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Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain after winning the 2015 State Open Cup. Jack Harrison is in the middle in the white shirt, behind the boy holding the plaque and in front of the boy with Kermit the Frog on his shoulder. Coach Wilson Egidio is on the far right.

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 18, 2016-When Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber announced on January 14 in Baltimore, “With the first selection of the MLS SuperDraft, the Chicago Fire select Jack Harrison,” it was the first time an Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) product was selected first overall.

The previous highest selection of an Eastern New York player was when Richie Kotschau was picked second, also by the Fire, in the 1998 MLS Draft. Kotschau had a long professional career, playing for five MLS teams over the course of the next decade, was capped by the US National Team and he was inducted into the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame in 2014.

After picking Harrison, the Fire traded him to New York City FC for the number four pick and general allocation money. So Harrison will kick off his professional career playing home games at Yankee Stadium, a long corner kick from Randalls Island, where he played his home games for Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain of the Westchester Youth Soccer District (WYSD).

New York City FC coach Patrick Vieira said, “He’s young (19 years old), but I’m sure he will have a massive part to play in our squad. He’s enthusiastic, he’s full of energy and this is what we want."

Harrison has experienced a very diverse career so far with the England native joining Manchester United’s youth academy at age seven. When at age 14, he was set to commit through age 16, his mother Deborah had concerns about that path having a negative effect on his education.
  
“Of course, he wanted to be a professional player but as a parent, you have to be careful about falling into that trap. What I said to him is if he had an option to play professionally, it’s a bonus. You have to think of it that way and concentrate on education,” she said.
  
His mother had done some research and discovered that in the United States, a kid could pursue higher education and a career in soccer. She connected with Jon Moodey, soccer coach at the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, 120 miles north of New York City. Since a move to the USA could lead to college, the family decided to have Jack leave home.

“The father of his school teammate, Hayden Cosman, called me saying, ‘I have a kid that will be the best player on your team.’ So I told him to send him down! When you have already a very talented team, that sounded great. And the rest is history!” commented Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain coach Wilson Egidio.

Harrison, who stays with his Manhattan teammates when playing and training in New York City, helped lead Manhattan to the heights of youth soccer as they won a national championship, three Regional championships and three State Open Cups. When they won the Boys-Under-17 national championship in 2014, Harrison assisted on the winning goal and won the Golden Ball MVP Award on a team made up of players from nine different countries.

“That was something very special about the team––the diversity was amazing,” Harrison said. “It was nice to pick up different things from different players. It was something you don’t get in England.”

Coach Egidio commented, “Jack has a great attitude, which has an effect on the entire team, and he is very mature for his age and coachable as well, always looking to improve by working hard in practices and games. He is very dynamic as he can play anywhere on attack but I have used him at times as a defensive midfielder, where he did really well. He is quick, fast and can finish with both feet and his great vision makes him a cut above the rest.” 

Before declaring himself for the SuperDraft, Harrison played as a freshman at Wake Forest, where he tied for the team-high with eight goals and led the Demon Deacons with 11 assists for 27 points. He became the first player to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season.

“They say America is the land of opportunity, and for me it’s been nothing but that,” Harrison concluded.

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 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.

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association 

June 1, 2021-When it came time for the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) to select a Club of the Month for June, we decided to take Manhattan as in the Manhattan Soccer Club, which has doubled in size in the last 15 years.

Whereas much of youth soccer’s enormous growth has been in the suburbs, the Manhattan Soccer Club has not only survived but thrived in its urban setting. At 80 teams and 1,340 travel team players, pre-Covid, plus another 250 players in their training programs, the Manhattan Soccer Club is the largest soccer club in New York City.

Real Salt Lake President Bill Manning on the left points to a
map of Long Island on Chris Wingert's shirt.

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

May 5, 2014-There have been 11 Triple Crown winners. The last one was Affirmed which nosed out Alydar in three unbelievable races 36 years ago back in 1978. Perhaps California Chrome, who won the 140th Kentucky Derby this past Saturday, will make history by becoming the 12th Triple Crown winner next month in this Year of the Horse.

It turns out that a longtime player in Major League Soccer with over 200 games on his MLS résumé has a connection to the Triple Crown as Real Salt Lake defender Chris Wingert’s maternal grandfather, Warren Mehrtens, won it as the jockey aboard Assault in 1946.

