CHESTER — Nia Bronson and Chase Morgan eagerly awaited their chance to talk to their favorite Major League Soccer player.
They traveled to PPL Park on Sunday with a group of supporters from Pine Grove to watch the Houston Dynamo take on the Philadelphia Union, and afterward meet a man that inspires a generation of young soccer players across Schuylkill County.
Finally, after the full-time whistle handed Philadelphia a 2-0 victory, Bronson, 12, and Morgan, 7, walked up to David Horst where Section 123 meets the PPL pitch.
The Houston center back and Pine Grove graduate greeted them with a bright smile and asked Bronson and Morgan if they had fun watching the game. He then signed their orange Dynamo shirts — Morgan’s already signed from last year’s trip, so Horst signed it again — and posed for a photo.
“It’s really cool to see him,” Bronson said. “I can learn from him because I play soccer. I can learn new tricks to do when I play.”
Morgan succinctly added seeing Horst was “amazing.”
Horst has always been idolized by droves of young fans in his native Pine Grove, where he returns yearly to run a soccer camp. But his popularity is also noticeably growing in his new home of Houston.
Take a peek at the Dynamo’s social media pages and you’ll
see Horst appearing regularly, whether it be during public events or earning fan support after a hard-fought 90 minutes on the pitch.
“Fans always like guys that play hard and play with a lot of desire,” said Horst, who played his 100th career MLS game Sunday. “I may not be the most flashy, skillful guy out there, but I play as hard as I can and I think they appreciate that.”
True, Horst would rather display grit than flash. Though he nearly showed both Sunday.
He got his head to a cross following a corner in the 36th minute that deflected off a Union defender before being swept away at the goal line by Philadelphia keeper John McCarthy. He then headed a corner inches over the crossbar in the 38th minute.
“I sold my soul never to score. That’s what it feels like sometimes,” Horst said. “I came within I swear two inches on both of them. And that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
But Horst isn’t appreciated in Houston for his offensive abilities, which equate to a goal and three assists during nearly two seasons in Texas. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound defender earned two straight MLS Team of the Week selections July 27 and Aug. 3 by shutting down two of the league’s most successful clubs, the L.A. Galaxy and Sporting Kansas City.
“He’s a good competitor, big body, real physical,” Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric said. “Great attitude about him, goes about training real hard every day. He’s a great center back to have. And I think Houston people like that when the big giants get out there.”
But as with any athlete, there’s always that internal drive to improve, and first-year Houston manager Owen Coyle sees it in Horst.
“He’s a big, powerful lad, as you know,” Coyle said. “I still believe there’s more to come from him. He’s a young lad. I’d like to think that he can continue to improve.”
Since Horst’s Team of the Week selections, Houston has dropped 14 of a potential 21 points, going 2-4-1 during that stretch. Still, the Dynamo are six points behind Portland for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with five games remaining.
“That’s 15 points, and we’re going to need all 15,” Horst said.
It’s that determination that is one of many examples the former Pine Grove Cardinal sets for aspiring players like Bronson and Morgan and many others from Schuylkill County to Houston.
Other examples can be taken from Horst’s performance between the whistles. He masterfully headed the ball out of danger in his own defensive third Sunday, winning balls by rising over opponents without impeding their progress. He timed his tackles well, including a clean one in the penalty area in the 45th minute, and has just three yellow cards this season.
But the biggest effect he has on those looking up to him is something over which he has no control. That is the sheer fact that his climb to the top flight of American club soccer has inspired his young, admiring fans to someday do the same.
“It has,” Bronson confirmed. “I want to be a professional soccer player, too.”