WESTFIELD — Two rising Westfield High School freshmen will travel to Sweden next week to represent the United States in this year’s Gothia Cup, the world’s largest international youth soccer competition.
Fourteen-year-old Phoebe Klag, a goalie, and 13-year-old Courtney Smith, a versatile mid-field player, have been playing together on and off since kindergarten.
“My two older brothers both played when we were younger, and my mom ended up enrolling me just to make things easier,” said Courtney. “I ended up loving it, and I have been playing ever since.”
In December of 2022, both girls were selected to join the NJ14 Soccer Club, a highly-competitive travel program that allowed them to fly to Gothernburg, Sweden, to compete against other students from across the country and around the world.
“It was an incredible experience,” Phoebe said. “It gave us the chance to learn about other cultures and to see a new part of the world.”
Now, the girls, who both earned a spot on this year’s team as well, will be heading back to Sweden to try to rise through the tournament ranks.
“The Gothia Cup is like the youth version of the World Cup,” Courtney’s mother, Jen Smith, said. “It is an incredible thing to watch.”
The girls will be coached by Linzi McCormick, who played professional soccer in Scotland, andAshley Denti, who spent her college years playing for the Centenary University team.
According to information provided by the Gothia Cup website, approximately 1,700 teams (about half of which are girls’ teams and half of which are boys’) from 80 nations take part in the tournament each year to play a total of 4,500 games. This year’s knock-out style competition will be held over the course of six days.
“Sometimes, you end up playing more than one game in a single day,” Phoebe said. “It’s exhausting, but it’s definitely worth it.”
The girls also will have the opportunity to take part in a three-day training camp with players from different countries before the tournament officially kicks off. The camp, Courtney said, is designed to help the students hone their skills and get to know each other.
Both girls said they plan to try out for the Westfield High School Soccer Team next year.
“We’re very excited,” Courtney said of the upcoming trip. “It’s a lot of hard work, but I can’t wait to get back over there.”
