentina with the team and eventually became a part of the prestigious U.S. Soccer U-17 residency program, which is based at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and has produced over 100 professional players.
Each weekday was filled with soccer training in the morning and then school at the Bradenton Academy in the afternoon with games and tournaments on the weekends. Sean spent his sophomore year and half his junior year in the program. Each day demanded Sean perform at his best since he could have been cut at the end of each semester and sent back to Holmdel. While he continued his outstanding performance in the classroom (he’s a National Honor Society member), it was on the field where he really made strides. “There were so many experiences down there that made me a better player in so many aspects, physically and mentally,” says Sean, who also played in France, Spain, and Brazil as part of the U-17 squad.
How much did Sean improve? Enough that after leaving the residency program he was recognized as a member of the 2009 NSCAA/Adidas Boys Youth All-America Team and became a Parade Magazine High School All American midfielder in 2010. He is also committed to play soccer at Duke University, one of the top-ranked college programs in the country, after graduating Holmdel High School.
He is hoping that all his time and effort leads to a professional career in Europe some day. However, despite all the accolades and awards, he manages to stay humble. “I am really thankful people recognize me for what I have accomplished and what they see in me,” says Sean, who is now a member of the New York Red Bulls Academy team. “I really don’t get too proud about it. I just want to show people who had faith in me that they were right. It makes me work harder.”
STATS
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
P.F. Chang’s
FAVORITE MUSIC
Techno
FAVORITE MOVIE
”The Shawshank Redemption”
PET PEEVES
Unappreciative People
THREE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
Martin Luther King. Jr., Steven Gerrard, and Drake (rapper)
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