Elvin-King Ibe flew 8,000 miles to pursue a dream. He and his family flew to Houston from Johannesburg, South Africa, so that Ibe could take part in this week's Dynamo Elite Camp along with 300 other campers. If he makes the cut at the end of the week, he'll begin training to be part of the Dynamo Academy team that will spend two weeks in Europe later this summer.
Ibe is all of 15 years old, and over the next few days he'll get some indication about his chances of playing professional soccer. "I think it's going to be a wonderful experience for me," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Elvin-King's father, Clement, who is a pastor in South Africa, found the Dynamo Academy on the Internet while searching for British and American youth academies. "I've got family here, so he'll have a support base," Clement said. "We want him to have international exposure, and the American league is growing. I think it would be a good place for him to make his mark in soccer."