Living in small town Berlin, Wisconsin may come with the feeling that there aren’t many opportunities or new pathways to travel, including in the means of sports. Freshmen Elizabeth Schmidt and Josue Valtierrez Rodriguez got the chance to cross the boundaries of small community soccer and play for something bigger than themselves in different countries and for many different teams, one of them being Wisconsin International Soccer.
“I played for a team called Oshkosh United and our team did really well in that season so we got picked to play for the international team,” Schmidt said.
Training for sports in general can be exhausting and time consuming. Juggling school, work, and other activities makes it all the more difficult.
“A lot of the practices were hard, and the coach that we had really pushed us to be better. When I played for Oshkosh United I had practice every day. Getting ready to go to Spain we practiced every Sunday leading up to the trip,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt compares Berlin’s girls soccer team to former teams she’s played for, and remembers the bonds she made with teammates.
“I honestly like them both equally, but I do really miss playing on my club team because I made a lot of friends throughout the years,” Schmidt said. “This is my first year playing for Berlin so it’s definitely different, but I really like the people.”
Soccer players from Wisconsin teams are chosen by Wisconsin International Soccer (WIS) to represent their program overseas in Spain and other countries. WIS looks for specific athletes with strong skill sets to constitute not only for Wisconsin, but the country as a whole.
“Most often, teams for Wisconsin International Soccer are formed by invitation to individual players by one of our recruiters. We look for players who demonstrate advanced skills in their age bracket and the strength of character to represent Wisconsin and the USA internationally,” Executive Director Rommy Herrera said.
Valtierrez Rodriguez, who’s been playing soccer since the second grade, also went through the same program as Schmidt, but separated by gender. Valtierrez Rodriguez expresses why soccer is a sport worth trying.
“It’s super fun and easy to learn,” Valtierrez Rodriguez said.
Schmidt, a soccer player since she was five years old, has a similar point of view with Valtierrez Rodriguez on why more people should try soccer.
“You make bonds, you make friends.There’s so much I could say about playing soccer,” Schmidt said.
Playing for the first time on a high school team comes with differences and a willingness to adapt. It can bring challenges but also strong teamwork and friendships.
“Good things about playing for the school team are that I get to help represent Berlin and play with all the girls I got to meet. There’s not many bad things, it’s just that it’s different because I’m used to playing with people who have been playing soccer their whole lives and all they do is play soccer,” Schmidt said. “It’s different because there’s some girls who have never played soccer before in their lives.”
Wisconsin International takes part in the Donosti Cup, a tournament in which over 110 teams from the United States participated in the summer of 2024. The U.S. marks the second highest participation level in the Donosti Cup, with Spain in first.
“The Donosti Cup is an international soccer tournament with the goal that all teams who wish to participate may compete. Every year more than 600 teams from around the world participate in this event,” Wisconsin International Soccer states on their website.
Schmidt’s excursion into another country helped her gain more knowledge on how soccer is played in other countries and how the competition was.
“There were so many other teams there. There were teams from Ireland, France, Spain, Argentina. I got to play against girls from Argentina and I got to meet so many new people. Soccer was a little bit different there, and that was a good thing, just the opportunity to see other things outside of small town Berlin,” Schmidt said.
