Soccer is not normally the first sport that comes to mind for the younger generation in the state of West Virginia. Like many other states, football is the dominant sport in the “Mountain State”.
While that may always remain a constant, the rise of the collegiate programs in the state like West Virginia University, Marshall University, and even D2 representatives University of Charleston have helped put the state on the map in the soccer world.
Having those successful collegiate programs has been huge for the state. There’s no doubt about that. However, if soccer is going to keep rising in the state, it has to start with the youth.
There is one soccer travel organization based in the state that is proving that soccer absolutely has a place in the heart of West Virginia’s mountains. Read more: West Virginia still rising as the soccer state.
What is WVFC?
West Virginia Futbol Club (WVFC) is a youth travel soccer club based in West Virginia that ranges from different age groups across both boys and girls. The organization has teams as young as 12 years old and as old as 18 years old.
WVFC primarily builds its teams with players from West Virginia. Although a few exceptions exist, such as one or two players from Ohio, the club consists almost entirely of young West Virginians.
At its core, the program strives to nurture and develop young athletes in a state that isn’t typically known for soccer development. However, that hasn’t stopped it from also finding success at the national level.
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In particular, their U16 team has proven themselves as one of the best teams in their age bracket across the nation. Currently ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 65 across the United States and Canada, the U16 is not only representing WVFC at the highest level, but also the state as a whole.
WV Sports Nation was able to get exclusive access to interview some of their players, as well their head coach Fayanga Keita. The pride these kids were able to express was truly admirable, and it starts at the very top with their head coach.
The growth of the sport
While talking to Coach Keita, I could immediately feel the passion he has for not only WVFC, but the entirety of youth soccer in the state. Originally from West Africa, Keita played soccer at Marshall from 2008-11, and has remained in the state since.
That perspective has allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the makeup of youth soccer in the state, and how college programs like WVU and Marshall have helped it grow.
“The growth has been great. Marshall and West Virginia have brought more kids to it (soccer),” Keita said. “It makes us competitive against other club teams. At the beginning they overlooked us because we were from West Virginia.”
WVFC getting overlooked at the beginning of their journey is something that a lot of West Virginians can relate to. That is especially true for the soccer players in the state.
While the state isn’t used to churning out elite level soccer players, Keita’s U16 group has consistently gotten better each year. And now with them on the cusp of competing at the 2026 Youth Soccer Boys National Championships on July 13, Keita credits all the players involved for the success they’ve had.
“It’s a testament to the players and to my commitment to making sure we do everything we have to do,” Keita said. “As well as to all the other coaches.”
As someone who moved to the state for soccer, Keita has also been able to see the overall growth West Virginia has had in youth soccer.
“The youth movement has really grown. It has grown a lot over the years since I moved to West Virginia in 2010,” Keita said.
Player testimonials
At the end of the day it’s that growing youth movement that is going to help turn West Virginia into a suitable place for soccer development. It’s clear that the players on WVFC’s U16 team are proof of that.
Harrison Balenovich, the team’s starting center back, expressed the pride he has to represent the state he comes from. As a student at Charleston Catholic High School, he also understands what WVFC’s success means for the younger soccer players in the state.
“There is so much pride in it, especially coming from West Virginia,” Balenovich said. “We’re showing these younger kids that we can do it at the national level. The kids just starting out are seeing that they can put soccer first.”
The team’s starting goalkeeper, Karsen-Owen Cremeans, who attends Cabell Midland High School, talked about how he has gained inspiration from schools like WVU and Marshall.
Related: Unlikely national team finds home in West Virginia
“Pressure is a privilege, embrace it,” Cremeans said. “Soccer is more than just a sport to many West Virginia youth. Watching big universities in our backyard and wishing and dreaming to be just like them. That’s where my drive comes from.”
As two West Virginia natives in the heart of their soccer development, Cremeans and Balenovich are proof that the state has the ability to be one of the best in the country. And with highly successful universities at the forefront, soccer is quickly gaining more light across the state.
Even Ohio native Bryson Culbertson understands the importance WVFC’s success has for the area. His coaches in Ohio still support his participation in the West Virginia based club.
“It’s a big thing for sure,” Culbertson said. “Even my high school coaches put stuff out on social media about us without me even knowing.”
What this means to the state
The success WVFC is having at the national level is incredibly important to West Virginia’s soccer makeup. For a state that so often overlooks the sport, it only further exemplifies the efforts these young athletes are doing at the national stage.
It’s easy to root for the success WVU is having, or even Marshall. Those schools have turned into some of the best in collegiate soccer.
That obviously helps bring a positive reputation to the state. However, it’s very rare that West Virginia natives are on those teams.
That’s exactly why WVFC is just as important to the state’s soccer future. Just as the state’s top college programs represent West Virginia on a national stage, the young athletes across WVFC’s teams showcase the future of soccer in the Mountain State.
With the steady growth the club is having across all age groups, that future looks incredibly bright.
WVFC’s U16 team picks up its meteoric rise at the National League Cup Finals in St. Louis from July 7-9. Afterward, it will look to represent the state at the 2026 National Championships in Salt Lake City from July 13-23.
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