ASN’s Brian Sciaretta spoke at size with U.S. U-20 midfielder Pedro Soma in regards to the crew’s spectacular fall camps, the approaching U-20 World Cup, his background, and his latest transfer to Barcelona.
BY
Brian Sciaretta
Posted
January 08, 2025
5:35 AM
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WHEN THE CALENDAR 12 months shifted to 2025 final week, it grew to become a World Cup 12 months for america U-20 nationwide crew. When a lot of the consideration in American soccer final summer season was on the Copa America and the Olympics, the U.S. U-20 crew booked a spot within the 2025 U-20 World Cup in Chile. For a lot of, the event provides a big alternative to symbolize their nation at a excessive stage at some extent of their careers when they’re transitioning from youth soccer to first crew ranges.
Since serving to america qualify for the U-20 World Cup final summer season, midfielder Pedro Soma has taken a rising position throughout the crew as he has participated in profitable camps within the October and November worldwide home windows. In latest months, Soma featured wins over Chile, South Korea, and France.
The World Cup is now a bit of greater than 9 months away, however Soma likes the place the crew stands.
“It’s a very good group of guys,” Soma informed American Soccer Now from the final U-20 camp. “Obviously, we had the first camp in Chile. You can see that we have a lot of talent in this group. We have some big names and it’s very good to play with the other players in this team. I see it as a team that has a lot of potential to do things at the next World Cup. I’m very excited.”
“We have various players, or most of us are already playing professional soccer, which we should be at,” Soma added. “Our best strength is that we can do anything. We’re good at counter-attacks. We’re good at defending, pressing, low block. Obviously, every player here is very good on the ball. I think our best strength is being so versatile. We can adapt to any situation, play on any field at any time of the.”
At the newest camp, Soma even wore the captain’s armband for the 3-0 win over South Korea. Mixed with the 2-1 win over France days later, the U.S. crew has been shining on the defensive aspect of the sport the place they’re then capable of pressure turnovers and rapidly get into the assault. Enjoying as both a No. 6 defensive midfielder or as a No. 8 box-to-box midfielder, Soma has match properly into head coach Marko Mitrovic’s system.
“Of course, we only had two camps, so we’re still trying to work out little things that Marko wants to implement in our game,” Soma mentioned. “We’re moving very quickly to what we want to do on the ball and what our idea is…Defensively we are very, very compact – not just the backline and the six and the goalkeeper – but the whole the whole team, all 11, and attacking we finished our chances.”
If he participates on the U-20 World Cup, it would mark the most recent step in what has been an accelerated rise for Soma inside U.S. Soccer. It wasn’t January 2022 when he was referred to as up for the primary time internationally – at any stage.
At first it was the U-16 crew, however inside a 12 months he progressed to the U-17 nationwide crew the place he helped the crew to the ultimate of the CONCACAF Championships the place he scored in a loss to Mexico within the Championship recreation. In November and December, he made three begins on the U-17 World Cup the place the U.S. crew superior to the knockout spherical earlier than falling to eventual champions Germany, 3-2.
“Especially some of the guys that have been with me through the whole U-17 cycle and now with the U-20s,” Soma mentioned. “It’s pretty cool going through that progression together. We’re the younger age in this age group – and from what I’ve seen, every player here is capable of playing with the older guys. It’s who wants it more.”
Similtaneously he’s taking massive strides internationally, he’s additionally progressing with one of many world’s largest golf equipment in Barcelona. A local of Boca Raton, Florida, Soma’s European profession started in 2018 as a part of a pupil trade program. Ultimately that led him to being found and signed by UE Cornellà, a 3rd division crew primarily based in Barcelona’s metropolitan space. In his last season at Cornellà in 2023/24, Soma was taking part in with their first crew and made 13 appearances.
Breaking into the primary crew at Cornellà was a giant milestone for Soma and it was an vital a part of his journey which demanded a variety of sacrifices on the a part of each him and his household. His household needed to partially relocate, and his dad and mom weren’t all the time capable of be collectively. Soma additionally needed to depart behind his buddies and life in Florida.
“It was when I was 12 in the summer of 2018,” Soma recalled. “I went to do a school exchange program. I ended up staying the 2018/19 season while also playing soccer in that student exchange program. We decided to stay another year – my mom and I, while my dad was still in the States but going back and forth. And after two seasons, I got signed by Cornellà. I’m very grateful for those years at Cornellà.”
“On and off the field, obviously going to another country is a big change, especially at a young age,” he continued. “But I got that support from my parents, which is something I will eternally be grateful for. It’s not normal that your parents move to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean just so that their kid can play soccer. So that was something that always gave me a little more push on the field to keep going, to keep pushing. And I think at the end, I miss my friends, obviously from the States.”
After Cornella’s 2023/24 season resulted in relegation, he was capable of safe the transfer to Barcelona. So far, Soma has settled in with Barca’s reserve crew, FC Barcelona Atlètic, which at the moment performs within the third tier. He has made 12 appearances, together with 5 begins, as Barca Atlètic sits in thirteenth place.
“It was a great summer,” Soma defined. “At the end I turned 18 on June 30th and I got to join one of the biggest clubs in the world – if not the biggest. It was one of the best days, so far, of my career – the day I joined Barcelona. That adaptation has been easy. I think I’m a Barca style player and after one or two weeks I felt really a part of the team already. I didn’t have to take too long to adapt. That was very positive.”
Along with his time with the second crew, there have been different indicators of progress for Soma. Through the September worldwide window, Soma was invited to coach with Barca’s first crew. Occasion with many gamers lacking due worldwide obligation, Soma was capable of practice alongside a number of the crew’s key gamers and in entrance of the highest teaching employees.
The expertise was rewarding for Soma and he got here to understand the membership’s tradition shortly after signing.
“Especially when you’re a fan of the club, you get excited,” Soma mentioned of coaching with Barca’s first crew. “You have to control your nerves or your emotions. And at the end, it’s just another training session. They played a lot more pressure situations. They’re on big national teams. But the team, these players, at our senior level take care of the youth players that come to train the youth players. They make it very easy to adapt… They do get out of the way to make sure that you feel good and you feel positive because there’s other situations in other locker rooms where the veterans don’t treat the young guys as good. I think it’s a very, very good thing at Barcelona.”
Transferring ahead, Soma has formidable objectives. He needs to climb inside Barcelona, he needs to participate within the U-20 World Cup, and he additionally has his eyes on the total nationwide crew after that. Like many throughout the U-20 pool, he was impressed that the federation was capable of rent Mauricio Pochettino in September and he’s wanting ahead to seeing how that opens up doorways for younger gamers in 2025.
“I think it was a big boom,” Soma mentioned of Pochettino. “We weren’t expecting it, but when it happened, we were very grateful to have somebody with that much experience and knowledge to take the position of the USA national team coach. I think there’s a lot of potential to do big things at the next World Cup. And as a U-20 player, you get excited – to think I could be there at the 2026 World Cup with this new coach. I think it’s a big positive.”
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Author : usa-foot
Publish date : 2025-01-08 17:12:35
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