One could say Robert Green’s international career ended on June 12, 2010. The English goalkeeper failed to turn away what looked like an easily savable shot from U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey. England and the U.S. finished with a 1-1 draw, and Green didn’t play again during the World Cup. With only one international appearance since then, the error shut the door on Green’s once promising future with England.

On the other side of the globe, that moment sparked another career. Albert ‘Al’ Simpson was only 13 years old at the time of the 2010 World Cup, but he knew he was capable of stopping that Dempsey shot and said so – aloud – to a room full of people. That included his father, a former goalkeeper at the academy level in England.

That brazen decree was promptly met with a “prove it,” and the once promising racing career for Lil’ Al Simpson took a quick left turn. Simpson went from drivers gloves to goalkeeper gloves. 

Simpson started working immediately on the fundamentals of the keeper spot thanks to the help of his father, also named Al, and soon came under the tutelage of LA Galaxy goalkeeper coach Ian Feuer, who has been working with the 16-year-old since November 2010.

Just under two years later, Simpson found himself in England with training opportunities at Huddersfield Town and Leeds United. The American teenager impressed coaches at both locations.

In August, he was back in England with stops at Huddersfield Town, Preston North End, and Portsmouth FC this time. From August 13-20, Simpson played games for all three clubs.

The six-foot teenager appeared for the U18 sides with Preston North End and Huddersfield Town. He did not give up a goal in 135 minutes of game action.

Portsmouth gave him a bigger challenge when the coaches there asked him to suit up with the U21 side (in reality, it was closer to a reserve game). Simpson started the game and exited at half when his squad was losing 2-0. The final was 6-0.

Playing at that level opened that youngster’s eyes to where he wanted to be before he made the move to an English club, which still remains his target despite interest from colleges increasing with each passing day. 

For now, Simpson continues to train in Southern California and play for North Valley Soccer Club in Coast Soccer League Gold Division. He has also started training with Gil Aguirre and Steve Sampson at the Global Sports Institute.

A trip back to England is already in the works with a few clubs expressing interest in bringing the American, who has an English passport through his father, in for training. Clubs in Spain and Italy have also inquired about Simpson as well.

Quite the remarkable climb for a player who only picked up the position a little over three years ago.

Three U.S. teams head to Madrid

CD Canillas is hosting the XII Torneo Internacional Infantil this week in Madrid, Spain. Three teams from the United States were invited to the global competition for players born in 2000 or later.

Chivas USA (formerly Barcelona USA), Strikers FC (Irvine, Calif.), and L.A. Futbol Academy represent the trio of American squads at the three-day event.

Chivas USA, coached by Brian Kleiban, was placed in Group 2 and open the competition on Friday against Swedish club Brommapojakarna. Chivas USA then face Ajax, Werder Bremen, and Atletico Madrid. They wrap up group play on Saturday morning against Intersoccer Alcobendas (Spain).

Strikers are in Group 4, which looks like a pretty difficult challenge for the SoCal club. FC Barcelona, the squad with American Ben Lederman, headlines the group that also includes Fulham, UD Sanse (Spain), Kapa (Finland), and AIK Solna (Sweden).

L.A. Futbol Academy was placed in Group 1 alongside Real Madrid, Gabala FC (Azerbaijan), Academica Coimbra (Portugal), Jef United (Japan), and IFK Stocksund (Sweden).

Each game is 45 minutes long and the top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals. The rest of the teams are placed in the consolation bracket.