TAMPA, Fla — When it comes to teenage jobs, nothing is more difficult than competing and succeeding in a professional sport. Nate Worth, 17, is doing just that as a midfielder for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
“I still try to be a kid as much as I can,” Worth said.
He had to grow up quickly in the Rowdies’ July 27 match against Charleston.
“But, obviously, things change.”
Worth took a free kick, and his pinpoint strike into the top corner was the game-winning goal. It’s only the second goal of the youngster’s career and his first for the Rowdies since joining the club in May.
“Definitely the most important goal I have ever scored and probably the best goal that I have scored so far,” Worth said.
The New Jersey native made his pro debut at 15 years old with FC Tulsa.
Now, he’s playing on the same pitch with players like USL Championship superstar Leo Fernandes, who is 15 years older.
“He keeps me on my toes,” Fernandes said. “He lets me know what’s going in the internet world. He keeps me young.”
“It’s incredible, honestly,” Worth added. “Just to be surrounded by the quality of guys that are here day in and day out. A guy like Leo has been in this league, in the MLS, for so many years. I think watching them and studying how they do things on and off the pitch is really important for me.”
It’s goal like that one in the Charleston game that prove to Fernandes, and everyone else watching, that Worth can be more than just a student of the game.
“The world is at his feet right now. If he keeps working he can play at the highest level,” Fernandes said. “He’s so good technically. I see him everyday and I know he’s probably going to be playing at the highest level.”
To reach that level, Worth trains like a pro and prepares like one, too.
“You have to take care of your body, sleep well, hydrate, eat well,” he said. “It’s those little things that add up that make you do those things on the pitch. It’s the little things that change, but I still try to be as much of a kid as I can.”
