Wide on the left, young James McGarry was watched by father Michael and aunt Sally in a game emphatically won 3-0 by the APFA side, based in Lincoln.
The Footballsouth youth side competed well in the first half, but superior technique and fitness enabled the visiting side to overwhelm the local team in the second spell.
The APFA side is drawn from countries as far away as Mexico, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and New Caledonia, as well as several New Zealanders - including Ashley Arquette, a talented 15-year-old girl fromHawkes Bay. They train full-time at Lincoln, where they also attend school.
James McGarry, whose brother Ryan plays for Mosgiel in the Footballsouth Premier League, is in his first year at the academy and is enjoying the experience.
"This is my first year, and I am really enjoying it. To play and train every day is a dream come true," he said.
The 14-year-old will go back to the academy next year, and will have a busy time in the forthcoming school holidays.
He will attend a national training centre in Oamaru in the first week before coming back to play for Otago in the South Island 14th grade tournament in Dunedin.
Father Michael, one of New Zealand's most capped international players, reinforced what James said.
"James is enjoying it, and that's probably the most important factor. It's a well set up academy with quality coaches, Giovani and Jess Ibrom, plus tremendous facilities, and a track record of success."
Certainly, the academy was a recent fast track for another Mosgiel youth player, Cameron Howieson, who played this year for New Zealand at the Olympics, where he played against Brazil, Belarus, and Egypt.
He is now a full-time professional at Burnley FC in the English Football League, and is the youngest Kiwi to have played at that level.
The APFA side also played an Otago United side at Tahuna Park on Sunday and lost 2-1 to a players noticeably bigger and more physical than their younger opponents.
