Scouting Jude Terry: LAFC's rising homegrown prospect looking to go from U-17 World Cup goalscorer to USMNT World Cup contributor

"For me," Terry says, "I was born into it."

Terry was essentially raised in soccer. His father's side of the family has an Argentine background, so Terry was, naturally, raised on a steady diet of Lionel Messi highlights. His father and grandfather played recreationally, too, which allowed Terry's early soccer education to begin in-house. His dad was his first coach, the one who laid the foundations for everything that has come since.

His mother’s side of the family, meanwhile, is Mexican, creating a natural connection to the sport there as well. Terry admits they weren’t nearly as consumed by soccer as his Argentine relatives, but as he blossomed as a young player, that changed. Growing up just five minutes from the border, Terry often traveled to Mexico to play in those matches - games that showed him, early on, just how competitive the sport could be, even at the youngest levels.

There are home videos of Terry kicking a ball around the backyard at two years old. The love started early, and it never went away. The more Terry played, though, the better he got, eventually making a name for himself around his hometown of Chula Vista.

"When I was younger, I was more of a No. 9 or a 10,"  he says. "They'd let me just free roam. I'd get the ball and score all the time. When I was younger, I'd get invited to a lot of tournaments as a guest player. I realized, 'Oh, they want me to play so they can win'."

Eventually, Terry got the most important invite.  In 2021, at age 12, he joined the LAFC academy, truly kickstarting his push towards the professional level.

Shortly before he joined the LAFC Academy, Terry began the process of becoming a midfielder. It was a natural transition as it allowed him to continue to get on the ball and dictate games, even against better players.

"I think it was when I was 11 or 12, I think that's when I became a midfielder," he said. "I was more of a six at the start, and then I became more of an eight with more of an attacking role. I started playing more as that kind of midfielder, a dictator of the game."

The transition to LAFC wasn't easy, though. In addition to the step up in competition at one of MLS's most competitive clubs, Terry and his family had to deal with a whole other challenge: travel. The trips from San Diego County to LA were gruelling.

"I wish people talked about the sacrifice that my family has made," he says. "I think for three or so years, my mom would drive me up from San Diego to L.A. before I signed a contract to get me to practice. That's over two hours there and back. I wish more people recognized the sacrifice my family has made because it's super important to me. It's important to realize that it's not just me who has gotten this far, but my family, too."

Those long car rides were, ultimately, worth it. In December 2024, Terry was rewarded with a Homegrown contract, becoming the eighth such signing in LAFC’s history. The pathway has proven meaningful, too: fellow Homegrown Nathan Ordaz played 29 matches for the club last season, with 10 goal contributions. 

“Jude is an exceptionally talented young player,” LAFC Co-President & General Manager John Thorrington said at the time. “He has shown great development throughout his time with the Academy, LAFC2, and U.S. Youth National Teams, and he unquestionably earned this opportunity. We are excited to help him continue his progression at the MLS level.”

Still just 17, Terry has yet to make his MLS debut. He has, however, played in a World Cup, showing what he can do against the best players in his age group.

The U.S. U-17 group that travelled to Qatar for this fall's World Cup was one of the most talented in the program's recent memory. Sullivan is already something of a household name. Mathis Albert is already making waves at Borussia Dortmund. Players like Terry, Nimfasha Berchimas, and Julian Hall are among the highly-touted Homegrown stars tipped for big futures in MLS and, perhaps, beyond.

At that World Cup, Terry was ever-present for the U.S. team. He started two of the three group stage matches while coming off the bench in the other to help the U.S. win each of their first three matches. Their reward? A clash with Morocco, who would have the travelling support. They also have had the U.S. team's number, having previously knocked older age groups out of the Olympics and the U-23 World Cup.

On Nov. 14 in Qatar, Morocco continued their recent success against the Americans on the youth level again, defeating the U.S. in a shootout in the Round of 32. The game finished as a 1-1 draw ahead of that shootout. For the Americans, it was Terry who scored the goal that, for a while, looked like it could be the winner.

"I knew that when Mathis passed Cavan the ball, I should be in the box. I sprinted, and as soon as he was about to hit the ball, I was like, 'Yeah, this is coming to me,' " Terry said of his big moment.  "I thought they'd stop it, but it ended up going in, so I just started running.

"In that moment, I don't know what I was doing. I just started going crazy. My mind went blank, and I started doing whatever I wanted to do. Scoring? You definitely remember that, though. For me, players always remember when they score."

The World Cup trip, as a whole, was memorable. It served as a reminder that Terry and his teammates can compete at a high level - and a lesson in how unforgiving that level can be. Despite leading for more than 70 minutes on the strength of Terry’s goal, a 90th-minute equalizer ultimately proved the U.S. team’s undoing. Those are the margins, and they are razor-thin.

Now, Terry is looking to build off that tournament experience as he looks to take the leap from youth player to senior player.

