UNSCRIPTED A “STAR” is Emerging Amongst Us!
Unscripted
By Keith Edmonds
FWIS Contributing Writer
Soccer (Football for those enthusiasts who follow the sport religiously) is a sport that is gaining popularity in the US with the success of our National Men’s & Women’s teams putting us squarely on the map globally. Here in our state the game is picking up just as enthusiastically because of the young men and women who have made it their “game of choice” and drifted away from the traditional sports at the highschool level such as basketball or football. Our city has seen the game grow with the success of DeMarcus Beasley and all of the contributions that he has made to share his knowledge and experiences with our youth. We now have another young man that is making serious headway in the sport by the name of Akil Watts from Canterbury High School. Akil decided to forgo the opportunity to play collegiately after training and playing at IMG (International Management Group) at the age of 14. He’d trained with IMG before getting invited to participate in the U.S Training Camp. In today’s UNSCRIPTED, I had the opportunity to visit with Akil, and learn more about why he made the decision to play soccer and why he feels that his drive and dedication will give him the opportunity to compete for a spot on the US 2026 World Cup Team and show the world his tremendous talents!
UNSCRIPTED: We’d like to welcome you to Unscripted and thank you for your time today! Tell us how this whole process came to be in regards to all of your successes in the sport of soccer…
AW: “Thank you for having me. I came from Canterbury High School here in Fort Wayne and then moved to Florida where I competed and trained for IMG Academy with the best players in the country. I really have to give my IMG coach a lot of credit because if he wouldn’t have gone to the US National Team coach and shared that I should be given the opportunity to compete for a spot on that team, then the Akil Watts story may be different. I went in for 2 scrimmages and performed well enough to be invited to the National Team try-outs and things really took off from there!”
UNSCRIPTED: I’ve had the opportunity to read many things about you and your successes with soccer, can you share with us your trek that eventually lead to playing professionally for St. Louis SC?
AW: “I had the opportunity to play for the US U17 World Cup in India. After the World Cup competition and our successful run as a team in that Cup the professional offers started to come in so I decided to forgo college to play in Spain for RCD Mallorca. I returned to the states to play for my National team coach at Louisville City SC in the USL Championship for 2 ½ years before leaving to play in the MLS Next Pro league in St. Louis.
UNSCRIPTED: So was playing on the professional level always an aspiration for you when you became involved in the sport of soccer?
AW: “I started off just playing “the game I love” and when opportunities started coming then I decided to see how far I could go in this game and so far, things have worked out pretty well and my goals are still in front of me.”
UNSCRIPTED: I’m sure that you’re aware that the World Cup is currently going on in Qatar. How much does that intrigue you to continue using that as a goal for you to compete on that team in the future?
AW: “It’s really all I want! I’d love to represent this city, and our country in the next World Cup in 2026 simply because I’ve competed against many of the current team members and have more than held my own against them.” My goal is to become as accomplished as DeMarcus Beasley was in playing in 5 World Cups during his career and then coming home to share his experiences and knowledge with our youth to get them interested in this great game!”
UNSCRIPTED: Just by the look that I see in your eyes, and the passion that you have in your voice, I’ve got to believe that you feel that you could help this CURRENT US team in Qatar, am I right?
AW: “No doubt! I think that I have the talent and qualities to really be an asset to this team but I also know that I have to be patient and allow things to work for me in due time.”
UNSCRIPTED: So share with us what it was like playing internationally in Spain. How was it different than playing in the US?
AW: “I would say that the biggest differencr is that countries outside of the US look at soccer completely different than we do. Soccer is the MAIN sport in Europe and they treat it with the same passion as we treat say, football with stadiums being packed with 60,000 fans screaming and chanting the entire game. It’s crazy! It’s getting a lot better here in the US and with training, players that are more skilled, and coaching, we are on the rise!”
UNSCRIPTED: I imagine having a strong support system is very important to your development as a player. Can you tell us how this has helped you grow into the player that you not only are now, but will eventually become?
AW: “My support system is huge for me. My parents, and siblings have been there encouraging me and keeping me focused through all of the ups and downs of what I’m trying to accomplish. I can always turn to them for support, guidance, wisdom and whatever else that I need to keep me motivated on my goals and aspirations. That’s so important to me and the reason that I’ve experienced ANY success in this sport.”