Pearse Tormey helping to lead the soccer revolution in the USA

PEARCE TORMEY is set to quit his playing career at the age of 23. But this week the AJ1 American College star, based in South Carolina, confessed that he has no regrets about passing up possible League of Ireland glory when at 18 years of age he left for the shores of America.

A soccer scholarship at Clemson College has brought its rewards in the years hence, playing on some of the best college teams in the States and now with his own part to play in promoting the game just a couple of years from the 1994 World Cup Finals.

With wife, Noeline Floody from Ballsgrove (they were married on Monday last) he’ll depart on Friday for Greenville, his adopted home and continue his first passion, coaching. Indeed he’ll be full time director of coaching at Greenville soccer club, working on developing the skills of young up and coining players but as he disclosed the task is not an easy one.

“A lot of people in the States don’t understand the game and really it will take the second generation of players, maybe in 15 years or so, to really put the game on the map,” Tommys star midfielder commented. “The one thing the parents over there have found is that any kind of kid, big, small, young or old, can play the game and he’ll develop as a result,” he stated. “They tend to be very skillful with plenty of neat touches, maybe too many but they lack aggression and awareness of their position on the field.’ They don’t really see a lot of soccer on television unlike the Irish, English or Europeans.’

The media has to play a big part if the game is to catch on. Baseball, American Football, tennis and athletics all come in ahead of soccer, leaving Tormey’s job and that of his fellow coaches a difficult one. His trip back home for the summer has allowed him to relax, winning a cup medal with Tommys last weekend but revealing that could be his last match with them for two or three years.