Diverse Youth Soccer Team Making Worcester Proud
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A group of kids that deserve recognition.
Fans of the Bruins in Worcester are undoubtedly still trying to get over their heartbreaking Stanley Cup defeat at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, but luckily for all of us, there is another team that local residents should not only be aware of, but can easily root for, one with athletes from the City's very own neighborhoods achieving great success at the highest level of their sport.
This team is Worcester's Under 18 Division 1 Boys Youth Soccer team. They are a member of Central Mass' Midland Area Youth Soccer (MAYS) league along with fellow youth teams comprised of players from the same age group throughout Central Mass. They recently won the MAYS league championship for the season of 2013, their second straight season accomplishing this feat.
After losing their first game this season (a 3-2 nail biter), they have been on a tear, dominating the competition by averaging nearly five goals per game (quite a number in soccer) while holding opponents to less than one a game. They are now beginning play in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC), competing against twelve fellow champions from leagues across the state. Last year, they finished third in this prestigious playoff, an accomplishment never before seen in the history of Worcester youth soccer. Ten of those players returned for this year's run.
The Best of the Best
This is no recreational soccer league where every kid gets a trophy. These kids are the best of the best, chosen from among the elite, and they care about winning. Locals should begin to take notice.
"This is as talented a group of athletes you will find in any sport at this age group. Anyone who truly enjoys sports would be impressed by the talents of these players," remarks Chris Bailey, the proud Head Coach of the team.
"Unfortunately we don't typically attract a lot of supporters; people just haven’t yet realized just how athletic these kids are."
Hopefully this will change with continued success.
The Importance of Diversity
In addition to its extraordinarily talent, the team deserves attention for its unique amount of diversity. It is comprised of eighteen athletes from the City. There are players from Burncoat, Doherty, South, North, Worcester Tech, Abby Kelly and St John's. There are players that were born in Worcester, and have lived their entire lives here, along side players born as far away as Africa and South America. There are even nine different languages represented on the team, with a number of players fluent in multiple languages. In fact, North High School Spanish teacher JP Galicia, who doubles as the team's Assistant Coach, was instrumental in bringing many of the players together.
"Basically this is a culmination of athletes that love the sport, work hard and love playing together," remarks the Head Coach.
This team is yet another enlightening example of athletics and the spirit of competition transcending ethnicity, race and language, and it's right here under our noses.
Team members are as successful off the field as students as they are on field as players. Eight will begin attending college in the fall, while seven others will be continuing high school as juniors or seniors.
Understandably, Coach Bailey takes great pride in the fact he has the opportunity to coach such wonderful and talented kids. "This team is talented; we didn’t create or teach this level of athleticism, as coaches we teach a style and system of play that is conducive to their strengths. The satisfaction I receive might be that of a music conductor, a Keith Lockhart if you will, bringing together individual talent and having them play in unison producing a most artistic result. That’s my fulfillment," he glowingly remarks.
Hopefully, members of the Worcester community will soon take a similar amount of pride in the team, with the knowledge that the city has the ability to produce such young, impressive athletes. The MTOC is taking place this weekend. If Worcester is able to advance through the group stage and semi-finals, they will play in the finals on Sunday.
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