Lucius Cary has traveled far more than the average 21-year-old. But he’s not traveling far and wide to sightsee, he’s trying to find a soccer team to play for. He’s trying to find a place he can call home.
Cary is from Los Angeles, California, but received dual citizenship to England when he was 16. This dual citizenship opened up new opportunities for the young player.
“This made the opportunity to play professional soccer in Europe or the States a very real possibility,” he said.
Cary left the sunshine in LA for the rain in England to pursue his soccer dream when he was just 19-years-old. Clay started this journey at Richmond International Academic & Soccer Academy (RIASA) located in Leeds, England. RIASA is affiliated with the Bradford City AFC, a third-tier team in England.
“I enjoyed living in England because most of my family lives there. I played many games for RIASA and had a great run there,” Cary said, “I liked the English culture and how passionate they are about soccer.”
After his time in England, Cary moved on to Spain. In his short time in Spain he played for the Marbella United Football Academy. After Spain, Cary returned to England for a trial with the Everton FC Under-21 squad.
“David Unsworth (Everton under-21’s manager) really helped point me and guide me in the right direction,” Cary said.
After his time with Everton, Cary again traveled to a new country to pursue his soccer dream. This time his journey took him to Ireland. In Ireland, the center midfielder found himself playing for Drogheda United an experience that Cary cherished.
“I enjoyed playing in Ireland because it was my first professional team and a new experience,” he said, “It was a new culture too and a different style of play. It was more direct and more physical.”
Cary returned home to the United States to continue pursuing his soccer dream once he finished playing for Drogheda. Cary returned home with great experience and more knowledge about the game. Cary attended trials in Colorado and in the greater Los Angeles area. In LA, he trained with the LA Galaxy II and may even be invited to attend preseason training with the club.
Los Angeles is not Cary’s only option however. Thanks to his European experiences, Cary has multiple opportunities to play soccer in the United States.
“I have my sights set on playing in the U.S. for the 2017 season,” he explained, “I have offers to report to preseason camp with several USL teams.”
Cary will most likely decide which offer to accept based on what team he would fit best with. Until then, the is focused on staying in shape and getting ready for the 2017 season.
We’re excited to see what he’ll do next in his trek to find a soccer home.
