- April 3, 2025
-
-
Loading
It's become commonplace for high school students to transfer to another school for sports-specific reasons, but two Lakewood Ranch-area soccer players have taken that to another level.
Drew Pintacuda and Charlie Hosier have sacrificed much of their high school experience at Lakewood Ranch High to chase their dreams of playing soccer at the next level via MLS Next.
I don’t blame students for doing whatever they can to gain access to better opportunities, but that doesn’t make it any easier to wrap my head around.
For me, the best part of high school was the friends I made along the way, and all of the ‘classic’ high school experiences, like rooting on your school with lifelong friends at sporting events, attending school spirit events, and enjoying homecoming and the prom.
Those experiences were enjoyable because I grew up with most of the people around me and saw many of them on a near-daily basis.
That’s something that Hosier and Pintacuda had to give up almost entirely.
The two friends are soccer players with talent, and even more drive.
They need that drive when they hit the road to make the trek up to Tampa to play for the Tampa Bay United of MLS Next.
When Hosier and Pintacuda were in eighth grade, they came to a fork in the road.
The two friends had been playing for the Braden River Soccer Club and then made the team at IMG Academy. When high school arrived, however, they decided to try out for Tampa Bay United of MLS Next rather than playing for Lakewood Ranch High School.
That move has proved to be life-changing for the two friends.
Both Hosier and Pintacuda said they’ve gained access to opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had if not for MLS Next.
Last fall, Hosier committed to playing soccer for Butler University while Pintacuda recently committed to play for Emory University.
They said the biggest differences have been the instruction they’ve received— their MLS Next coaches all played at the MLS level — and the exposure from going to showcases around the country.
For instance, Tampa Bay United USL League 2 Head Coach Brian Johnson played for the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer for five seasons and has coached for Ohio State University, West Virginia University and MLS team Real Salt Lake.
That technical experience coupled with the national showcases and the level of competition is hard to beat.
“I had already seen a lot of people going to play in college through this system, and it was kind of enticing,” Pintacuda said. “This is an opportunity that not a lot of people get, and it was one that I was willing to take, even if that meant I had to make some sacrifices.”
It’s more than just about playing soccer beyond high school for Hosier and Pintacuda.
Hosier said there’s a good chance he might not be able to afford attending Butler, or a similar private university, if not for the scholarship money he’s receiving.
Pintacuda had different motivations. His school of choice, Emory University, has an acceptance rate of just 11% per U.S. News and World Report, and he said without making the soccer team he wouldn’t have been accepted.
Hosier and Pintacuda still find time to play golf and poker with their friends, but they’ve had to give up a chance to have a typical high school experience, and put in the work to make that sacrifice worth it.
They took just one class at Lakewood Ranch High last semester, and now aren’t enrolled in any.
“That’s one of the things we were told by doing this ... that we weren’t going to have the normal high school experience,” Pintacuda said. “We don’t go to classes with all of these guys, so it’s kind of hard to be involved with everything at school.”
A typical weekday starts with dual-enrollment classes online through State College of Florida, then it’s out to the fields for extra training or to the gym. When 2:30 p.m. arrives, Pintacuda and Hosier carpool with a couple of other local soccer players to drive to Tampa for practice from 4:30-6 p.m., some days followed by a half-hour strength and conditioning training.
Finally, the players arrive back home close to 8 p.m. and prepare to do it all over again the next day.
Hosier and Pintacuda said they spent much of their time during the COVID-19 pandemic training to make one of the 11 starting spots.
“You have to put the work in,” Hosier said. “Even with all of these opportunities, there’s still kids who aren’t going to make it.”
A prime example of Pintacuda's dedication came at a showcase event last year. He had gone up for a header during a match just prior to his showcase and landed awkwardly, breaking both of his arms.
Yet Pintacuda, knowing how important a national showcase could be, played anyway with both of his arms in a cast.
“I stayed positive and I worked on, ‘How can I get ready in these five days to potentially be able to play?’ I still drove up to practice and supported my team.
“So a big point for me is that you have to stay positive all the time. In great moments, you have to stay humble, because stuff like that can happen where you can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.”
