The Bishop’s school women’s soccer center-midfielder, Alyssa Huynh, may be 14-years-old, but her age is merely a number compared to her talent on the field. Like most pursuing all things futbol, Huynh plays on several different teams to stay sharp, nearly year-round. While the Vikings’ season takes off this winter, she was also recently chosen to play for West Coast FC, based out of Orange County.
Huynh counted as one of 32 girls selected for the international team to play in Lyon, France, which was hosted by Olympique Lyonnais and Adidas.
“Basically, we played three scrimmages,” said Huynh. “At halftime, we’d switch our opponents. We beat the French teams 4-1 and 10-0, as well as the Canadian team 6-0.”
Huynh is constantly perfecting her game, playing whenever she gets the chance. Suffice it to say, the sophomore attacking center midfielder (the ‘10 position’ as she quickly refers to it), also takes frequent trips up to the Temecula Futsal Club to hone her game. Futsal, a relatively recent development in the soccer world, is basically the indoor equivalent of the sport, but with a weighted ball. Huynh says that playing with the weighted ball proves to be an advantage in further developing her footwork.
While Huynh should be playing at the U16 level, she often plays “up” at a U18 level. She has been fortunate to have worked with notable Southern California coaches. Platini Soaf, her coach with the 2001 Developmental Academy at West Coast FC (Orange County), is well-known throughout the soccer world. Typically, Huynh practices with this squad three times a week, in addition to working with coach Charlie Johnson at the Bishop’s Academy and perfecting her technical skills with her father.
“He’s really good with the girls,” says Le Huynh, Alyssa’s father. “He is not trying to put ‘the fear of God’ in them and really knows his stuff.”
Huynh has logged some miles in her pursuit of all things soccer. From July 23 to 30, she traveled to Costa Rica to compete against the Costa Rican Women’s National Futsal team. “They were really great,” said Huynh. “Although they beat us by a large margin, it’s great to simply interact with different styles of play.”
Since the Bishop’s season doesn’t commence until after players return from winter break, Huynh will continue her studies and work on her play while not in the classroom. She informed La Jolla Village News that she is taking a journalism class this semester, and looks forward to matches against Francis Parker and Santa Fe Christian.