Vera Sharan of Murrysville is accustomed to scoring goals with her club soccer team. But this summer, she’ll have to get used to hearing, “Elle a marqué un but” in place of “She scored a goal!”

Vera, 11, was recruited to play in France with an elite preprofessional youth football team starting in early June.

Vera competes with the Pittsburgh Independence Football Club as a striker and goalkeeper. The team is part of PA West Youth Soccer, which is organized under the umbrella of U.S. Youth Soccer.

“Her club team coaches reached out to some of their international soccer contacts, who reached out to Georges Ba,” said Vera’s mother, Rachel.

Ba is a former professional soccer forward from Ivory Coast who operates the Georges Ba Soccer Academy. Vera’s team will travel to France in June to play tournament games and learn from Ba and other coaches.

For Vera, it’s a step on the road toward her goal of one day representing Team USA on the soccer pitch.

Vera plays club soccer on an under-15 team, meaning many of her opponents are older and bigger than she is.

“I have to do extra training and learn how to find passes better,” she said. “I really like having fun and scoring.”

In France, Vera will be playing in tournaments, touring the country and learning more about how soccer is played at the international level. Her team will be overseas for two weeks.

She said she’s excited for the challenges she’ll face.

“On my club team, not everyone has the foot skills I have, and when I go to France, all of the competition will be on a higher level, and I’ll have to raise my level as well,” she said.

In addition, Vera was recruited to play on a team of mostly older players. She credited her Independence coaches David Flavius and Thomas Louisy with helping her to develop and elevate her game.

“I’m excited to meet other players and see playing styles from around the world,” she said.

Flavius, a St. Lucia native who was inducted into the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Hall of Fame in 2019, said Vera is endlessly enthusiastic about soccer and has grown quite a lot.

“It’s wonderful that she is getting the chance to go overseas,” he said. “The earlier players can get opportunities for this kind of experience, the more they can change their game and get to the next level. The experience of European soccer is priceless, and it’s something you don’t really get in current U.S. soccer culture.”

When she’s not running on the pitch, Vera is holding a whistle, coaching younger players and helping them develop fundamental skills and confidence.

Vera’s mother said she couldn’t be more proud of her daughter’s accomplishments.

“I’m awestruck, honestly,” she said. “Vera works so hard. She practices before practice and after practice. For her to be selected for this team, rather than trying out, is pretty awesome. I don’t know what this will bring, but we’re excited for this moment.”

Vera will depart for France on June 6.