Former U.S. Men’s National Team striker Eddie Johnson is taking 3-year-old soccer standout Nevada Pierre under his wing. The toddler is set to join Johnson’s Orlando-based youth training program in January, according to the child’s mother and Johnson’s public statements.
Nevada’s mother, Martasia Griffin, told HuffPost that Johnson saw the viral videos of her son and reached out with an offer. “Now that this situation happened, he’s just gonna take [Nevada] under his wing because he has the proper program for him,” she said.
Johnson, who runs the EJE7 Soccer Academy in Orlando, confirmed the arrangement on Instagram. He criticized the handling of the incident, writing that people “wanna dim his light” and telling Nevada that those who tried to take his dreams away had instead made him “the most famous 3 year old in the world.” In a longer post, Johnson said the episode highlighted deeper problems in American youth soccer, including “Entitlement, Jealousy, Envy, Nepotism, Gatekeeping and profiling especially against people of color.” He added that Nevada “deserves to be around someone that looks like him that can understand him.”
The offer follows a disputed incident on Oct. 24 at an i9 Sports youth soccer game at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Winter Park, Florida. Nevada, who plays against children as old as 5, was filmed repeatedly dribbling past opponents and scoring goals. A league official called police, reporting a disruptive parent. Body-camera footage and the 911 call show the official stating that Nevada was “very advanced” and had been pushing other kids, and that his parents created a scene after he was rotated out to give others playing time.
Nevada’s parents, Martasia Griffin and Don Pierre, maintain that other parents complained because their son was too good and that the family was effectively pushed out of the program for his talent. Griffin has said the episode left Nevada “traumatized” and scared to return to the field, though he still wants to play soccer. Winter Park police classified the matter as civil, made no arrests, issued no trespass warnings, and said the family was cooperative. No one was forced to leave the public park. i9 Sports has said it contacted the family, processed a refund, and is reviewing the incident.
Johnson, 42, knows the Florida youth soccer pathway. He developed at IMG Soccer Academy, starred in MLS (including as Comeback Player of the Year), played in the Premier League with Fulham, and represented the United States at the 2006 World Cup. He now focuses on youth development through his academy.
Nevada began dribbling a ball at about 10 months old and trains intensively with his father. A family GoFundMe launched to cover registration, training, equipment, uniforms, and travel has raised tens of thousands of dollars amid widespread public support.
The invitation gives the young player a new structured environment after the controversy that drew international attention and sparked debate about talent development, equity, and adult behavior in youth sports.
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