When Medford resident Donovan Wu traveled to North Carolina in April 2014 to attend a U.S. Soccer Club id2 tryout camp, he didn’t expect to be selected to the team.
“At the point when I was trying out, I was just trying to do my best and get better as a player,” Donovan said.
This past January, however, Donovan received the call. He was named to the id2 roster and would travel on an international tour to Argentina.
Donovan is one of 18 of the best youth soccer players across the country who will travel to Argentina from Feb. 28 to March 11. The team will play against elite youth teams from other South American countries and train at some of the best Argentinian facilities. The id2 program is an Olympic Development Program, sponsored by both the United States Olympic Committee and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
For Donovan, who will turn 14 on Feb. 26, the selection is culmination of six years as a soccer player. He began his soccer career at the age of 8, when he watched his older brother, Dalton, try out for a Medford Township travel team. Dalton is a goalkeeper for Shawnee’s boys’ soccer team.
“He was at a soccer tryout when he was in fifth grade, and I ended up trying out and made the team,” Donovan said.
For a few years, Donovan played as an outside defender on a local club team called Real NJSC Arsenal.
Donovan credits his coaches for encouraging him as he progressed. He said years of long practices and intensive training have helped him prepare for the opportunity before him.
“We just had intense practices when we were very young,” Donovan said. “Our team was very good.”
This year, Donovan has played with a number of different teams and programs. This year, Donovan has moved to the FC Continental U14 Academy team. He said playing for different teams has made him a more well-rounded player.
“Anytime you get a different coach, it’s like a new teacher. You learn different ideas that the other ones didn’t portray,” he said.
Donovan felt attending the camp in North Carolina would allow him to get even more experience and practice against some of the best players his age.
“The tryout was a four-day camp in North Carolina,” he said. “It was very intense. It was about 60 elite players from around the region. It seemed like a great opportunity.”
This is not the first time Donovan is traveling overseas to play soccer. Last year, he went with a Philadelphia Union-sponsored team to Qatar. He also traveled to Amsterdam with a Soccer Player Development team. Traveling to a third continent is a thrill for Donovan.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “Any time you get to go to a different country, you really learn a lot.”
Donovan has a plan for his soccer career. He is looking forward to following in his brother’s footsteps at Shawnee next year. Donovan hopes to work hard enough to eventually play soccer in college and the pros.
