PARIS — It wasn’t the exact result Taylor Booth and his American soccer teammates hoped for, but the Utah soccer phenom still had the experience of a lifetime.
Well, another experience of a lifetime, as the 23-year-old Eden, Utah, product seems to be having many of those lately with his blossoming career taking him across the globe.
“To represent my country, represent Utah and represent my family here means everything to me.”
— Taylor Booth
“Being an Olympian and playing on this stage has been an honor,” Booth said after playing 24 minutes in the U.S. men’s 4-0 quarterfinal defeat against Morocco on Friday. “To represent my country, represent Utah and represent my family here means everything to me.”
Booth played sparingly in his first, and almost certainly only, Olympic tournament for the Stars and Stripes. An attacking midfielder, he entered all four of the Americans’ games as a substitute and was on the pitch for an average of just 20 minutes per match.
He didn’t register any shots on net, but was pivotal in setting up teammate Kevin Paredes for a goal in Tuesday’s 3-0 win against Guinea. Booth almost added a goal of his own in the 90th minute of the Guinea match, but was whistled for being offside.
And after a hard-fought opening-round loss against host-nation France, Booth helped the U.S. men rebound with the win against Guinea and another against New Zealand to advance past the Olympic group stage for the first time since 2000. U.S. head coach Marko Mitrovic praised the Eden native for his professionalism in Paris and complemented Booth for making the most of his time on the pitch.
“It’s not easy; you want to play but instead you’re watching from the side for most of the game,” Mitrovic said Friday. “It takes discipline to stay focused and I credit Taylor for being locked in when we called his number.”
But the Olympics for Booth went way beyond the results on the pitch. Besides sightseeing near the U.S. men’s training facilities in the French cities of Bordeaux and Marseille, the Eden native also contributed to a special Latter-day Saint “Sport and the Gospel” service in Versailles. In a recorded video, Booth encouraged a packed house of youth aged 18-30 to “look at the bigger picture” in their faith journeys.
“I believe that we’re all God’s children and that His love for us is something we cannot fully comprehend,” Booth said in the video. “My favorite concept of the gospel is that we’re never alone and he’s always there for us, no matter what we’re going through in the highs and the lows.”
On Saturday, Booth told the Deseret News that he’s stayed closely in tune with his faith as his worldly fame continues to reach new highs.
“I play confidently and at my core I feel at peace because I know God is here for me,” he said. “It’s kept me grounded and kept me humble because I know I have the most powerful advocate possible who’s there for me. It definitely puts life and (soccer) in perspective.”
He credited his parents Chad and Kelli for his foundation in both faith and soccer. Both were in the stands for his matches throughout the Olympics, as they’ve been for many of his club career games across other European countries.
After dominating the local scene playing for La Roca Futbol Club in Layton, Utah, at age 11, then joining Real Salt Lake’s academy at age 14, Booth began his international career at age 17 with Bayern Munich and has played in Europe ever since then.
His chances of playing in the Olympics ever again are slim to none, as Olympic rules require each team to have all but three of their roster players under the age of 23. Instead, as he prepared to leave Paris on Sunday, Booth said he’s focusing on the upcoming season for his Dutch club Utrecht. And one day, he hopes to represent the Stars and Stripes on an even bigger stage.
“Every player’s dream is to compete in the World Cup,” he said. “And we have a huge opportunity with it coming to North America in a couple years.”
