It's always a thrill to have your hometown on the map. I take great pride in representing Utah. – Taylor Booth
EDEN — Many 16-year-olds might spend their summer simply kicking back and relaxing from the rigors of their first year of high school.
Hopefully, they'd try to hone their skills at driving a car. Maybe they'd get a part-time job at a burger joint, go to a bunch of movies, perhaps even begin dating, or just hang out at the local water park and work on their tan.
But Taylor Booth isn't like many other 16-year-olds.
No, instead, this Utah teenager spent virtually all of this past summer and spring traveling around the country and the world, playing and practicing soccer as a member of the United States Junior Men's National Team.
Booth, who turned 16 at the end of May, plays for both the U.S. U-16 (where he's a team captain) and U-17 squads, and his past six months have been a whirlwind of training and tournaments that would make any experienced world traveler's head spin.
Let's see, when he wasn't attending the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, a nationally renowned boarding school where many other top athletes from throughout the U.S. go to train, study and learn — there's a focus on academics as well as athletics — Booth from Eden, Weber County, was on the go.
From Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, Panama to Prague, Japan to Dubai, there's seemingly always been another training camp or competition for this young man, the son of Kelli and Chad Booth, who both played high school and collegiate soccer at a high level.
"I think, in a way, he lives in an adult world," said his mom, Kelli. "Part of it is that most of his interaction on a daily basis is with coaches, teammates and trainers. It becomes a matter of prioritizing, and playing soccer is his priority. When everyone else his age is at the football game or at the school dance, Tay is playing or practicing soccer. Sure, it's a tradeoff, but those other things don't seem to be a priority of his.
"You worry sometimes about their social and emotional development. He hasn't ever had to deal with the trauma of getting dumped by a girlfriend or not making a team or failing a test. He kind of lives in a bubble where he doesn't have to deal with all of that. But he has literally had an opportunity to see the world and experience so many different cultures, and he's learned how to navigate his way through airports and hotels and different time zones. He's been able to develop his street-smart skills and in some ways is so grown up.
"And yet, we laugh because he only has his driver's permit, and now he needs to find a driver's ed class so he can get his actual license to drive," she said. "He's still such a kid at times. He was stuck in Florida during Hurricane Irma, and he was trying to order a pair of shoes on his phone while the storm was raging around him. That's the kind of thing a 16-year-old boy does."
This weekend, Booth and his American teammates, most of them a year older than him, will be in India, where the U.S. squad will be on the biggest stage possible for their age group at the U-17 World Cup against similar squads from around the world.
The U.S. roster was announced last week, and Booth was not only the only player from Utah, but he was the only member of the squad whose home is west of Texas.
“Making the roster was just such a big thrill," he said. "I have worked so hard, and I've been playing really well, and I am extremely honored to get the chance to go and represent the U.S.
“It's always a thrill to have your hometown on the map. I take great pride in representing Utah. I have spent many, many hours kicking a soccer ball on soccer fields throughout the state of Utah, and I am proud that I get to call Utah home.”
Earlier this year, Booth and his teammates competed in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament in Panama, and he texted his grandparents Linda and Dave Carver of Eden, Utah, to let them know he was going to be one of the U.S. team's starters.
Twelve hours later, his grandparents were boarding a plane bound for Panama City, Panama, to watch the tournament.
“I was walking out with the team, and I could hear my name echoing from the stands," Booth said. "It made me smile because I recognized the voices and I knew my grandparents had come down to watch me play.
"The crazy part about it I just had a feeling they would make the trek. They like to do fun stuff like that.”
During that game against El Salvador, the U.S. won 1-0 and Booth was named the "Man of the Match" by the stadium announcers for being the player of the game.
“It was the thrill of a lifetime to hear the national anthem and to see your grandson walking out in a USA uniform and, at the conclusion of the game, to hear the announcers say his name over the loud speakers naming him 'Man of the Match,′” Linda Carver said.
Booth was also named the "Man of the Match" in his team's subsequent game against Cuba. The team reached the tournament championship against Mexico, where it lost in a shootout but still qualified for the U-17 World Cup by virtue of its strong performance.
Booth is very honored to represent his home state on the national team.
"It's a dream come true," he said. "Sometimes I have to stop and just be grateful for it all, because I have had so many cool opportunities and traveled to lots of amazing places.”
Booth has played soccer on four different continents, and his soccer talents have taken him to numerous countries.
“Seeing the different cultures, how soccer brings people together, improving on my own soccer skills and getting to do it all with my teammates is just a dream," he said. "I spend a lot of time in airports, and I have yet to get tired of it.”
While Kelli Booth sees her son growing up in a unique environment reserved for the top teenage athletes in the world, and is rightfully proud of his accomplishments, she's also grateful and impressed with how humble and well-grounded he's remained through it all.
"He's always been so grateful for the opportunities he's received, and he's a really humble, grateful kid who doesn't walk around with this big ego," she said. "He'd be the last person to tell you about his accomplishments or brag about what he's doing, and it's a really endearing quality that he has. And, in a way, I think that's what's sustained him. It helps keep him balanced, and he doesn't really soak it all in.
"He's lived out of a backpack the past two years, and all of his possessions are in that backpack. He could live anywhere in the world out of that backpack and that carry-on bag of his. He's still never been to a school dance, and yet, he never complains. He loves what he's doing.
"When he's home, he still cleans his room, he still cleans the bathroom, and he still has those moments when he's buying shoes during a hurricane," Kelli said. "Yes, there are still those times when he's just an ordinary 16-year-old kid."
At the IMG Academy, Booth and his teammates do soccer training for several hours each morning, then attend school classes from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
He'll have his own small cheering section at the World Cup, as his other grandparents, Rita and Greg Booth of Huntsville, Weber County, planned a 50th wedding anniversary trip to Italy and will have a chance to attend the tournament in India.
Through all of his successes and travels, Taylor Booth has remained a very respectful young man who's extremely appreciative for the opportunities he's received and those who have supported him.
“Total strangers have reached out on social media and other ways and wished me good luck," he said. "I don’t think people realize how much those small acts mean. After a game, a total stranger will come up and wish me well or ask me questions. I have met the most amazing people along this journey. Living away from home and being on my own has been a challenge, and the countless support of others fills that void.
“The most reoccurring question that I am asked is, ‘How did you get to this level?’ I tell people if it can happen to me it can happen to anyone. I owe a lot to my coaches, my family, my fellow teammates and peers that have made me look better at times than maybe I deserved.
"My own mantra that I like to write when someone asks me to sign something, when they think I am a bigger deal than I am," he laughed, "is dream big and play even bigger."
Well, Taylor Booth's done a tremendous job in both of those areas.
The U-17 World Cup begins Friday, with the U.S. team facing host nation India at 8:30 a.m. MDT at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Dehli. The Americans' second game will be Monday at 5:30 a.m. MDT against Ghana, and their final group-stage game will be Thursday, Oct. 12, at 8:30 a.m. MDT against Colombia.
All games will be televised on FoxSports2 and will also be streamed online.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com