Generational soccer player helps lift Revere

by Sheldon Ocker

Imagine you are the general manager of the New York Yankees, one of baseball’s iconic franchises, and Clayton Kershaw, a many-time all-star, walks into your office and asks to pitch for your team.

That’s kind of what happened to Nick DePompei, coach of the Revere boys soccer team, runners-up in the Division II state tournament.

The Yankees are to major league baseball what the Minutemen are to Summit County high school soccer. And Dylan Halm is the local equivalent of Kershaw, except that Halm played his way into national prominence this year as one of 80 All-Americans chosen by the U.S. Soccer Coaches Association. This elite group of boys will be feted at the Anaheim, California, Convention Center on Jan. 13.

Halm, a senior, led the Minutemen with 33 goals, even though he missed five games with an ankle injury.  He scored three times as many goals as Revere’s No. 2 scorer.

Halm transferred from a school in Michigan before the 2022-23 school year and decided not to play for his new school. He was accustomed to playing club soccer, which usually draws the premier athletes.

Moreover, Halm couldn’t play for his club team, the Cleveland Force, if he competed for Revere. But as the year went on and he had discussions with Revere coach Nick DePompei, Halm changed his mind before the 2023-24 school year.

Soon after his family moved from Canton, Michigan, Halm began working out at Springside Athletic Club.

“The Revere kids at Springside told me nothing but good things about Revere’s soccer program,’’ he said. “They said this school was the best for soccer.”

DePompei, a counselor at Revere High School, kept in touch with Halm last year. Halm decided to try high school soccer, and he’s had no regrets.

“Club soccer is extremely competitive,” he said. “You always have to fight for a spot. There’s really no joy in it. It’s kind of like straight business. My friends were playing for Revere, and I was kind of the odd one out.”

In high school, more people are paying attention. Halm liked that.

“I really wanted to play in front of a crowd,” he said. “That’s something I’d never done before. In club soccer there’s no student section, just parents. I wanted to play in front of a student section, a school, where you’re fighting for something bigger than the club.

“It was just so cool playing in front of people and have them scream and cheer. That was something I’d never heard during a game.”

Halm said his teammates accepted him immediately.

“I knew a lot of the soccer kids from before, just having classes with them,” he said. “They were always friendly. There never was any hate.”

It wasn’t the first time a newcomer to the district had joined the soccer team, so his teammates knew how to act.

“Our kids welcomed him with open arms,” DePompei said. “It’s a culture thing, and I’m glad he saw that.”

With Halm leading the way, Revere had an exceptional season, reaching the state title game before losing to Tippecanoe 2-0. It was the sixth time in the past 14 years the Minutemen had reached the finals.

“It was pretty nerve wracking,” Halm said of the championship game. “I never really played in a game like that, so it was definitely a learning experience on how to prepare better. I don’t think I was as prepared as I should have been, even though I prepared a lot.”

According to DePompei, Halm is a soccer junkie, always working on his game.

“He lives and breathes this stuff,” the coach said. “He would leave our practice and go to Springside and train on his own. If we had an off day, he’d show up and shoot.”

Halm plans to keep playing soccer as a collegian. His list of favored schools includes Wake Forest, American University, Charleston and especially Ohio State.

“I’ve always wanted to go to Ohio State,” said Halm, who lives in Copley. “I was always a huge fan.”

The Buckeyes have not offered a scholarship yet.

DePompei isn’t counting on coaching an athlete as talented and focused as Halm for many years, if ever.

“Dylan is a once in 15 years kind of player,” the coach said. “He’s far beyond [the norm] physically, athletically and soccer knowledge-wise. He’s a different kind of kid, one that most people never see on their team.”  ∞

Photo: Senior Dylan Halm was named one of 80 All-American soccer players. Photo by Dennis Nations.