Elon University freshman midfielder James Brace’s accent makes it a little difficult to understand him, but the excitement is noticeable.
“I came over the first of August,” he said. “And I’m just settling in, just getting ready to start the season. I’ve been training a lot and it’s going really well so far. The football, er, soccer over here, is brilliant. So it’s going well so far.”
Brace comes to Elon in his first season after his club team, Sunderland AFC Youth Academy, said they would not bring him back after this season. A native of Hartlepool, England, he figured he would have to look around to continue his playing career.
“My coach sent my details out to a lot of American universities, and obviously, Elon showed some interest,” he said. “I sent some DVDs and just information about meself. Chris came personally.”
Elon assistant men’s soccer coach Chris Little went to England to personally visit Brace, who turns 19 in November, and he was set to come to play for the Phoenix.
Elon men’s soccer head coach Darren Powell is already impressed with the freshman’s play this preseason.
“James has come with a good pedigree from England, good experience,” he said. “He’s come in and done well in practice and the games for a freshman. He needs to continue to improve and hopefully become a force to be recognized with the Elon program.”
The freshman hopes to make an immediate impact on the pitch for the maroon and gold.
“I’d like to start a few games for the team,” he said. “Hopefully, make the national tournament again, build on what (the team) did last year. Personally, (I’d) like to start as many games as possible, score some goals and get some good performances in.”
In the team’s first match against High Point University Aug. 25, Brace started and played most of the game. “It was a brilliant experience,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect. A lot of it was fantastic.”
He had a couple of opportunities to score, especially in the second half, having a couple of open shots go wide. He was kicking himself afterwards, he said.
Brace said the sport is much different in the United States.
“In England, soccer is the main sport,” he said. “Everybody loves it. Over here, it’s just getting big. You can see it on ESPN now.”
Brace said he was in London the week before the 2012 Olympic Games began and that the excitement was palpable.
“The buzz over there was fantastic,” he said. “It was pretty cool.”
The most drastic difference between America and England, he said, is the weather.
“It’s just the heat playing over here,” Brace said, laughing. “The tempo is the same, there’s a lot of good players over here as well. It’s just the heat, it’s not usually how I operate.”