A second Soccer Smart player called up to international duty!
At Soccer Smart, we pride ourselves on the pathways we can provide and are always proud of the success that our players go on to achieve. Of course one of the highest honours a player can achieve during their football career is international recognition and we are delighted to see that one of our own has been called up for international duty this week - the second player in Soccer Smart history!
Soccer Smart forward makes the Saint Lucia national team!
Fresh off the back of helping his side La Nucia achieve promotion from the fourth-tier of Spanish football last season, Chaim Roserie now has the honour of being called up to play for the Saint Lucia national team. The 20-year-old forward has been called up to the squad for their upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches against El Salvador and Montserrat.
Born in Canada, Chaim’s talent was first spotted by Soccer Smart USA after he had played for Jacksonville Armada. With our help, he joined our Spanish soccer academy, the Soccer Smart Academy, and his career has gone from strength to strength since.
After impressing at our academy, the forward earned a move to CD Alcoyano in the third-tier of Spanish football. Last season, he started the campaign with a loan spell at Novelda in the fourth-tier, where he played four matches. In January this year, he joined Novelda’s divisional rivals La Nucia who were targeting promotion to the third-tier for the first time.
With Chaim’s help, the club managed to secure their goal of promotion after coming through a gruelling playoff schedule. Having finished 2nd in Group 6 of the Tercera División, La Nucia secured their place in the promotion playoffs. This meant they would have to win three two-legged matches to earn promotion. In the first round, they overcame Logroñés Promesas thanks to a goal in the second leg from Chaim himself. They then defeated Arandina and Linares to earn promotion. A season which had started in August finally came to an end on the 30th June and our very own player Chaim Roserie had helped create history by taking the decision to play football abroad.
The story of Chaim Roserie so far
He now has the chance to create more history with Saint Lucia this week. First up on Saturday they travel to El Salvador and then next Tuesday they take on Montserrat. Saint Lucia are in League B of the CONCACAF Nations League, the competition’s second tier but they can start their bid to earn promotion to League A to take on the likes of Mexico, USA and Costa Rica with some good performances this week.
Saint Lucia’s last squad included players from clubs from all over the Caribbean and also one from Croatia and another from England. Good luck to Chaim as he looks to help his country this week!
From college soccer to international football
The other Soccer Smart player to earn international recognition is Ethan Francois-Ravalier. Born in Leicester, Soccer Smart helped the right-back earn a USA soccer scholarship at Goshen College in 2015. At the college in Indiana, he would go on to study Kinesiology/coaching as well as play football abroad in college soccer.
Ethan’s first year in college was a big success as he played in all 18 matches for Goshen and was one of only two freshmen (first years) who made it into the college’s first team.
Having impressed in his debut year in college, Ethan caught the attention of the national team of his mother’s homeland, the Caribbean nation of Grenada and in June 2016, he was picked for their senior squad. He made his debut that same month in a match against Puerto Rico during the qualifiers for the 2017 Caribbean Cup.
Ethan Francois-Ravalier has played internationally for Granada
Now 22, Ethan has since made three more appearances for Granada against Antigua & Barbuda, Trinidad & Tobago and Belize, with that last appearance coming in March 2018.
During his time playing international football, he has also remained as a regular for Goshen College, making 72 appearances in four years, scoring twice and contributing a further ten assists from right back.
Both of these players achieved international recognition after realising their dreams to play football abroad. A great way to start your football career abroad is to attend one of our UK football trials. We have two coming soon, one in Birmingham and one in Falkirk, Scotland. Sign up using the button below.