Not to be outdone, Chris won Long Island youth soccer’s Triple Crown—State Cup, Long Island Cup and the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) division title––with Commack United more than a decade ago. He also played for the LIJSL’s Deer Park Samba.

“I loved growing up on Long Island and playing soccer in the LIJSL,” Chris said. “There is great youth soccer on Long Island and I think that’s one of the primary reasons I have made it as a professional.”

The now 31-year-old was raised in Babylon and became a fixture with the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program, playing ODP for seven years. He also played four years with St. John the Baptist High School, then four years with St. John’s University and has represented the United States with both the Under-23 National Team and Men’s National Team.

Chris became the first player in Division I men’s soccer history to win the Hermann Trophy and the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete Award in the same season (2003), four years after receiving a LIJSL Scholarship.

The patterns continue as Chris went on to become a pro soccer player as his father, Norman Wingert, did. In the 1970s, his dad played goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Atoms of the North American Soccer League and New York Apollo of the American Soccer League.

“It’s important when you’re young to try and get in competitive environments as an athlete. It was always easy for me, when I was growing up, to find other good players to play with and against,” Chris added. “When I am done playing professionally, I plan on moving back to Long Island and being involved with the youth soccer there in some way.”

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.

Dimitrie and Sima Draguca

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 8, 2019-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that brothers Dimitrie and Sima Draguca have been selected as our Personalities of the Month for January. This is the first time that siblings have ever been selected for this award. Dimitrie and Sima are the only children of Simeon and Jelena Draguca of Middle Village, although the couple lived in neighboring Ridgewood for 48 years and that’s where their boys grew up.

Both Dimitrie and Sima were introduced to soccer at an early age by their father, an immigrant from Eastern Europe, and they started playing in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) for the B/W Gottschee club. Dimitrie coached his alma mater, Grover Cleveland High School, from 1990 to 2001, and his best year was in 1992 when Sima was playing central midfielder. Sima was selected All-City Best 11 as the Dragucas led the team to the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) “A” championship for New York City.

The brothers have been certified as coaches and referees with Dimitrie focusing on coaching and Sima doing the same with officiating.

Besides coaching Grover Cleveland High School, Dimitrie served as coach and club director with the Asphalt Green Soccer Club from 1998 to 2009 and as coach and administrator with Downtown United from 2009 to the present. He has also been a high school referee since 2001.

Sima, meanwhile, coached one season of Snoopy Soccer with the Levittown Soccer Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) in 2007 but found his calling as a referee shortly thereafter. The Levittown resident became a US Soccer referee in 2007, a high school ref in 2009 and a college referee in 2011. In a vote of its members, Sima was selected the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA) New Official of the Year in 2011 and the Official of the Year in 2013. He remains the only ref to have ever received Official of the Year so quickly, in his third year in the chapter.

While Sima was busy officiating 10 NCAA playoff games, college conference finals, PSAL finals and the State Cup finals, his older brother was moving up the ladder at the CJSL. Dimitrie, who now also lives in Middle Village, was elected First Vice President in 2009, then elected CJSL President in 2011 and continued in this role until 2016, when he became CJSL Director. That was also the same year the CJSL bestowed on him Life Member status.

And all this wonderful soccer activity is in addition to their “real jobs” as Dimitrie has been a Physical Education teacher in New York City Public Schools since 1993 and Sima has been working as Project Manager for Crown Castle International, a wireless and fiber optic infrastructure provider.

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 nine 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.

From left to right, ENYYSA President Richard Christiano, ENYYSA First Vice President Ken Gulmi,
Bill Smith, ENYSASA President Sal Rapaglia

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

December 10, 2014-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association (ENYSASA) are very happy to announce that Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) President Bill Smith has been inducted into the Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at our 2014 Holiday Party on December 7 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

This is the second consecutive year that Bill has become a Hall of Famer as he was inducted into the SIYSL Hall of Fame in 2013.

Bill started his career in youth soccer 21 years ago, coaching the SIYSL’s Richmondtown Wildcats Girls Under-6 team. The following year, he began coaching the girls Rockets team for the same club, serving as their head coach for the next six years and capturing numerous tournament championships along the way. In 1996, Bill became Director of the Richmondtown Soccer Club and increased membership by 71% during his tenure. He also assumed another coaching responsibility, for its Boys Under-6 team. In 1999, Bill took on the additional responsibility of training Richmondtown's entire soccer program.
 
