Ex-Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith was back in KC to talk with kids about fútbol
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- Alex Smith gave a motivational talk to about 20 teenage boys at a soccer tryout.
- Two selected players will train at Real Madrid facilities and meet former players.
- Abbott and Real Madrid will provide sports health and nutrition education to participants.
Roughly 20 teenage boys ran soccer drills on Tuesday on a toasty afternoon at the Shawnee Mission Soccer Complex.
They were hoping to make a team that won’t play a single game. But two will be selected to travel to Spain where they will train at Real Madrid’s facilities as part of the soccer team’s collaboration with the healthcare company, Abbott.
Tryouts are being held in Kansas City and five other locations around the United States. Sixteen male and female players will make up the “Abbott Dream Team” and make the trip to Spain.
Not that the players needed extra motivation Tuesday, but they got a pep talk from a former high school soccer player: ex-Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith.
“For some of you that do get it, life-changing, and congratulations,” Smith told the players. “And I think for everybody, though, a couple things: One, obviously you’re getting access to like amazing nutritional information. This is stuff that I wish I learned at 18. It took me a long time to learn this. I was lucky enough, I played a long time and learned it (when I was) much older, but I wish I could go back and know how important it is.
“And the other thing is, for those of you that don’t make it, know this: Not all our trajectories are linear. ... When I graduated high school, when I was 18 years old, I had one scholarship. One. There was one school in the country that thought I was good enough. Three years later, I was the number one pick in the (NFL) Draft. It’s just to say, where you are now doesn’t mean anything of where you guys want to go and where you are going to go.”
Nutrition is a big aspect of the “Dream Team.” In addition to training at Real Madrid’s facilities, the players will meet former players and attend a game at the iconic Bernabéu Stadium. They’ll also learn about how to get their bodies ready to play.
“As part of the experience, Abbott health experts and Real Madrid’s medical team will continue providing participants with the latest advancements in sports health and nutrition — helping them better understand their bodies, build healthier habits, and reach peak performance,” the company said in a news release.
After the trip is over the players will be tabbed to take part in health and nutrition sessions at local soccer and youth organizations.
Smith, who won 99 games for the Chiefs from 2013-17, was thrilled to be back in Kansas City, even if it was for a quick visit.
“I live in the Bay Area, which is amazing, but those big urban places can be transient, and everybody’s kind of going about their business, and you lose that connection sometimes,” Smith said. “And I think that’s what makes Kansas City so unique, is this connection, a community sense of pride that people have that are from here. How neighborly they are. Like the connections that you build again, and I think, obviously, the quality of the people.”
