Taylor Booth might not have had a little brother.
As a baby, the future USMNT forward cried so much — he was eventually diagnosed as suffering from torticollis, a painful neck condition, which required five months of therapy — that his mother, Kelli, almost decided against having another child.
She changed her mind, though and, on Sunday, Taylor’s younger brother Zach lined up against him in a Dutch top-flight match in which both Eden, Utah, natives scored.
Taylor’s impressive hat-trick for Utrecht, after Zach had given relegation-fighting FC Volendam an early lead, ensured the older sibling walked off with the match ball and the bragging rights.
But they embraced on the pitch afterwards and it was a proud occasion for their family — a game Taylor’s victorious club later dubbed ‘The Booth Battle’.
“To have family in the stadium and a result like that with three goals was definitely special,” said Taylor. “I knew the pressure was on (me) when Zach scored the opener. Feeling the pressure from him as the younger brother is something you don’t want as the older brother, but I knew I had to respond and show him who the boss was.
“He looked over at me when he scored and gave me a little smirk. When I made it 4-2, I made him a little ‘money’ sign for him to get his credit card ready for an expensive night. We’re going to go big tonight, for sure.”
The brothers honed their skills as kids playing in the basement of the family home, which father Chad — in attendance on Sunday with a half-and-half scarf wrapped around his neck — converted into an indoor practice area.
Now Taylor, linked with Manchester United in the summer, and Zach, who is on loan at Volendam from Leicester City, are part of a crop of gifted young Americans making an impression in Europe.
Taylor, 22, a right-winger who has two senior USMNT caps, came through the Real Salt Lake academy before joining Bayern Munich in 2020. He was sold to Utrecht, who are 11th in the table after Sunday’s win, in the summer of 2022.
Attacking midfielder Zach, 19, also started at Real Salt Lake before being scouted by Leicester while playing for the United States under-17s in a tournament in England. He signed for the East Midlands club in 2020.