Legendary high school football coach Chuck Kyle of Cleveland St. Ignatius High School will lead the No. 2-seeded U.S. Junior National Team in the upcoming International Federation of American Football Junior World Championship, which are set to begin later this month. The team's first game will take place on June 27 at 8 p.m. against seventh-seeded France at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, at the National Football Hall of Fame complex.
With the start of the tournament just weeks away, the members of Team USA will not have long to get to know each other before competition begins. The members of the team were chosen after a tough selection process that included many levels of discussion.
The first-ever Junior National Team in the sport is made up of 45 incoming college freshmen heading to 33 different schools later this summer. With such an abundance of talented high school players around the country, it is natural to wonder what made these 45 young men stand out to a coach most have never met, let alone played for, and a committee most are unfamiliar with as well.
Coach Kyle explained that the selection committee first contacted many Division I college coaches to give one or two names of incoming college freshmen for the Team USA roster. From those suggestions, the committee was able to determine which athletes would be able to fully represent Team USA during the summer.
"Many Division I coaches saw a clear benefit to the involvement of such an endeavor," Kyle said.
This helped in the process, as many of the coaches contacted believed in the importance of young men being involved in an international tournament like the JWC. Slots for each position were determined and the committee then worked to fill them.
The 45 players were not just chosen for their athletic abilities, however. The athletes were also chosen because of their character and understanding of what representing the United States in the tournament was all about. The players' reputations for being selfless and caring teammates also helped land them spots on the team.
"This is not an all-star game that is intended to showcase talent for college scouts: this is a team that represents USA Football," Kyle said.
"I am very excited about the roster. We have talented and intelligent athletes on the USA team - maybe the most important characteristic is patriotism. What an honor it is for the athlete and coach to represent the United States of America."
The young men representing Team USA are taking on an even larger role than just being athletes. Because of the magnitude and honor of representing the United States, they will now be considered role models for many young football players around the country.
In Kyle's words: "My hope is that this team will be a wonderful role model for the youth of America. Football is not about the selfish individual; football is about working together with unselfish individuals building a team."
And this is exactly what Team USA hopes to accomplish at the Junior World Championship.
