BRADENTON, Fla. — What looked like fields jam packed with soccer players, was really so much more than that.

On the IMG Academy grass fields, hundreds of players pitted off against each other in dozens of matches. Sure this was competition. But it also represented hope.

Especially for teenagers who dream big.

Players like Bradenton native Herbert Kwakye-Amoah. Soccer is always on Herbert’s mind.

“I love this sport. It brings me such passion,” Herbert said. “I’m always watching soccer, playing it, thinking about it.”

Herbert was only three years old when he started playing soccer. Around the age of eight, he realized this was a sport, that not only was he good at,  he had a future in it.

“I was always, like, the best on my team,” he said. “And I really wanted to go somewhere with it.”

That somewhere led him to Orlando City’s Under-15 team. And that’s what brought him to the IMG Academy for Major League Soccer’s 2023 Generation adidas Cup.

His team was one of 49 clubs from 12 countries showing off their skills and vying for the top prize. But they were also looking to catch the eye of the various professional scouts watching their every move. And there were a lot of eyes on them.

“Here we have very clear visuals of you’ve got U.S. Soccer right at midfield,” St. Louis U-15 head coach Anthony Wallace said. “You see all the badges from the college coaches. Yeah, so it’s right there.”

Wallace remembers being that age and wanting to play at the next level. Wallace is a former USF and Tampa Bay Rowdies player. He said this tournament gave the participants a taste of the professional life.

“They’re miniature professionals right now,” he said. “From their training schedules to their travel. They fly on airplanes, they take buses, they stay in hotels for days on end. They’re mini professionals.”

One day, Herbert wants to turn his part time passion into a full blown professional life.

“I want to go pro, of course,” Herbert said.. “Play for a big team, Chelsea or something.”