he Subworld 20 It is one of the last steps for young talents to reveal their best abilities before the eyes of the world. This competition reveals endless performances by scouts of the strongest clubs on the planet. While this is happening, the dreams and fantasies of footballers are fueled by being able to say present at the Final on June 11 in La Plata. There, among the 24 participants, there is a country that will make its debut at the event. dominican republic He hides many characteristics in his team’s preparation, but among the least known is that he will have a goalkeeper who will be compared to Thibaut Courtois Until six years ago, he was an attacking winger.
With an American mother and a Dominican father, a story Xavier Valdez He appears as one of the most revealed figures in the formation of a delegation of various footballers who are firmly rooted in Europe and who have chosen to represent this nation, waiting to be made clear what their eventual selection will be like at a higher level. In his hands, weaving webs of historical classification to world Cup Next Olympic Gamesthe first in its history in football life in this region, where more than 11 million people celebrated the second place in the CONCACAF Under 20 QualifiersDespite losing undiluted vs. 6-0 United State. The goal was more than achieved. Two teams marked the flames in the life of the young guard who spoke to him alone infobae.
“Yes, I played for the United States National Team a year ago. At that time, my club contacted me Scouts From the national team and from there they told me the steps I had to complete before going to play in CONCACAF“, He said Valdez Before questioning this method. born in New York On November 23, 2003, the consultation was imperative to find out the reasons that prompted him to accept the call and share the colors worn by one of his parents: “I decided to play for this team because I wanted to play and they gave me the option to do it here. It’s a different experience than playing in a club because of that It is working with a Spanish speaking team. This is hard for me. where i play Houston DynamoIt is common to speak Spanish, but the first language is English. They told me what plans they had and I accepted because I wanted to play.
The need to portray football was a crucial requirement for the goalkeeper, who closely followed the tournament in which his teammates were the main protagonists in defining the title in Metropolitan Olympic Stadiumfrom Honduras. However, the language barrier was another step in his complex adaptation. “It was difficult to talk about his opinion of the game. Being a goalkeeper you have to talk about what you see, and there are many things associated with that. It’s still hard Also, but I got a little more used to it. Now, it’s a little easier, but I’m still learning.” Without any hesitation in his voice, he referred to him as an archer, a position he had detected in an emergency from covering his original position.
in his childhood days, Valdez Put in Manhattan Soccer Clubone of the teams that opened their doors to him before he landed in a branch Dynamo affiliate football League (MLS). His usual position has been absorbed into various talents such as Vinicius Jr also Riyad Mahrez. The lime line was on his side to stand out from his competition, but his life took an unexpected turn when he was removed from his natural habitat.
Asked how he came to defend the three sticks, he smiled when recalling this pivotal position in his career: “Well, I played as a winger. Six years ago, they didn’t give me the chance to play in the team I was in and the only option was to play as a goalkeeper.. I’ve always played different sports and tackling wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t hard for me. I was practicing how to throw myself in baseball and the soccer. I used to be a goalkeeper, but I’m still working on some issues with the position.” These two majors are not mentioned by chance, as they are among the most popular in the Caribbean and North America.
school Minnesota Various institutions from his hometown saw the talent that was about to be born in Goal, and as a result, it didn’t take him long to make the crucial leap in his short career. In July 2020, the 19-year-old started showing a height of 1.98 at the Academy Houston Dynamoending a good semester leading up to the FIFA Youth World Cup with five duels completed over the eight days of the tournament’s third-division equivalent. United State.
These performances did not go unnoticed by his coaches and close circle, because when asked about the comparisons he got to goalkeepers of this caliber, he came to clarify: “With Thibaut Courtois, because I’m tall like himTwo centimeters separate him from the limp in front of a figure real madridbut at the same time he has already surpassed David de Gea in this item (measures 1.89): “He’s the goalkeeper I like the most“.
for now, Xavier Valdez He will seek to cheer up the inhabitants of the country in which he lived only two years, when he was 8 years old. Farther from these latitudes, it will emerge into a field Malvinas Argentinas Stadium de Mendoza this Sunday from 3:00 pm (Argentina time) to face Nigeria At the start of Group D against a team that became runners-up in this category in 1989 and 2005. As if that were not enough, the second hurdle will be Brazil, the five-time champion, and he will end his participation in this situation. against Italy.
Despite the complications, the scorer goes step by step and looks towards the first of the three matches that will be played entirely in Cuyo County: “We have practiced forming our first game to play against them. I think we need a little more work. It’s a very new team and we’re learning how each team member will play. We are used to the style of play we want to play.”
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