If there was a word to describe Terry's game, it would be smooth. Terry plays with the right combination of flashy and effortless. 

Over the years, Terry has bounced between midfield positions. He's not undersized by any stretch, at 5-foot-9, but he still has a good center of gravity. He's clean on the ball and can pass well. His biggest asset, at least to him, is his intelligence, though. 

"I would consider myself smart tactically," he says. "I'm a very intelligent player when it comes to being on the ball or even just picking spaces. That's something I take pride in: outsmarting the opponent.

"Technically, I think I'm able to dribble past players or pick out players that maybe some other players my age can't pick out. I want to combine with teammates and dictate play.  I just want to be technically and tactically good."

That said, there are still plenty of aspects of his game that need refining as he looks to take his game to the next level.

While Terry has had standout moments at the MLS Next Pro level, the 17-year-old is still waiting for his MLS breakout. He's been named to LAFC's bench for both MLS and CONCACAF Champions Cup matches, but has yet to see the field in a senior game.

It is, admittedly, hard to crack the LAFC team. Routinely one of the best in MLS, this is a group led by a legitimate world-class player in Son Heung-min. The midfield, meanwhile, is led by veterans Timothy Tillman and Marky Delgado, both of whom have USMNT experience. Cracking that group won't be easy, even as a new era begins under new head coach Marc dos Santos.

Dos Santos will be familiar with Terry, having served as an LAFC assistant since 2022. Terry will need to take a leap on both sides of the ball to get first-team minutes, which is something the 17-year-old understands.

"I think something I'm working on now is being more than a No. 6, going forward more," he says. " I think it's just about adding that final product. I think I have it. I showed it against Morocco by scoring that goal, but I think it's just expressing it more. It's getting into the box, having a shot from distance, or getting a goal. It's something that I'm still working on: that final product.

"On the flip side, the defensive side, it's about being a dog. It's about doing the work. A lot of times, the defensive side is overlooked by players, and it's the most important part of the game, especially if you're an attacking player...It's something you have to do, even if you might not always want to do it. So it's getting into a habit of doing that, and I think I've improved a lot."

Like all players with Argentinian roots, Terry has a special type of admiration for Messi. He was his favorite player to watch growing up. He wasn't necessarily his favorite player to emulate, though.

"Everyone says they love Messi, but when I was growing up watching the Argentinian national team, a lot of the defensive side was on [Javier] Mascherano," Terry says. "He wasn't always the most highlighted guy, but it was always fun watching him fight for his country."

Mascherano, now in MLS himself as Inter Miami's MLS Cup-winning head coach, isn't the only Argentine Terry looks up to. He name drops both Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister as players he tries to emulate. Both are modern midfielders, players who can play anywhere in a midfield and find ways to impact a game. They're both World Cup winners, too, players who had to climb to the top level and are now showing the ability to stay there.

Outside of the Argentines, there are plenty of others Terry watches and studies. Jude Bellingham is, of course, a midfielder seemingly designed in a lab. Domink Szoboszlai, too, is a player who has found ways to change games, even when played out of position as a right-back. And then there's Pedri, who might be Terry's favorite to watch.

"When you watch Spanish football, the things Pedri does, I try to model a lot of that, especially with the ball," he says. "He's so smooth and composed. He's not really flashy, but the way he does things makes him look flashy and elegant."

Terry’s World Cup experience was eye-opening - not because it felt like a beginning, but because it felt like a continuation. In Qatar, he continued to strengthen bonds with teammates he’s now been playing alongside for years. From walks through the country’s malls to trips into the desert, the U.S. team grew closer than ever. With that experience now behind them, Terry says they’re chasing that feeling again.

"We've become a family," he says. "No matter who you're with, you're always going to have a good time. You can recall memories just being at the hotel with your friends. There are so many funny moments where you all just start laughing."

Those are the kinds of memories that can define a tournament - and why Terry is desperate to experience more of that level of competition. He doesn’t keep a written list of goals, but there are several he’s consciously chasing. Chief among them is a big one: a senior World Cup appearance, sooner rather than later.

"I think I've always had goals in the back of my mind, both short-term that I can accomplish in the next month or something longer," he says. "Like making the 2026 World Cup roster, that's something. If it's not 2026, maybe it's 2030 and making that World Cup roster. I like putting those big goals into my mind so I can work towards them. That's what I try to do. 

"Some of the goals I have are to break into the first team, to get more minutes, and to establish myself as a starter. That's a big goal to have, but I like to put big goals out there because I think I have the capability of doing them."

Terry has shown glimpses of that. His goal against Morocco, of course, was one such moment. He'll need more of them as he builds up his professional resume, with that process beginning as soon as this preseason with LAFC. 

Still just 17, Terry has already tasted the top level - big games, big goals, big crowds, and, of course, big pressure. Now, the pursuit of more is underway, as he looks to experience all of it at an even higher level.