You may not be shocked to learn that a kid named Beckham grew up on local soccer fields. But you might be surprised to find out how far the sport is taking Beckham Aiman. Aiman, a fourth grader at Rising Sun Elementary, is heading to Portugal this week to play in the Mundialito tournament, a youth version of soccer's World Cup. Aiman is a member of the East Coast United States U10 team participating in the tournament. Like the World Cup, Mundialito has a group stage followed by the knockout rounds. Mundialito features youth academy teams from some of the best clubs in the world including sides from Portugal, Spain, Norway, Brazil, United Arab Emirates and Kenya. Beckham was a late addition to the team after he was recommended by Atlantic Premier League teammate Rafi Sanjuan and Rafi's father, Rafael Sanjuan. The East Coast team, mostly comprised of players from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was practicing and scrimmaging when the coach realized the team was missing something. More specifically, missing someone with a specific set of skills. That someone was Beckham. Beckham got a tryout based on Rafael Sanjuan's recommendation and earned a spot on the team. "They were looking for a kid who could play at that level," Dylan Aiman said. "But they were also looking for a center midfielder with a high work rate and good vision." Beckham is also competitive, something he made clear when he was first asked how excited he was to be traveling to Portugal. "I'm worried," he said. "I don't want to lose." He does realize what a great opportunity this is. "I think it's cool to do this because it's something I don't usually do," Beckham said. "The soccer is better." Beckham was destined to play soccer and not just because he was named after one of the world's most famous players. He is the son of Shane and Dylan Aiman. Dylan Aiman was a successful soccer player and coaches the Rising Sun High School girls' team. Beckham's sister, Halley Wisner, was a Tiger star and plays at Converse College where she was a second team all-conference selection last fall. Despite the good soccer genes, Beckham wasn't initially optimistic. "I didn't think I'd be very good," he said. Those doubts were erased when he first took the field. "He had a knack," his father says. Beckham also quickly grew to love playing the sport. "I like feeling the soccer ball," he said. "It makes me feel happy. I like the feeling of scoring a goal. And I like any goal I'm a part of." Dylan Aiman, accompanying Beckham on the trip, says it will be interesting to see how the United States' best players fare against the top academies from around the world. The trip will also give the U.S. players a chance to be scouted by some of the world's most successful clubs. Comments are closed.
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