Back row, from left to right: Maynor Palacios, Alexander Brooks, Franceso Hinojal, Ronaldo Fatolou, Owen Stafford, Boniface Fatohou, Kamran Acito, Asaf Grofman.
Front row, left to right: Bakary Anderson, Seyvik Magon, Aidan Chuang, Robert Weiztman, Samuel Weisleder, Mohammed Maroc, Alexander Matos, Owen Nesci, Danny Montoya.
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 22, 2019-Regional finalist New York Stars Premier Galaxy are playing for the Boys-Under-15 national championship this week! In just the past year, the team has won championships in the Massapequa Showcase, Potomac Memorial Tournament in Maryland, the EDP Cup Spring Showcase in New Jersey, the USYS North Atlantic Division and our boys hope to bring the national championship back to New York.
Representing the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), New York Stars are in Overland Park, Kansas for the US Youth Soccer national championships and start group play tomorrow when they play Michigan’s Nationals Union 04 Black at 6:30 pm. On Wednesday also at 6:30 pm, New York Stars take on PPA KSA 04 Pro-Profile from Georgia. Our boys conclude group play with a 8:30 pm kick-off on Thursday against New Jersey’s Real Jersey FC.
The top two teams in each four-team group will play the semifinals on Saturday at 7:00 am with the national championship game scheduled for Sunday, July 28 at 9:40 am. All games at the Nationals are being played in the morning and at night to try and avoid the oppressive summer heat.
With players from Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and New Jersey, the team plays most of its home games at Reinhart Field, on the campus of SUNY Maritime and a very short corner kick from the Throgs Neck Bridge.
“Our strength is our ability to take players on 1 vs. 1 all over the field,“ explained New York Stars coach Ra Ung. “To win the national championship, we will all need to be consistently at our best, show patience and be disciplined for each game. Also, we must execute and stick to our game plan and trust each other in the challenging moments.“
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and 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. 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 Children With Special Needs. 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.