Photo of Andres Estrada at the 1998 World Cup
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
May 15, 2014-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very proud of both our Olympic Development Program (ODP) and ODP coach Andres Estrada, who was on the Colombian team that competed in the 1998 World Cup in France.
“ODP takes pride in recruiting coaches of the highest caliber,” commented ODP South Chairperson Burt Wilkes. “We have several college coaches but Andres gives us another dimension.”
Born in Medellin, the silky midfielder represented his native country in both the 1998 World Cup in France and the 1987 Boys-Under-20 World Cup in Chile. In Colombia, he played for Deportivo Cali from 1987 to 1997 (becoming national champions in 1996), for Club Atletico Nacional from 1998 to 2001 (becoming a champion again in 1999) and for Atletico Bucaramanga in 2001 before coming to the United States to play for the Long Island Rough Riders from 2004 to 2006 as his playing career was winding down.
“I came to the United States because there was more opportunity here,” Andres stated. The Bay Shore resident is currently the coach of the 2001 Boys South ODP team and has received his National C Coaching License.
“Andres is a very dedicated and reliable coach plus a great person. We in Eastern New York are very fortunate that he helps develop our young players,” said ODP Technical Director Jose Luis Rebay.
Andres came to the U.S. to play for the Rough Riders the same time as his Colombia teammate, Wilmer Cabrera. Wilmer also went into coaching when he hung up his cleats and coached Eastern New York ODP, the Huntington Boys Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), B/W Gottschee of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) and then the United States Boys-Under-17 National Youth Team. He is now the head coach of Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.
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 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. Eastern New York 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. Eastern New York 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.