Some might say the Asheville City Soccer Club’s arrival in 2016 was long overdue, given western North Carolina’s fascination with the beautiful game. This summer alone, the men’s and women’s teams have played to sold-out home crowds.
Where does Christ School fit into the mix? The school’s profile as a community partner to Asheville City has never been higher than it is in 2021.
Players for the Asheville City men’s team can be seen practicing on-campus most weekday mornings. Right alongside them for the workouts is the Academy program for 15U to 19U boys. This year’s 30-man roster for the Academy includes five Greenies – Reeves Cates ‘24, Carter Compton ‘24, Truett Compton ‘25, Ethan Rose ‘24, and Ben Yang ’24 – and two Christ School coaches – Jonny Wangrin and Guy Campbell ‘00.
Coach Wangrin has headed up the Academy program since it was founded three years ago.
“It’s been great. We are all so thankful to the school and (Athletic Director Eric Thorp ‘01) for opening the door to have training here. The facilities are amazing. Half of the guys for the first team are saying the facilities are better than their colleges,” Coach Wangrin said.
“The cool thing about being paired with the first team is our guys in the Academy program are really getting a glimpse into what the next level looks like. They are no longer a big fish in a small pond. And to have five of our key guys (from Christ School) out here getting exposed to top-level competition is great. I think it bodes well for the program.”
The Academy program is offered free of charge to Asheville-area youth following a tryout process courtesy of Just Play WNC, a non-profit organization. As far as games go, the Academy team is expected to play four to five times starting later this month.