It’s been quite a journey to reach the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central for Alex Mapp.
The versatile 26 year-old has navigated his way from his homeland in Cleveland, Ohio to a place within the International Schools Academy and then through American College soccer, to sign professionally for Swedish third-tier outfit, Vanersborg IF, in July 2021.
He then linked-up with Sporting Kristina of Finland, where he stayed for three months before joining Beaconsfield Town, initially on trial, during the summer.
His pre-season performances have earned him a deal at the club for the campaign ahead.
“I can’t wait to get started,” Mapp told us. “I grew up watching a lot of English football so it’s great that I have an opportunity to play over here and hopefully I can make my mark and help the team enjoy success.
“It’s going to be a very competitive season in a good League. It’s important for us to get off to a positive start and get some early momentum because there are some strong teams at this level.
“Every point is going to matter. We’ll take things one game at a time and see where it takes us.
“We just want the action to start for real now; pre-season has been good with plenty of work in training and matches against opponents who have tested us, but nothing compares to when the competitive action starts.
“There are a large number of new faces in the team and we are all gelling together well, we just want to get into the swing of things now.”
We asked Mapp to describe himself as a player.
“I am a leader on the pitch,” he added. “I can play in multiple positions, right-back, centre back and also in the heart of midfield, and I enjoy defending, being in control of possession and getting forward to help my team attack.
“I’m vocal on the pitch and will do anything to help my team win. I am the type of player who will always put the team first.”
Mapp told us about his early footballing days.
“I joined my first academy club, Internationals Soccer Academy, when I was 13 years old,” he said. “Prior to this I played for various local club teams. With Internationals Soccer Academy, we competed in a league called The United States Soccer Development Academy, which consisted of only about 60 teams from all across the country, that were split into regional divisions.
“Each club had an U16 and U18 age group. This is where all the best players in the country played as it gave you the best chance for exposure, as it was run by The United States Soccer Football Federation.
“The idea was to have players playing in a centralised location to give us the best competition, chance for college recruitment, and national team recruitment.
“The league was a ten-month season, running August – May, with two showcases where all teams would come together for mini tournaments in the middle of season. There were divisions within the league, but still point standings and play-offs. I played here until I was 18 years old.
“I then went on to attend University. I first played at The University of Akron, which was a Division I programme, and has produced more professional players than any other school in the country, I attended this school for two years (August 2016 - May 2018). We were ranked as high as number one in the country, and also made it to the Division I College Cup National Semi-Final in 2017, where we lost to eventual champions Stanford University.
“I then transferred to Ashland University, which was a Division II school. I attended Ashland University for 18 months (August 2018 - December 2019). In my first season, we won the 2018 GLIAC Conference Championship (Great Lakes Inter Athletic Conference) and I was named Tournament MVP.
“I finished up my collegiate career at Coastal Carolina University, which was a Divison I school. I was only here for five months (January 2021 - May 2021). Here we advanced to this NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
“I then signed my first professional contract in July 2021 at the halfway point of the season in Sweden, for a club called Vanersborg IF. The club was located just outside of Gothenburg and I went onto make 37 total appearances between league and cup matches, captaining the side two times, playing under an English manager by the name of Andy Kilner, who was previously manager of Stockport County when the club played in The Championship.
"A brief spell in Finland followed until I arrived here during the summer."
An away trip to Northwood is first on the agenda for Beaconsfield Town this season as they look to bounce back from relegation in the right way.
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