Elijah McDonald. {courtesy}
Former Coral Springs Charter School soccer star and Margate native Elijah McDonald made his family and hometown proud by scoring his first goal in England.
The milestone goal came on October 12, when McDonald, now a freshman studying sports management at the University of Gloucestershire, opened the scoring for his team in a match against Tuffley Rovers.
The proud moment for his family, friends, and former teammates back home in South Florida marked a new chapter in his journey from a local soccer star to an emerging player on the international stage.
Following his graduation from CSCS this past Fall, Elijah’s mother, Teana McDonald, tells Coral Springs Talk her son immediately set his sights on leaping across the pond where soccer, or as they call it, fútbol, is a much bigger and well-organized deal.
“Elijah has always been a fan of international soccer; his favorite team is Chelsea,” she said, adding, “We first explored Rome for two weeks because Rome City [University] was interested in him, but after being recruited by the University of Gloucestershire, we took a trip to London, and he loved it. It didn’t hurt that he’s close to his favorite team, Chelsea.”
While the popularity and attention the MLS has received, particularly with the addition of international superstar Lionel Messi to the Inter Miami squad, has increased, Teana shares with Coral Springs Talk that Elijah decided to play soccer in the UK because he wanted to advance his career.
“Elijah felt that playing soccer overseas would expose him to a more advanced speed of play and give him more professional opportunities. Soccer overseas is the equivalent of the NFL here,”
After dropping Elijah off in September, Teana says she plans to revisit him at the end of October and as a family in March.
The McDonald family, who resides in Margate, continues to support Elijah as he chases his dreams and his younger sister, Elise, a 10th grader at Coral Springs Charter, who plays for her school’s soccer team.
Elijah McDonald. {courtesy}
Teresa says playing soccer in Europe may soon become a family affair. “Elise is thinking about joining her brother in the UK someday,”
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