Mitchell excited to take his abilities overseas with Via FC Spain

WHEELERSBURG — There are plenty of high school seniors who go away from home for their college education.

Wheelersburg Pirates’ senior soccer standout Evan Mitchell is taking his travel plans to the extreme.

Mitchell is bypassing American colleges and has signed to play for the Via FC in Spain.

“Since I was a little kid I always had a dream of playing overseas at the highest level. I had some collegiate opportunities, but I got this opportunity after I played in a big academy showcase in Tampa (Florida). It sparked my interest because playing overseas is the dream of every little kid,” said Mitchell.

The conversations led Mitchell to accept an offer to play at Gathier Soccer Academy in Seville, Spain.

“So, I got a hold of them and they got in contact with me and eventually we just kept talking throughout the months and eventually they sent me a contract offer to go to Gathier,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell is currently playing for the West Virginia Futbol Club WVFC U19 and the West Virginia USL2 Academy for the third time.

A captain on the Pirates’ Final Four and Southern Ohio Conference team, Mitchell was a first team All-SOC, first team Southeast All-District and first team All-Ohio.

Mitchell has played for the Ohio ODP for six years and made the ODP state team four times, its all-star team twice and the team advanced to the Midwest Regional pool in Chicago once.

He played for national runner-up Meulensteen 1v1  in 2021, and previously played for First Capital Football Club and Southern Ohio Elite in Chillicothe starting at the age of 9.

Mitchell said playing for Gathier Academy will be a challenging and demanding schedule. He said it’s an 8-month program in which the school plays local teams as well as semi-professional and professional teams.

“I’ll be playing for (Gathier) and getting recruited by other local teams in the area,” said Mitchell.

Playing against top competition is something Mitchell wanted to help him improve his game. He said one of the biggest differences between the United States and European games is the culture.

“The game is huge over there. The passion over there is amazing. I’ve seen it first-hand with guys coming from over there to the United States. It’s just a completely different game,” said Mitchell.

“I think if I go over there I’ll get prepared by some of the best guys and have that mindset wherever next,”

The culture in foreign countries regarding soccer is similar to basketball in America, except instead of basketball courts spread across the landscapes those countries have soccer fields according to Mitchell which was another selling point on his decision.

“I think I’ll fit in well over there,” said Mitchell. “There are a lot more opportunities over there. There are a lot more teams. I heard there are 40 professional teams in a 40-mile radius over there,” said Mitchell. “We have two professional teams here in Ohio, so it’s a big difference. It’s something I’m looking forward to and excited to. I don’t think I’m at that level yet, but I’m willing to keep working and see where I can go to.”

Although Mitchell was in contact with several colleges, he got an offer from the University of Charleston which is an NCAA Division 2 program that has won multiple national championships, The UC coach Daniel See is also Mitchell’s coach with his West Virginia Academy team and they had discussions about playing for the Golden Eagles.

“We had those talks if I was going to come over. So, I mentioned the (Gathier) program and (See) was very supportive to go over there and I got my offer extended over there which is a plus. Now I have that stress off my shoulder when I come back over,” said Mitchell.

Now with the extended offer all Mitchell will have to stress about is taking some extra clothing for his wardrobe.