Zachry pursues American dream but hopes to play for Harimau Malaya

PETALING JAYA: For Zachry Raiff Ghazie Yeoh (pic), living the American dream is a way forward in his football career.

The national Under-19 player will be heading to the United States to play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II for Tiffin University, Ohio, in August.

The former Brooke House College Football Academy midfielder said it was the right move to find a perfect balance between high-level football and studies.

“I picked the university as I felt their football style suits me. The coaches have also good things to say about the culture in the team and the facilities,” said the 19-year-old, whose mother is Malay and father, a Chinese-Briton.

“I’ll be pursuing a degree in business there.

“I played football and studied in England for the past three years but there’s nothing like the competitive edge and hype of university soccer in America.

With the previous academy, the midfielder was named the player of the year in the 2018-2019 season for scoring seven goals to help them win the St George’s Park tournament.

In the 2019-2020 season, he scored 11 goals before the season was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zachary hopes to eventually use the NCAA as a platform to play in the US top league and Major League Soccer (MLS).

“I have high expectations in the US. My goal is to break into the first team and end my years with a Division One university and win trophies,” he said.