DESI TOAL IS ON THE RISE IN SOCCER

By Hannah Davis, Providence Day Class of 2008

Because of its international popularity, soccer—or fútbol—opens doors for many young players to places around the world, making this sport much more than simply an after-school athletic activity.  Fútbol is a globally unwritten language that only requires a ball, a simplicity that makes communication quite effortless. 

At the age of 13, Desmond “Desi” Toal has already had the unique opportunity to play internationally in Costa Rica.  He was invited by some friends last year to play as a guest player against some Costa Rican club teams, opening Desi to a very unique cultural and soccer experience.

Like many young players, Desi was first inspired to play soccer by his family.  “My parents wanted me to do a specific sport, so my dad became a coach and began teaching me to play soccer.  When I got older I started really loving it and decided I wanted to play.”  The excitement and zeal that starts at such a young age is truly what allows players like Desi to reach the international level quickly.

On more of a local scale, this young player continues training with the Olympic Development Program, and he most recently attended the Region III camp in Alabama.  To reach this level within this program is extremely impressive in itself, as it requires a series of close to ten try out sessions.

Aside from scoring goals and heading balls, Desi’s dad is the person that pushes him most to succeed as a soccer player.  He was the first person to get him into the game.  According to Desi, “He also wouldn’t let me quit when I didn’t want to go to practices or games, which was really important for me. I’m glad he didn’t because I love the sport now—it’s really fun to play.”

When asked of his favorite player, Desi claimed that David Beckham is the one that inspires him most.  As a young player in England, most clubs wouldn’t accept Beckham because of his small size, but he improved his skill and strength to the point that he returned for a try out and was accepted.  He is now known as one of the greats in the sport.  The golden rule he follows as a player and has learned from Beckham is ‘Never give up—don’t ever quit.’ According to Toal, “It’s brought me a long way. There have been points in games when I put my head down and want to quit, but I remember to never give up and it pushes me and my teammates to play harder.”

Although he is only a rising eighth grader at Holy Trinity, this young player has dreams of making it pretty far.  For now, Desi will continue playing on the Charlotte United Gold U14 Premier team.  Within the next five years, Desi hopes to play college ball and get as far as he can with soccer.  “Wake forest has a pretty good team, I’d like to try and get in there. But to make it to the national or professional level, I have to pick it up a lot and start working harder to get there--it’s going be a long trip.”