By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
December 12, 2012-Congratulations to Joshua Levine of Rockville Centre, a member of the Olympic Development Program (ODP) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Josh was named best goalkeeper in the 1998 age group while competing for Region 1 at the US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Thanksgiving Interregional in Casa Grande, Arizona from November 24 to 26. ODP is considered the highest level of competition in all of youth soccer.
Josh also plays for South Side High School where he was one of two freshmen to make the varsity team this fall. In the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), Josh has played for the Rockville Centre Revolution since the team’s inception at Boys-Under-10.
"Josh is a gifted athlete with good size, strength and surprising agility to match," commented Revolution coach Cameron Livingstone. "He is a committed player who reads the game well, is eager to learn, demands a lot of himself and urges the best from his teammates. I always marvel how Josh would make a spectacular save on a shot that everybody thought was a sure goal––psychologically deflating opponents while inspiring his own team."
This Revolution side takes its name from the original Rockville Centre Revolution team that was in the news in 2001 when their 41-year-old coach, Steve Tighe, was killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Cameron took over coaching the Revolution after that tragedy.
"The original Revolution was a great group of boys and, for me, an opportunity to try to continue the level of development and love of the game that Steve imparted," commented Coach Livingstone. "As that team finished high school and my own son began travel soccer, we named the new Under-10 team the Revolution. It is an honor and legacy that I always remind the boys of, especially when we have a game at Tighe Field."
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.