'It's surreal:' Totowa teen goalkeeper already a pro with Red Bulls
Aidan Stokes has wanted to play professional soccer since he first touched a ball when he was around 2 years old. His father, Nick Stokes, promised his young son a prize if he beat his previous record juggling the soccer ball around their Totowa home.
Aidan is living out that dream far earlier than expected. In mid-April, he signed a MLS NEXT Pro contract with the Red Bulls for the 2023 season. Nick and Christine Stokes actually handled the paperwork since Aidan is only 15.
But Aidan signed copies for the cameras.
He is expected to join the Red Bulls first team as a Homegrown next spring through the 2027 Major League Soccer season, with a club option for 2028. Aidan will be the youngest Homegrown goalkeeper in Red Bulls' history.
"I felt ready. I felt prepared," Aidan said in a phone interview. "Just walking in the building every day and training knowing I'm a pro, and I've accomplished one of my many dreams, it feels surreal. I started to train with the pros even before I signed the contract, so I've been with the same group of guys for a while. ... I want to make my (pro) debut and continue to go up through the ranks."
Quick path to professional soccer
Aidan played striker at TSF Academy in Lincoln Park, but had always been training as a goalkeeper with his father, who had been a semi-professional goalie in Wales before emigrating to the United States in 1999. Nick Stokes said his son "is better at 15 than I ever was."
"He's natural with the ball at his feet," added the dad, now a physical education teacher at Pearl R. Miller Middle School in Kinnelon, where he's coached both the boys and girls high school teams.
"In this day and age, it's not your ability to save the ball, but how well you integrate into the team philosophy building from the back. He's shown he can do that on all the levels he's been playing."
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Aidan played for the Red Bulls' U-15 academy team, as well as the U-17 team. He is now training primarily with Red Bulls II, but attended the first team's preseason in January and February. Aidan was also called to the United States U-15 youth national team training camp in October and March.
"Aidan has made it hard for us not to recognize his skill," Red Bulls II coach Ibrahim Sekagya said in a press release. "Given what he has shown at the academy level, and how well he fit in with the first-team environment during preseason, we are excited to announce this pathway for his development within the club going forward."
The U-15 team lifted its first MLS NEXT Cup trophy on June 24, claiming the top spot with a 2-1 comeback victory over CF Montreal's academy. Aidan and the Red Bulls' back line allowed only two goals in five matches, notching clean sheets in the first three rounds. He stopped a penalty kick in a 4-0 quarterfinal victory against Seattle.
Aidan is taking a couple of weeks off, but hopes to make his pro debut with Red Bulls II this summer.
Aidan will be a sophomore at Passaic Valley in the fall. He took one class each semester on campus – computer programming in the fall and public speaking in the spring – then caught a ride with his mom to the Red Bulls' training facility in Hanover Township. Aidan takes the rest of his classes at Scholar-Athlete Leadership Academy's satellite campus there.
Nick Stokes insisted his son still has to do chores and his homework, and be kind to his 12-year-old sister Sofie. Father and son also enjoy watching Liverpool matches, though Aidan started to become a Red Bulls fan when he joined the academy.
"The Red Bulls opened the door for him, and he stepped right through it," Stokes said. "He is a professional student-athlete. This is what he does. It's surreal, but I'm also incredibly proud. As grand as everything is, this is just the beginning of a very long process."
Jane Havsy is a storyteller for the Daily Record and DailyRecord.com, part of the USA TODAY Network. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis, subscribe today.
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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: MLS: New York Red Bulls sign teen goalkeeper Aidan Stokes of Totowa
