RALEIGH, N.C. — A high school soccer star in Raleigh is going on an international trip to gain professional skills in the sport.
Cameron Williams, a recent Wake Forest High School graduate, wants to play professional soccer and will do whatever it takes to do that, including going overseas without family by his side.
Williams is one of the top amateur soccer players from North Carolina. That prefix "amateur" might disappear sooner than you think, however, because the 18-year-old is taking his talents to Spain, where the game of soccer is worshiped.
"It's not like any other sport," Williams said. "It involves everybody in the world, not just 11 people. How just one little ball that someone thought of years ago could just stand on everybody in the world."
College soccer certainly was an option for Williams, who will be heading to Spain in late August. He'll be playing for FC Odisea Academy. The experience will allow him to pursue higher education, while also being shown to the top talent scouts in the world.
It's not a professional deal yet, but it certainly puts him on the road for success, as he looks to become a star like one of his favorite players, Cristiano Ronaldo. The drive and commitment to the game is something he tries to emulate in his own game as he's grown up in North Carolina.
"Coming out of high school and knowing that obviously the route my friends took when they went to soccer and played for college, I'd say that this is the best fit for me where I want to go later in life," Williams said.
MLS isn't where his destiny lies, as the soccer player admits he wants to play with better players than he sees compete here in the United States. Williams wants to play for the best clubs in Europe. For an ambitious goal, Williams needed an experienced coach, and who better to guide the young star than the parent of three professional soccer players with ties to North Carolina. Hassan Pinto is the father of current N.C. Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto. Hassan Pinto says he sees aspects of his children's game in Cameron's.
"I see the drive, the speed, the turnover, and in addition to that, I have another son who plays at FC Cincinnati in the MLS, Malik Pinto, and I see a little bit more of Malik in Cam," Hassan Pinto said. "Super athletic, guys that love the game. Cam has all those attributes that you need to get to the next level. And I think his journey to Europe is going to help him with that."
Pinto himself played for UNC back in the day, and would also make the under-18 Men's United States National Team. All three of his children play or played at one point professional soccer. Pinto knows what it takes to be a star, and is trying to instill those life lessons and ethics into Williams before he leaves for Spain in a few short weeks.
With so many soccer players from around the world in academy systems and competing for so few starting positions on European clubs, there's a question as to what will give Williams the edge he needs to succeed.
"One thing you look for in a star player is the ability to turnover," Pinto said. "And he's just a difference maker, a kid that can get on the flank and he has a speed that is just different. He has a turnover rate that is different, and it enables him to get into good spaces and score big time goals."
The path to becoming a professional athlete can be a tough one, and it doesn't get easier if that career is overseas. However, Williams has the intellect, awareness and talent to make it to the top even if it means having to leave behind his family 4,000 miles and an ocean away.
"When people graduate from high school, they think about, 'oh, I'm ready to go into college, I'm ready to go major in this,'" Williams said. "I felt like that was kind of normal, and I kind of like the idea of doing something else, and I know it's going to be a lonely path to take, but I know everybody supported me in this way and in their own way, and so yeah, I would say I'm more excited than scared."
Williams will be over in Europe for an indefinite amount of time, however, he takes some solace in the fact that one of his friends who trains with him and has competed against him in the past is also heading to Spain to join an academy system. Jackson Standley will be completeing his high school degree online, while playing for the Fut Edu Spain Academy, just a couple hours away from where Williams will be located.