Birmingham Seaholm junior Patrick McCarthy controls the ball during a match at the Mediterranean International Cup, hosted in Barcelona, Spain, as a member of the Elite Academy U16 All-Star U.S. team.
By: Jonathan Szczepaniak | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published April 22, 2024
BIRMINGHAM — Birmingham Seaholm sophomore Patrick McCarthy felt like all of his hard work had finally been validated.
From March 27-31, McCarthy competed in the Mediterranean International Cup, hosted in Barcelona, Spain, as a part of the Elite Academy U16 All-Star U.S. team.
The MIC, the top youth international soccer tournament, featured teams from all over the world, including Russia, France, England, Brazil, Hungary, Portugal and more.
“It was awesome,” McCarthy said. “It was really cool to see the different styles of play along with the culture as well. I’ve never been to Europe at all, so it was a whole new experience, you could say,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy was selected to the team after competing in a showcase in Florida where the league assessed the showcase and game film to assemble the best players from the Elite Academy league. McCarthy currently plays for United FC, a club team based in Oakland County.
Just three minutes into their first game, McCarthy put his team on the board with a rocket from the right side of the field just under the crossbar.
The EA all-star team would go 1-2 in pool play and would finish 3-3 after finding success in the consolation bracket.
McCarthy said the style of soccer was more physical as opposed to stateside, and the competition was equally as tough.
“We sent out an all-star team, and it was challenging to compete because the players there, all they do is play soccer,” McCarthy said. “They play all the time. It was just hard to adapt at first, but our team had a bunch of talent on it, so we didn’t have trouble figuring it out.”
Along with playing the game he loves, McCarthy and his mother, Anne McCarthy, were able to do some sightseeing of monuments, various architecture, and all the shops the area had to offer.
Overall, it was a successful trip for McCarthy, not only being able to see and play in Barcelona, but also knowing his hard work was recognized.
“Barcelona is the area where soccer is the main sport there, and it’s kind of the main place in the world where the sport goes on,” McCarthy said. “I think getting an invitation to go there really just shows how hard work really pays off, and the stuff I’m doing here, like working really hard, is getting noticed.”
McCarthy will be a junior team captain on Seaholm’s varsity soccer team next year, which sports an array of returners on the backline and hopes to make a run in the state tournament.
Seaholm head coach Greg Perkins said it was a no-brainer giving McCarthy the leadership nod.
“His energy is infectious,” Perkins said. “He leads by example in the way he chases, works and runs. He competes for everything, and he’s also a leader in the way he talks. Even as a freshman at the camp we did in the summer, we went to Central Michigan his freshman year, and he wasn’t afraid to be loud in front of those guys as well.”