Teen soccer star dreams of turning pro

As he does during most Spring Breaks in March, Cheona Edzerza will again be heading to England to visit his mother's relatives.
But this year's excursion will be considerably more special. That's because the 14-year-old Prince George resident will be having an extended trip overseas.
After his trip to England, Edzerza, who is an extremely talented soccer player, will fly to Croatia. He's been invited to train at the Dinamo-Zagreb Academy.
Dinamo-Zagreb, based in the city of Zagreb, is a professional men's soccer team which competes in Croatia's First Division, the highest calibre league in the country.
Edzerza is currently coached by his father Ken, who is half Tahltan and half Tlingit.
"This is a very crucial time for his development," the elder Edzerza said of his son, whose name Cheona means wolf in Tahltan. "And I can only do so much here in Canada."
Ken Edzerza, who has been either playing or coaching soccer for more than 30 years, owns a soccer training company called EuroConnect.
"I've been trying to bring the European training model here to Canada," he said.
One of the coaches Edzerza had brought to Canada is Romeo Kojak, who is now the director of the Dinamo-Zagreb Academy. And that's how Cheona Edzerza earned an invitation to the seven-day assessment camp, which began March 23.
"He's going to be there with some of the best players for his age group in Croatia," said Ken, who is also the chair of the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Association of B.C.
Ken Edzerza said Kojak was impressed with his son when he previously coached him in Canada.
"We're hoping he still likes what he sees," he said. "And we're hoping he gets invited back for the summer."
In fact, the Edzerzas are also hoping he stays considerably longer. If officials from the Croatian club are high on the B.C. teen, there's a chance he could move there and train with the team year-round while completing his high school studies.
"I actually want that," said Edzerza, adding he wouldn't mind having to leave home at such a young age. "I'm so excited just to go now."
During his week-long assessment in Croatia, Edzerza's mother Felicity will be investigating schooling options at an English-speaking International school.
Cheona Edzerza has been playing soccer for 10 years.
A highlight occurred last year when he helped his British Columbia squad­coached by his father-win the gold medal at the North American Indigenous Games in the Cowichan Valley, B.C.
He scored the winning goal in double overtime giving his team a 3-2 victory over Manitoba in the championship final.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Cheona Edzerza is hoping to become a professional soccer player. And how long has he yearned for that?
"Probably all my life," he said.
But his father is being somewhat more cautious about his son's future.
"I think that's his goal," he said of his son's desire to play pro one day. "But my goal is to get him the best training possible so he can do what he wants in the sport."
Cheona Edzerza is currently a Grade 10 student at John McInnis Secondary School in Prince George. He realizes he'll probably have to leave his homeland to best further his soccer career.
"It's not as intense and not as good," he said of the coaching available in Canada as opposed to that abroad.
And that's why he's expecting to be in a rather skilled environment when he takes to the field for his week-long assessment in Croatia.
"It's going to be way harder (than what I'm used to)," he said. "They're more intense than here."
As for his favorite pro player, Cheona said that is Liverpool star Steve Gerrard.
"He's a centre midfielder, the same position that I play," he said. "He scores a lot of goals. And he sets up a lot of goals."