Sebastian Salm '24 Recruiting Profile

My name is Sebastian Salm. I am a Junior at The Willow High School in New Orleans, Louisiana and will be graduating in 2024. I have been playing soccer since I was 6, and began playing competitively when I was 11, spending most of my non-school time playing the sport I love. Going into my second year of LATDP, competing against MLS Next teams, I can say that I have never played against better players, even when I was younger, playing against people 5-10 years older than me. This has led me to get even better because even though at any point I may not be the best compared to the academy teams we play, I can always become better and get to their level.

A big part of why I've gotten this far is my ability to read the game and my leadership. My reading of the game has allowed me to really grow as a defender because it's much easier to defend someone if you can cut out the pass before it even goes to them or play an offside trap. As for leadership, I've been captain of every club team that I've played on since I was in sixth grade as well as becoming captain of my school varsity team this year as a junior. 

Being the son of a university professor and a k-12 teacher as well as attending one of the best public schools in the state, I have always known that academic success comes before success on the field. This has led me to where I am now, eventually taking multiple AP courses, Honors classes and earning straight A's along the way. I was recognized by The Patrick F. Taylor Foundation as one of the top scholars in my class and have been on the honor roll every year. With my athletics and academics, I would need to find a college that not only challenges me on the soccer field, but in the classroom as well.