Sault Ste. Marie soccer player captures scoring title in top Ontario youth league
CBC
A high school soccer player from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., knows a thing or two about scoring goals.
Amare Boateng recently wrapped up a memorable season in southern Ontario with the London Whitecaps where the 17-year-old led the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) in scoring for his age category with 23 goals.
A bonafide striker, the St. Mary’s College student accomplished the feat in just 20 games.
“My team was really good this season. We all worked together and had good chemistry,” he said.
The OPDL is widely regarded as the province’s top youth development soccer league.
Featuring premier athletes from the ages of 13-17, the league provides players with opportunities to be scouted by professional teams on the national stage or earn university scholarships.
“It’s like watching a semi-pro game — it’s fast-paced,” Boateng explained. “Practices get intense too because everyone wants to play, so everyone is working for their spot on the field.”
The London Whitecaps is a feeder program for Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps, where the likes of Alphonso Davies and other international professional stars have passed through.
Boateng says he dreams of playing there one day.
“It’s happened to a few players,” he said. “I haven’t had the chance yet.”
The son of an Italian mother and Ghanaian father, Boateng fell in love with the sport as a young boy with the Sault United Football Academy.
The Grade 12 student told CBC he discovered his competitive spirit the moment he stepped onto the soccer field for the first time — thanks in large part to his family.
“I was born with competitiveness, but my dad definitely put that competitive mindset into me too,” he said. “He was always pushing me to be better, and we’d train a lot.”
“My family and friends all pushed me, they always told me I could do soccer. I’m really happy to have them.”
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