In 1997, the Oakwood resident also began coaching the Boys-Under-8 team for Staten Island United, continuing as their coach for the next 10 years. Bill received his USSF National “D” Coaching License and also became a certified referee plus certified assignor. He went on to coach the Metrostars/Red Bulls Academy team and Monsignor Farrell High School junior varsity and varsity boys teams.
 
In 1995, Bill joined the SIYSL’s Executive Board as Fourth Vice President and moved up the ranks. In 2004, Bill was elected President of SIYSL's 6,000 players, a position he continues to hold today.
 
Under his leadership during the past decade, SIYSL has implemented the following:
• TOPSoccer for children with special needs
• SIYSL Presidents Cup competition
• 3v3 Friendship Cup for Intramural players
• SIYSL Select Soccer program
• SIYSL Hall Of Fame
• SIYSL Indoor Recreational Tournament
• Senior Day recognizing middle school graduates from the SIYSL
• Annual SIYSL Holiday Gala and recognition for volunteers
 
“The tragic events of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 had a profound effect on Staten Island and our members there. But Bill really shone during this difficult time!” commented ENYYSA First Vice President Ken Gulmi. “He became a tireless advocate on their behalf. He virtually emptied the SIYSL treasury to insure that every child affected by this disaster received Christmas presents, soccer equipment, etc. Bill spent hundreds of hours lobbying local politicians and school officials to get equipment and replacement fields, adding two new field complexes so far and yet never failed to fulfill his day to day responsibilities to SIYSL and ENYYSA. His leadership in this regard was truly outstanding!”
 
In 2010, Bill was elected to the ENYYSA Executive Board as Fourth Vice President and is still a member, currently serving as the Third Vice President and presently serving on numerous committees.

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. 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.

Men's Under-23 champion Rosedale Super Eagles

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

July 31, 2014-The best Under-23 teams from across the Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association came to Stringham Park in LaGrange on Sunday, July 27 and the champion teams crowned that festive day wound up coming from New York City. These games for state supremacy pitted the top teams from the Eastern District Soccer League's (EDSL) members: Greater Hudson Valley Soccer League (GHVSL), Capitol District Soccer League (CDSL) and Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL).
 
Most of these teams’ rosters grew up playing in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).
 
“This league comes together only through great cooperation between Eastern New York’s adult and youth associations,” commented EDSL President Peter Pinori.
 
In the men’s final, the Rosedale Super Eagles, coached by Michael Duncan, became the first Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL) team in the six-year history of the title game to become champions. Rosedale shut out Middlepath of the GHVSL, 2-0. Andie McFarland scored on a penalty kick in the 28th minute after Middlepath was whistled for a hand ball, then Dan Brown added an insurance goal for the Queens-based team in the 53rd minute.

Both semifinals went to a shootout. Rosedale advanced with a 4-3 shootout win after tying Albany Celtics, 1-1, while Middlepath and Manhattan were scoreless and Middlepath advanced in the shootout, 5-4.

On the women’s side, Manhattan Pride repeated as champions with a 3-2 win over Nirvana Legend as the teams traded goals for most of the game. Sofia Munn opened the scoring in the 25th minute for Manhattan but Nirvana responded a minute later with a tally by Meaghan Gagnon.

Jackie Bruno put Manhattan ahead in the 53rd minute but Caroline Staudle responded for Nirvana four minutes later. Manhattan’s Quinn Massaroni scored the winner in the 70th minute for the Jay Myers-coached side.
 
This is the fourth year that the GHVSL has featured a women’s division. Middlepath United won the championship two years ago, while Capitol United of the CDSL captured the inaugural women’s Under-23 State Cup.
 
“Our league gives men and women home from or entering college the opportunity to keep in shape during the summer,” GHVSL President Jim Eleftherion said. “All in all, it was the perfect soccer day.”

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. 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.

Women's Under-23 champion Manhattan Pride

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association 

August 19, 2019-Sporting Club Gjøa of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) rediscovered its Norwegian roots again this summer by bringing five youth travel teams to Scandinavia to compete in the world’s largest youth soccer tournament, the Norway Cup, in the capital of Oslo from July 26 to August 4. 

