WESTON, Mass. — Henry Osborn (22) grew up in Weston on Conant Road and attended Weston Public School from K-12. He played soccer for as long as he can remember, first with his parents in his backyard and then with Weston youth soccer, Kinderkicks and the BAYS, before joining the Boston Bolts for club soccer. Once he landed at the Bolts at 10 years old, he played with them at various levels — NPL, ECNL, pre-Academy, and Academy (now called, “MLS Next”).

He also played for the Weston Middle School and Weston High School (WHS) teams. Henry had to make a tough decision when deciding about whether to play for WHS as he could not play for both WHS and the highest, non-professional level Bolt Academy team. Henry knows that he made the right decision to play with WHS, while playing at the Bolt’s pre-Academy level, as he learned so much from both experiences as well as developed extremely close friendships with his teammates on the WHS team.

In addition to soccer, Henry played hockey, lacrosse and track. One of the highlights of running indoor and outdoor track his senior year was when he was part of the State Championship track team in 2018, competing in the 1000 (indoor) and the 4 x 800 relay (outdoor).

Although hockey was his favorite sport for a long time, Henry stopped playing in Middle School to focus on soccer. He played center midfield throughout his High School career and was a DCL All-Star both his junior and senior years as well as an Eastern Mass All-Star his senior year. Known for his speed, endurance and soccer IQ, Williams College recruited Henry to play center midfield and winger as well, where he has excelled, starting 15 out of 16 games as a junior. In addition, last season, Henry led his team in assists and received the “Most Improved Player Season-to-Season” award.

Having played soccer for the Bolts since he was 10, Henry decided to try out for their USL2 team this past winter. The USL2 team allows collegiate soccer players to play at a very high level during the summer months while retaining their college eligibility. The Bolts signed Henry in Spring 2022, and, starting this summer, he will begin his semi-professional soccer career with the Bolts, practicing four to five days, and playing one to two games, per week.

When asked what he is most excited about playing for the Bolts, Henry replies, “I am most looking forward to being able to train with and play against really good players. This will likely be the highest level of soccer I will play in my life, so it is a really amazing opportunity. It will also be a great way to prepare me for my last college soccer season.”

Outside of soccer, while studying to be a Statistics and History double major, Henry loves skiing, waterskiing, frisbee, card games, and spending time with family and friends. Of course, having grown up in Weston, he is a huge Boston sports fan. He especially loves to get to Gillette Stadium whenever he can to see his cherished Patriots.

But, for now and the foreseeable future, soccer will continue to be his number one sport. “Playing soccer is just so much fun,” expresses Henry. “I really love the competitive aspect of it as well as being on a team. Many of my best friends in high school and college have come from the soccer teams on which I played.”

Henry’s path from youth soccer to being signed by the Bolts shows that hard work truly pays off. Congratulations, Henry, on this amazing accomplishment!

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