Landon Carper | Junior | Millard North High School
Millard North High School junior Landon Carper is focused. Whether it’s playing soccer, improving his grades, or coming back from an injury, he’s intentional about it. “As a freshman at Millard North, I just kept working hard and focusing on contributing to the team,” he said. “It paid off. I had a hat trick (three goals in one game), and I started as a freshman in our district playoff game.”
He is most proud of his growth in the game. “I played recreational [soccer] until I was about 11 years old but then I began to be more competitive. When I was 12-13 years old, I played National Premier League (NPL), ages 14-15 I played Elite Clubs National League-Regional League (ECNL-RL), and now I will be playing Major League Soccer Next League (MLS-Next). I was also fortunate enough to be able to play varsity soccer for my school as a freshman and continue to play varsity soccer.”
According to Jovan Sudar, Millard North varsity soccer coach, “Landon is one of the most hard working players I have ever coached. He’s an amazing teammate and always does what’s best for the team.” Carper feels like his high school team is a second family. “Playing varsity for Millard North for two years has been fun. I love playing for them, and I love all my teammates and coaches. Playing at home is always fun, because you get to play in front of your school and represent it. As a high school team, it truly feels like home.”
He has also played club soccer for Sporting Nebraska for 10 years and is currently playing his second season for Sting Nebraska MLS. “During club soccer, we travel to Florida, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota as well as abroad. I’ve had great experiences traveling to Mexico to play in the Gothia Cup and last fall traveling to Italy to participate in a camp with Delfino Pescara professional soccer team, which is part of the Italy League Serie C and has now been promoted to Serie B.”
Last season, Carper was out for two months with a groin injury, which was especially challenging for someone who is so intentional and focused on training. “During that time all I wanted to do was train, but I couldn’t,” he shared. It was really hard. I tried pushing through it, but I made it even worse. So I chose to just rest and recover. It felt like the longest two months of my life.”
Admittedly, Carper hates losing, but it also inspires him. “Whenever I lose, I get motivated to improve, and I’m always pushing to train. Whenever I lose to a team that’s really good, I want to better myself to beat them next time. I also get the drive to become better in hopes of playing college and in the MLS one day.”
When he’s not playing soccer, he stays busy. “I train with a few different trainers, working on foot work, ball touches, speed, agility, and strength. I also began training younger soccer players this summer because I like helping young players improve their game. Outside of soccer, I enjoy gaming with friends online, hanging out playing cards, watching movies and series with my parents, and traveling with my family.”
