Key Takeaways
- Nevada's mother says other parents complained about playing time before a dispute with officials resulted in a police call.
- The responding officers deemed the dispute civil; Nevada's mother says he fears returning to the i9 Sports league.
- Former soccer pro Eddie Johnson plans to mentor Nevada in his training program in Orlando.
At just 3 years old, Nevada has already gained attention online for his impressive soccer skills. But it was a troubling incident at one of his games that caught the attention of former U.S. Men’s National Team player Eddie Johnson.
According to HuffPost, police were called to Nevada's youth soccer game in Winter Park, Florida, following a disagreement involving his parents and a league official. The child is now expected to join Johnson's Orlando-based soccer training program in January, his mother told the outlet.
Nevada was competing in an i9 Sports league alongside children as old as 5. Videos of him repeatedly scoring goals have circulated online, but his mother, Martasia, told HuffPost that his abilities had also sparked complaints from other parents. In the footage shared online, his father, Don, expressed frustration over the situation, claiming authorities had been contacted because his son was dominating the game and keeping possession of the ball for too long.
Martasia said the experience left her son afraid to return to the league. “It really traumatized Nevada,” she told HuffPost. “He still wants to play soccer. He just doesn’t want to go back to that place. I don’t think that’s how he should be thinking, that as a 3-year-old he did something wrong.”
Why were police called to Nevada's soccer game?
She went on to explain how tensions escalated when several adults gathered during a game to discuss her son's participation. “As soon as he started the game, they stopped the game,” said the concerned mother. “Other parents, the director, and some of the coaches got in a circle, and I knew they were talking about Nevada, trying to figure out how to let us know that he can’t play so the other kids could play.”
She continued, “When I walked up on them talking about that, the director said that everybody is paying money, so everybody should play. They were trying to find a reason why he can’t play. Once I started speaking up for Nevada, they just called the police.”
Winter Park police confirmed to HuffPost that officers responded after a league official reported a disagreement with a player's parents. They determined the issue was a civil matter and left without incident. Martasia said the family received a refund for Nevada's registration. Meanwhile, i9 Sports told the outlet that it had contacted the family and begun reviewing what happened.
How Eddie Johnson went from professional soccer to coaching young players
Before working with young athletes, Johnson built a professional career that took him from Major League Soccer to the international stage. The former striker represented the United States at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and played for several clubs, including England's Fulham and MLS teams Seattle Sounders and D.C. United. He scored 19 goals in 63 appearances for the U.S. Men’s National Team before retiring in November 2015. He now works in youth soccer development.
Nevada's love for the game started early. His mom told HuffPost that he began dribbling a ball at just 10 months old and currently practices with his father for three hours a day.
Following the incident, Johnson's training program is expected to provide the toddler with another opportunity to develop his skills. “Now that this situation happened, he’s just gonna take [Nevada] under his wing because he has the proper program for him,” Martasia said.
While the young athlete remains hesitant to return to his former league, a new chapter in his soccer journey is already taking shape.