Overlooked to Overseas: Community Soccer to European Football

My Journey from Community Soccer to Estoril’s Elite Program:

Some people’s football journey starts with instant recognition. Mine didn’t.

For years, I was the player doing everything right—training harder, showing up early, staying late—and still getting overlooked. Not once. Not twice. For two full seasons.

This is the real story of how I went from being passed over in my own local soccer community to training and living in Portugal with a professional academy. No fluff. Just the truth.

Two Years in the Shadows

I was part of a well-known community soccer club in Canada. Like most kids, I started in the house league, dreaming of one day making it onto the club’s top team for my age group. But even after giving everything I had—week in and week out—I kept getting passed over.

At first, I thought maybe I just needed to improve. So I trained harder. I worked on my touch, my speed, my fitness. But each time tryouts came around, the same players got picked, even if they weren’t necessarily better—they just had the right connections, or had already been in the system.

I was stuck in a cycle. It felt like no matter what I did, the outcome was already decided before I laced up my boots.

Then one day, after two full years of being stuck in the house program, something changed. I got the call: I was being moved to the club’s top age group. Finally.

And yeah—it felt good to be recognized. But I won’t lie—it also left a bitter taste. Because I didn’t get there by being supported. I got there because my perseverance and talent couldn’t be ignored any longer. And that’s not how development should work.

I Needed Something Different

I didn’t want to spend another year proving I deserved to be where I already knew I belonged. I didn’t want to play for a program that only gave you a shot once you’d already done all the work alone.

I needed to find a place that actually focused on development. Somewhere that saw the potential first, and then helped bring it out.

That’s when I found FC Faly Academy—and everything changed.

FC Faly – Where Football Got Serious

Walking into Faly for the first time was different. The energy, the focus, the way training was structured—it felt like I had finally found my place.

They didn’t care about what club I came from. They didn’t care who knew who. They cared about one thing: how I trained and how I played.

Faly’s program was built around European-style development—with a focus on technical skill, game intelligence, and preparing players for higher-level football. Every day was a chance to improve, and I felt like I was finally part of something that believed in me from the start—not just when it was too obvious to ignore.

From France to Portugal – My Football Vision Comes to Life

The coaches at Faly didn’t just talk about Europe—they made it real. I had the chance to train with FC Metz in France, a club with a serious reputation for developing young players. That trip opened my eyes to what professional environments looked like.

The attention to detail. The intensity. The purpose behind every drill. It was exactly what I had been searching for all along.

From there, the dream only grew. I didn’t just want to experience Europe—I wanted to live it.

Fast forward to now: I’m 16, living in Estoril, Portugal, and training every day with the GD Estoril Praia Elite Academy. I’m part of a program that’s connected to a top-flight Portuguese club, training with players from all over the world who share the same fire.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

That time in community soccer? I’ll never forget it. It built my grit. It made me hungrier. It showed me exactly what kind of environment I didn’t want to be in.

But it also pushed me to find the right one.
To find Faly, and eventually Estoril.
To believe in my path—even when others didn’t.

Why This Story Matters

I’m sharing this because I know there are so many players—especially in North America—going through the same thing. Getting overlooked, feeling like the system is working against them, losing faith.

And to the parents reading this: there are better programs out there. Your kid doesn’t have to be stuck in a cycle that stunts their growth.

That’s what NXTLVL Footballer is all about—helping families find the environments where players can truly develop and be seen for who they are, not just where they came from.

Final Word

If you’re a young player reading this, don’t let the system decide your worth. Keep showing up. Keep grinding. And when the right opportunity comes—take it.

Because trust me, once you find the right environment, the game becomes everything you always knew it could be.

Carson