When David Horst suits up in PPL Park, it’s more than just a homecoming for a native son.
Sure, it means the Pine Grove graduate and defender for Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo has a rare chance for his family to travel a short distance to watch him play. But in Pine Grove, family has a bigger meaning.
When Horst and the Dynamo took on the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 20, there weren’t just family and friends in attendance, there were also dozens of little soccer players looking on at a player that used to be in their cleats.
“It’s great for those kids to see a local person who had made it to this level to know that it’s possible for them,” Horst said in a phone interview Thursday. “Hopefully I’m a good role model that they can look up to and hopefully we see some local Schuylkill County people playing in the MLS as well.”
It would be difficult to challenge Horst’s status as a role model to soccer players of all ages across the area, or his dedication to playing the part.
After suffering an injury minutes before halftime against the Union, he returned to the pitch in the second half to play every minute. Then he still made time to visit with members of Pine Grove’s youth soccer program following the full-time whistle.
It’s a quality that certainly isn’t lost on Pine Grove’s youth soccer president Mark Frankenfield, who has two kids in the program and helped organize the meeting with Horst following the Houston-Philadelphia game — which ended in a scoreless draw.
“Those games are exhausting and taxing, and immediately after the game to come and spend a half hour meeting with our kids and taking pictures, it’s so cool,” Frankenfield said.
Pine Grove Area High School boys’ soccer coach Mark Wyllie was also in attendance and is far from surprised at Horst’s development both on and off the pitch.
“Anytime he comes in, if he’s on television, I watch him,” Wyllie said. “I watched him grow up and develop. ... He’s a tremendous, determined player, but an even better individual.”
After missing much of last season with the Portland Timbers due to injury, Horst has had a resurgent 2014. He anchored Houston’s defense by opening the season with two shutout wins against New England and Montreal — the latter earning him Man of the Match honors.
After the hot start to the season, the Dynamo hit a rough patch. The side had winless stretches from March 29 to April 27 and from May 21 to Aug. 10, earning just five points out of a potential 54.
Houston turned things around late in the year and joined the playoff race with Philadelphia, Toronto and Chicago. The Dynamo improved their chances Sunday with a 2-0 win over Chicago.
It’s a turnaround indicative of the work ethic Wyllie believes Horst received in his earliest days on the pitches of Schuylkill County.
“There were games I sat him down because he wasn’t playing well,” Wyllie said, laughing. “I was never afraid to do that. No matter how good you are, when you’re not playing well sometimes you have to take a seat. He would never get (upset) about it. He would always come back and the other players would see that.”
But it’s been 10 years since Horst called Wyllie “Coach’’ — technically, at least. So when his old coach comes to see him play, as he did in Philadelphia, it’s a special occasion.
“It’s great to still see him on the sideline,” Horst said. “He had a huge impact on me in my four years of high school. I’m glad that he still respects me and comes out to the games.”
But Wyllie isn’t the only one. Ever since Horst was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the first round in 2008, he had a massive following in his native Schuylkill County.
“It’s awesome for our program,” Frankenfield said. “David is great. Every time he’s in town, he’s always willing to meet with our players and our team and interact.
“To have him come through Schuylkill County and, not only for Pine Grove but for the other clubs in the area, it’s awesome to say you can play here in this area and make it through to the highest level. It’s definitely inspiring to have a role model.”
Horst works with area soccer players during his offseason, doing a yearly camp in Pine Grove.
Working with Horst on skills in the camp is a great learning experience for any young athlete hoping to be in his shoes some day, but sometimes getting to watch him in action is even sweeter.
“It’s great to see those kids that come out to the clinic and to the game as well,” Horst said. “That’s how you learn the game — going to professional games and watching. Hopefully those kids took at least one thing away from the game that they can work on in their spare time.
“But at the end of the day, hopefully they enjoyed the experience.”
Wyllie certainly did. Seated just a few rows away from the benches at PPL Park, the Pine Grove coach was dressed in Houston orange to support his former player.
“I said, ‘I don’t care what you guys say, when that boy does something good, you’re going to hear me,’ ” he said. “We’re very proud of him just as he’s proud of where he came from.”