Towner, Taylor represent Georgia on international soccer stage

Published 8:42 am Wednesday, July 17, 2024

Two local soccer players got to experience the game on an international level earlier this month.

Nathan Towner, a rising junior at Georgia College Early College/Baldwin High School, and Arielle Jade Taylor, a seventh-grader at GMC Prep, traveled to Spain to compete in the Donosti Cup, one of the world’s largest international grassroots soccer tournaments. The annual event welcomes more than 800 teams representing 20 countries and takes place over a week in San Sebastian, a coastal city located near the Spanish-French border.

Towner and Taylor were afforded this amazing opportunity thanks to being part of the Olympic Development Program, or ODP, administered by Georgia Soccer. ODP is an elite-level soccer development league that players must try out for every year, helping them gain experience competing with and against top talent from Georgia and other states. The program was created by U.S. Soccer to in part identify potential players for the men’s and women’s national teams.

Another opportunity presented to Georgia ODP players is the trip abroad to play in the Donosti Cup, which features an Olympic-style opening ceremony held inside a Spanish professional team’s stadium.

Georgia sent three teams — two boys and one girls — to compete this year. All three made it out of group play before falling in closely-contested elimination games. The competition level was understandably tough, especially given that some of the international teams had more playing time together than the Georgia teams.

Before the tournament, Georgia’s ODP group also spent a few nights in Barcelona, one of the soccer capitals of the world. They toured another professional stadium separate from the one where opening ceremonies were held, trained with a professional coaching staff, and participated in friendly matches with area youth teams.

Both local players recognize just how unique even having the chance to compete was. They got to stay in dorms with teammates separate of their parents to build team unity and foster independence. Towner and Taylor scored goals for their respective age 16 boys and 12 girls teams during the tournament, getting them onto scoresheets versus international competition in moments they will likely remember the rest of their lives.

“I enjoyed the feeling when we won our first game and the feeling when I scored [in a later game],” said Towner, a center back, on his highlights of the trip. “Living with the team was fun. We built chemistry in like a day. I also enjoyed being in a different country and experiencing their culture.”

“It has to be the games,” Taylor said of her personal highlight. “They were fun. We had a good team and everyone was so friendly, so it was fun to play with them. My first goal of the tournament was pretty cool. I felt happy and very excited.

“The beaches in Spain were also very nice. The water was clear and sometimes the waves were kind of big.”

Big waves, similar to ones these players can create on both the local soccer scene and on much larger stages if they continue honing their craft.