Cape Town - Jermaine Mentoor, a 21-year-old soccer player from Strandfontein, is flourishing in the US, grabbing trophies and medals for his performances ever since he set foot there with the help of the College Connect International Agency.
Mentoor has just been ranked as the fourth-best player in the National Junior College Athletic Association, and won a regional player of the year award. He’s proud of his achievements and has even bigger dreams he wants to accomplish.
“I can’t explain how I feel being recognised internationally as this is a great achievement. Through my faith in the Lord, hard work, self-belief, dedication paid off,” he said.
“I see myself in the future with an associate degree and bachelor’s degree in university in 2025. I see myself being a professional soccer player and a successful entrepreneur. My dream career would, of course, be (as) a professional soccer player and an entrepreneur.“
His started playing soccer at the age of four at Strandfontein AFC and he played for some local junior clubs growing up.
“In 2010, I went for trials at Old Mutual Football Academy and I was successful in my trials and started to play for them in 2011. I was selected in 2011 and in 2014 respectively to represent Tygerberg Local Football Association to participate in an inter- (LFA) tournament. I then started to play for Ikapa AFC in 2016 that was affiliated with Forward Zone at the time. That year the under-17 participated in a tournament in Langa and they needed two more players from the under-15 to play with the team. I was one of two players who volunteered,” said Mentoor, about his humble beginnings.
In 2021 he enrolled at St Charles Community College in Missouri where he is studying business management and administration and plays in Region 16.
He attributes his success to perseverance and discipline as he said surviving the US life and achieving his goals wasn’t easy. Mentoor left South Africa to start a new life overseas all by himself in 2019 at the age of 17, and when Covid-19 hit his soccer career and academics were affected too.
A lot of money was spent trying to secure his future abroad.
“The journey was a roller-coaster ride. At Putnam Science Academy, which was my high school I attended, it was toughest because it was my first time away from home and I was homesick as I had to do things without my parents around. My experience from day one, which I will never forget, was when I first landed in Boston. It was so cold. I was walking around the city to get the things I needed. Everything seemed so big, and cars were driving on the opposite side of where we drive in South Africa,” Mentoor said.
His current coach, Tim Mosby, said the fact that he started playing soccer in the US at a high school level helped shape Jermaine’s career and that they are proud of him.
“Jermaine was named (in the) all-region (team) three times. These accolades happen when you give 100% every single training and match; not one single off day. (He is) a true competitor or winner (and) a true representative of what a St Charles soccer player needs to be,” said Mosby.
Maritz Kossmann, Ubuntu coach, said, “Jermaine was a pleasure to coach. I coached him at Ubuntu. Hard-working, a lot of energy, very quick, a lot of stamina. I think this is what has led to his success in America. He’s got his modern interpretation of playing as a full-back.”