Taylor Booth is not your typical American.
To start, most American 17-year-olds are not living in Germany after signing a contract with Bayern Munich, one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Even in the peculiar soccer ecosystem, though, the Utah native represents something different.
“I can play anywhere in the midfield - I prefer 8 or 10 cause I like more of an attacking role. 8 I prefer for just a free, roaming role, I can always get on the ball,” Booth told Goal. “I love to have the ball at my feet. I love being involved in the game, getting my teammates involved in the game and I love to be able to dictate the tempo of the game.”
Those are the sorts of sentences you wouldn’t have heard from many American teenagers just a few years ago. As MLS academies continue to strengthen and coaching education improves, more and more American players are excelling technically, utilizing more than simply their physical gifts.
For Booth, that’s a good thing. He’s not the tallest or strongest player, though he’s learned how to cope throughout his young career. He has played in systems where he’s been allowed and often encouraged to have a hunger for the ball and try something special when he has it.
“I think I’ve gotten super lucky with the coaches I’ve had, the environments I’ve been in that have taught me that stuff,” he said.
“It’s natural, too. You can teach so much, but some of it has to be feeling and instinct. That, for me, is how I feel I play.”
Booth spent many of his formative years with La Roca, a Utah club run by Adolfo Ovalle. The Chilean recalls when Booth came onto his radar several years ago. A parent of another player at a disbanding club recommended Ovalle take a look at a boy who could become a sensation.
“He said, ‘There’s a good little central midfielder. He’s little.’ I said, well bring him. I want to see him. And when he brings him to my tryout I genuinely loved his game. I loved him right away,” Ovalle told Goal. “I was like, this kid is the youngest on the field, he’s the shortest on the field, but his vision is super clean. He had a really good first touch and played simple soccer.”
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Those skills haven’t faded but rather improved. In U.S. youth national team matches, Booth flies all over the field, looking to set up his teammates down the middle, on the right, on the left.
“His development started to go so fast, so incredibly good. I mean this kid is at another level,” Ovalle said. “Not only the vision, not only the first touch but Taylor can take people on, Taylor can shoot left and right without a problem and he’s not afraid of making a mistake in the attack. He’ll take chances, and that’s what makes him so special in my opinion.”
Booth joined the Real Salt Lake academy but rather than signing a homegrown deal with RSL’s first team, he leveraged Italian heritage on his father’s side to secure a passport and go on several trials in Germany.
“Ever since I was younger, I’d say Europe was always the goal for me. My coaches knew that, my teammates knew that. It’s not because I didn’t like RSL, because I loved everything there,” he said. “They’re a great club, and I definitely had to think about the homegrown contract that I got offered. But Europe just - my mind was set on if I get a chance in Europe, then I have to take it.”
RSL general manager Craig Waibel says he would’ve loved to have Booth in the RSL system, but it’s hard to be upset about a player trying his luck with a club of Bayern Munich’s size.
“I think Taylor is an extremely talented player. Obviously, that’s why we wanted to keep him home,” Waibel told Goal. “But when you go to a club like Bayern, the biggest thing is getting those minutes, and Taylor understands the challenge in front of him. I don’t think it will surprise anyone when he finds his way onto the field in their youth levels.”
Booth made his debut with Bayern’s U-19s on March 9, getting 20 minutes in a game against Stuttgart’s U-19s. He’s getting accustomed to life in Germany, including little things like training alongside the current Bundesliga champions when the academy players come together with the first team.
“You’ve kind of just got to act cool. You can’t be a fan boy in the locker room or anything, but inside you’re starstruck,” Booth said. “It’s the best players in the world, and you’re training with them, so it’s crazy.”
As Waibel mentions, one of the biggest questions for Americans once they sign in Europe is if they’ll be able to earn minutes. Many a prospect has gotten big buzz after signing only to spend most of their time abroad on the bench.
Booth is focused on his development and has set out ambitious goals for himself.
“Right now, I’m just looking forward to starting the second half of the Bundesliga season, U-19, get those games under my belt and of course I’m looking at the U-20 World Cup in May,” said Booth, who also will be eligible for the U-20 World Cup team in 2021. “That would be an unbelievable opportunity for me. Maybe make a push for that roster. It’s been hard because I haven’t been able to get games before (joining Bayern), but I’m looking to make a push for that roster.
“As far as Bayern, just see what I can do. It’s all in my hands, how well I’m playing, how far I can make it, if I can make it to the first team, I mean, it’s all up to me.”
With names like Pulisic, Sargent, Weah, Adams and McKennie also in Europe at a young age, it’s clear the U.S. is producing different players than it ever has before.
With his natural ability and the type of development Bayern is known for, Booth hopes to stand out even among his countrymen as a new kind of American export.
