THE American college sports system is set to have another Bathurst athlete in its ranks next month when Western NSW Mariners FC goalkeeper Bryce Deaton begins a scholarship in the city of Des Moines, Iowa.
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Deaton will study sports communication at the AIB College of Business and play soccer for the university’s side, the Eagles.
They currently play in the Mid-West Collegiate conference and are coming off a decent enough season in which they finished mid-table.
The Mariners custodian has spent plenty of time playing and training at representative level and has had his sights set on a college career in the US for some time.
“I looked at a lot of schools, and at one point got up to 21 that were interested, but I ended up talking to two of them and this is the one I decided to go with,” the 20-year-old explained.
“They have a good quality football program as well as the course side of things. The city itself was ranked number one by Forbes [Magazine] as the best city in the United States for business and careers in 2013.
“It’s a pretty exciting opportunity.”
While America was a natural destination for the likes of local basketballers Rachel Murray, Haylee and Hannah Lepaio and Laurence Mifsud, soccer is beginning to win a wide appreciation there also.
Highlighted by America’s impressive performance at the ongoing World Cup in Brazil, the sport is on the up.
Having ex-European stars like David Beckham and Thierry Henry as well as Australia’s Tim Cahill playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS) competition has lifted its profile and the quality of the national team has risen accordingly.
The upshot of all that is that players like Deaton now have a realistic opportunity to carve themselves a career in the US if they are good enough.
“They’re ranked 12th in the world at the moment, and there are a lot of chances to make a career there if you’re lucky enough,” he said.
“They put a heap of money into every aspect of sport over there and the MLS has certainly started to pick up.
“If it all goes well, down the track I’d love to get into the MLS draft, but there are always scouts over there from other places around the world, too.”
The Mariners themselves haven’t had a great season to date, only earning a handful of wins, and Deaton has often been one of the busiest players on the field.
He says his form has been reasonably satisfying and all he can do now ahead of his move is continue to work hard at improving his game.
“It was a nice change on Saturday to get a win and be able to sing the team song. We’ve been a bit unlucky at times this season.
“Our attitude has been a lot better in recent weeks even before that win.
“I feel like I’ve been playing quite well, though the scoreboard doesn’t always show that. I’ve done a lot of work at the international goalkeepers academy down in Sydney and train most days, so I’m making sure I put in the effort.”
