Soccer: AJ Anderson, 10, plays in All-American Youth Soccer Tournament

AJ Anderson, 10, of Princeton got the opportunity of a lifetime for an aspiring soccer player.

He played in the All-American Youth Soccer Tournament in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, during a four-day camp from June 29 to July 2. He was nominated by coaches in the Princeton Youth Soccer Club program.

Anderson played in the U12 boys group with kids from all over the country. He said it was a great experience.

“It felt amazing playing kids at the same skill level as me. I had to play against kids from all over the country,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s team won first place in the tournament. Three teams of six players played round-robin games in his age group that consisted of five games. Anderson’s team went 4-1.

Anderson got three goals in four games and several assists.

He said he learned more than he ever has on the soccer pitch, especially a good lesson on defense.

“I learned more playing in this tournament than I did my entire soccer journey,” Anderson said. “I learned what back pressure is. Back pressure is when you’re playing defense and someone runs by you to pressure their back so they feel like they’re trapped.”

He said the experience also gave him a sense of better sportsmanship.

Martin Maguire was Anderson’s coach for the tournament. Maguire was born in Liverpool and played 20 years with Pateadores Soccer Club in California. He is currently the women’s soccer coach at Montevallo University in Alabama.

When handing out medals to the players at the end of the tournament, Maguire had this to say about Anderson: “There’s a lot of running that has to be done in the position I played him, but he takes the instruction on board, is calm and collective with the ball which is an impressive quality to have.”

Anderson will be a fifth grader at Logan Junior High this fall. He is the son of Scott and Christine Anderson of Princeton.