The Academy

Flashing back to how he came to England, Leo recalls playing against the Columbus Tigers. His team was losing three to two. Leo scored the second goal to narrow the Tigers’ lead because he’s very good at scoring.

Briefly distracted by his dad on the side of the field, Leo then intercepts the ball and passes it to a teammate, who sends it further downfield. Leo gets to it and goes to score. One of the defenders trips him, and the referee shows him a red card. Leo’s team gets a penalty kick. Leo’s kick nearly goes in but hits the top of the net. His team loses.

On the way home, Leo bemoans missing his penalty kick. His dad reminds him that he scored the other two goals and should focus on having fun. Leo’s little sister Ginny asks who their father was talking to at the game, and Leo’s dad explains that it was a man from England visiting his sister, whose son is on the Tigers. Leo says that England is home to the Premier League. Their town is small, but Leo hopes to join one of the world’s big soccer leagues one day so he can travel.

Leo’s family lives in a house, but Leo worries that they won’t be able to stay in it. His father is a carpenter, and without Leo’s mom’s income, it’s difficult for him to make the house payments.

At home, Leo plays FIFA on his PlayStation while his father works in the shed. He also practices some ball tricks. Later, his sister calls him inside because the Englishman from the game is there to visit. He introduces himself to Leo as Philip Niles. He explains that he’s a soccer (or football, in England) scout for the London Dragons Football Club. When he saw Leo play at the game this afternoon, he was impressed. The Dragons—like other football clubs—have youth academies where they prepare young players for a future professional soccer career. Academy participation doesn’t guarantee that those players will make the professional team as adults, but it offers a good place to start. Philip invites Leo to a summer camp where he can compete to attend their youth development program, the Academy.

Leo is speechless; he asks what happens if he makes the team since he lives in Ohio. Philip replies that he would need to move to England but that all youth team players get a $50,000 signing bonus. He says that Leo can think about it and that he and his father should reach out if they have questions.

After Philip leaves, Leo talks to his dad. He asks to go, and his dad explains that while the camp itself is free, the flights, as well as the hotel and food for him and Ginny, would be expensive. Leo says that he understands and that it isn’t “a big deal” (19), though, to him, it is.

By Friday, Leo’s father still hasn’t made a decision, and Leo’s aunt Janice comes over. She brings pizza, and Leo notes that she’s his favorite person after his father. He overhears Janice and his dad fighting and knows it’s about him. He also learns that there’s a $40,000 student loan from his mom that his dad still has to pay back. He decides to tell his father he doesn’t want to go to London anymore. However, he isn’t able to do it.

For two weeks, he feels off his game and underperforms on the soccer field. He gets another detention at school—he’s gotten several since his mother died—for throwing a paper airplane at a bully. His dad confronts him about it, reminding him that he can’t be mad forever. He adds that Leo is like him because he also has a temper.

Then, Leo’s dad says he wants to talk to Leo about something, and he knows it’s going to be about the summer camp. He tries to pretend that he doesn’t want to go, and his dad emphasizes that he—not Leo—should be the one to worry about the money. He tells Leo that Aunt Janice will buy his ticket but that Leo will have to go alone. He also isn’t allowed to get any more detentions.

Leo goes up to his room to talk to his pet lizard, Messi, about it. He’s never been away from home before, and he’s nervous. However, he also thinks about how helpful the money would be to his family, and he really wants to go. He tells his dad he’s in.

The rest of the school year passes, and Leo doesn’t get a detention. On the day Leo leaves for London, Aunt Janice gives him her old tablet so he can Skype with his dad and sister, and his friend teaches him how to use WhatsApp to chat.

Leo, his dad, sister, and aunt drive to the Detroit airport for Leo’s departing flight. Leo’s dad gives him a new pair of cleats, which is unusual since they usually buy secondhand cleats. Leo is thrilled. Ginny says that she’ll take care of Messi, and Leo realizes that he’ll miss her. Aunt Janice tells him to see the city if he can. When it’s time to board, Leo’s dad tells him to stand up for himself and to have fun. He adds that Leo’s mom would be proud of him.

On the plane, a teenager is seated next to Leo. His name is Tigudzwa (or “Tig,” for short), and he reveals that Philip Niles told him that Leo would be on the flight, so he booked their seats next to each other. He plays for the Dragons’ youth team. Leo is in awe. Tig then says he’s exhausted and needs to sleep, so he puts his headphones in.

The plane takes off, and Leo sees the world grow small. He watches a few movies on the screen in the seat in front of him. When Tig wakes up, he and Leo chat. He is going to be on staff at the Academy camp and wants to keep an eye on Leo, who thinks his new friend is very cool. Leo is too excited to sleep.

When they get to Heathrow in London, Tig finds another group of kids from around the world who are also coming to the camp. He points out Diego, who is the best youth player in Mexico, and he’s the same age as Leo. They juggle a soccer ball as they wait for their ride. Eventually, Tig calls out that if someone lets the ball touch the ground, they have to sit. It comes down to him, Leo, and Diego. Tig wins, but Leo comes in second, learning a new trick from Tig in the process.

Then, the London Dragons van pulls up.

On the bus, Leo and the rest of the players meet Coach Devon. They go to a soccer complex with pristine fields, and the coach explains that it’s called the Castle. They have the whole day to settle in. As Leo gets off the bus, Tig reminds him to get some rest since he’ll want to make a good impression the next day.

Leo notices that he’s smaller than most of the players, and he feels slightly like he doesn’t belong. Another player suddenly calls out “Cincinnati!” and Leo is surprised that someone else knows a city in Ohio. Then he realizes he is wearing his FC Cincinnati sweatpants, representing the Major League Soccer (MLS) team. The other boy teases him, saying that in England, they refer to MLS as “Major League Suck” (47). Leo retorts that FC Cincinnati sent a player to the Premier League and that England hasn’t won very many World Cups despite being the place where soccer (or football) was invented.

At the registration table, Leo receives his schedule and finds out that tomorrow everyone will be greeted by the coach of the Dragons, Coach Zepeda. He is thrilled. He finds a spot to himself and removes his sweatpants, standing in the shorts he has on underneath. He looks in the duffel bag he received to see gear and a soccer ball. He’s excited but nervous to represent the United States, the flag of which is emblazoned under his name on his shirt.

He goes to his room and falls asleep. He’s shaken awake by his roommate, an American named Robbie, who is from New York. Leo discovers that he slept through dinner and is stressed because now he’ll be up all night. Robbie advises that he go down to the break room for some food.

By the time he is able to fall asleep again, it’s four in the morning.