World Cup awaits Bates

Mykell Bates left Roseville an awkward freshman, full of potential but still very much a kid.

For two years, he sweated and studied in Florida, 3,000 miles away from home. Vying against dozens of other talented teens from throughout the nation, he lived and breathed soccer 24 hours a day.

"It's hard," Bates said during a rare, brief visit home. "Everybody wants to be with their family. But these two years have helped a lot. They've prepared me mentally for what's to come."

This week in South Korea, the 17-year-old will lead the junior version of Team USA onto the global stage with high expectations -- not just for this month but for a decade to come.

A 5-foot-9 defender, Bates is the captain of the Under-17 national team, a favorite in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Featuring 24 nations, the World Cup opens Saturday with the final set for Sept. 9.

With some matches also on its sister stations, ESPNU will broadcast all 52 games live, with most airing late at night. South Korea is 16 hours ahead of Sacramento.

One of six top seeds, the United States starts group play Monday against Tajikistan before facing Tunisia on Aug. 23 and Belgium on Aug. 26.

"Our goal, first and foremost, is to take it one game at a time," coach John Hackworth said. "The strength of our team is we have talented guys and we have depth. ... That's definitely a huge factor in World Cup."

To prepare for this trip, the national squad visited South Korea two months ago.

"It was hot and humid," Bates said, "and that was early in the summer. It will probably be even hotter and more humid. People were very nice. ... Almost everyone speaks English; they study it in school. They treated us like we were superstars."

As part of U.S. Soccer's residency program, Bates trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and attends a small high school packed with athletic wunderkinds. Besides nurturing young soccer stars, the academy caters to budding tennis and golf phenoms as well as top baseball and basketball prospects.

"The hardest part is knowing that my friends (in Roseville) are out having fun while I'm working my butt off," Bates said. "But that's OK. I'm representing my country, and that's a great honor."

His typical day starts at 6:45 a.m. with an hour in the weight room. The team practices for two hours before classes, which run from noon to 5 p.m. That's followed by more workouts. He spends most evenings at team meetings.

"My day ends around 8-ish," he said. "It's pretty much sports 24-7. We do have a little time to be a young, teenage kid. It all prepares us for what we have coming up this month."

During Bates' stay, more than 120 players came through the program for tryouts, including Sacramento's Amobi Okugo and Adedoja Akinsanya.

Hackworth has seen his group grow up while coming together as a team.

"These guys have matured tremendously," he said. "They've developed on and off the soccer field. They've also matured and grown as people."

Thomas Bates, who works in product marketing for Hewlett-Packard, can see the difference in his son. So can his mother, Arnette, a student services program director at UC Davis.

"It's been no walk in the park; there have been tough times, for sure," Thomas said. "We know it's been hard on him and tough for his family, too. But he has a whole new family in his team. We're very proud of him."

The league MVP while a freshman at Roseville High School, Bates proved a key player when Team USA won the recent U-17 Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football tournament in Jamaica. In addition to solidifying the defensive line, he punched in the winning goal over Canada to clinch his team's World Cup berth.

"We have a collection of players who can do something very special at this World Cup," Hackworth said.

Bates has heard the talk. This group of teens someday will be part of the senior squad, leading the U.S. into World Cups in 2010 and 2014.

"We've brought together the best players in the country," Bates said. "That's what the residency program is all about. We want to compete with the rest of the world. We want to be the best."

An incoming senior, Bates verbally committed last month to play soccer for Santa Clara. In an age when so many high school talents turn pro, Bates figures time is on his side.

"Of course, everybody wants to jump into the pros and make a lot of money," he said. "But if you're good enough, the pros will always be there. I'm really excited about college, and I'll get to see a lot more of my family."

About the writer:

• The Bee's Debbie Arrington can be reached at (916) 326-5514 or darrington@sacbee.com.