Boys-Under-13 SC Gjøa Pedersen, BU14 SC Gjøa Bjornebye, BU16 SC Gjøa Berg, BU19 SC Gjøa (mix of SK Brann and Solskjaer) and Girls-Under-15 SC Gjøa (mix of Mjelde and Ronning) travelled from Kennedy Airport.

Four of the five teams made it to the knockout rounds and two Gjøa girls, Aurora Donahue and Leah Maathey, were selected to play for the Rest of the World Team which defeated Norway, 3-1, in the GU15 All-Star Game.

Other highlights included the older boys invading the field and jumping on the goal scorers after SC Gjøa Bjornebye won a shootout as well as watching the Manchester United women’s team in their tour of Norway.

The Gjøa boat for which the club is named was skippered by Roald Amundsen, the first person to make it to the South Pole. The club was founded in 1911 and entered whale fishing and tug-of-war teams in competitions before Gjøa soccer started in 1918.

With approximately 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 nine 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.

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 5, 2021-The Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) started the Exceptional Senior Games in 1981 so top high school senior soccer players could be scouted by college coaches all in one venue. This all-star competition spread throughout the United States and continues on Long Island 40 years later, although it’s now organized exclusively by Nassau County Boys Soccer and the Suffolk County Boys Soccer Coaches Association.

One of the most successful Exceptional Senior Games takes place a long corner kick from the state capital in Albany every year. The Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL) is hosting its Exceptional Senior Games on Thursday, November 11, continuing the tradition of playing these games on Veterans Day. The Games took a year's break because of the pandemic but have returned in 2021 with this schedule:

CDYSL volunteers have been organizing this competition of both public and private schools during its two decades of existence in cooperation with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, the NYSPHSAA Section II and the school coaches plus with the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) providing financial support.

The CDYSL provides jerseys and booklets with profiles on the players and the only thing that the league does not do is select the players as that’s done by the Section 2 high school coaches during tryouts. 

“We anticipate over 200 will play in the games with about another 50 teenagers that will complete the players profiles, which will be distributed to the college coaches in attendance as well as digital copies sent to our coaches database,” explained Jan Brown of the CDYSL.

The action is on four fields at DiCaprio Park in Guilderland, named after the DiCaprio family that sold the property 20 years ago in 2001. The beauty of this showcase is it allows college coaches to view at least a full half of any given game, before moving on to another game. If a head coach comes with an assistant coach, then each one can view the entire game. 

Please join us for an exceptional day of soccer! For more info, contact Jan Brown at jan.brown@cdysl.org or 518-435-2325.

With approximately 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 nine 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. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

June 3, 2019-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has a particularly strong Olympic Development Program (ODP), as our ODP teams have won recent national championships and three of our ODP alumnae––Crystal Dunn, Allie Long and Nicole McClure––will be playing in the upcoming Women’s World Cup in France from June 7 to July 7.

Crystal grew up a short corner kick from the Eastern New York office in Rockville Centre. She developed her wonderful skills in ODP for six years, and also played for the Rockville Centre Power, Rockville Centre Tornadoes and Albertson Fury ’93 in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), winning a State Cup title with the Power. 

The USA team that Crystal was on won the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup and she hopes to duplicate that success in France. She also received the 2012 Hermann Award as college soccer’s best player, was the first selection in the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft and the 2015 NWSL Most Valuable Player.

Her USA teammate, Allie Long, grew up in East Northport in the Town of Huntington and started playing soccer for the Northport/Cow Harbor Mustangs of the LIJSL. She completed her youth career playing for LIJSL teams Oceanside Express and the Albertson Express, winning four consecutive State Open Cup titles with the Express. Allie used being a member of ODP for five years as a springboard to representing the United States internationally with the US Women’s National Team and Under-23 Team.

“Words can’t even express my emotions (about making the Women’s World Cup roster),” Allie stated. “But if I could try to make you envision how I feel…Picture being a little girl, and you had a dream that you’ve always wanted and always dreamed about and it always motivated you, year after year, even when it seemed impossible at times. It pushed you through adversities and sacrifices. And then you finally accomplished it.”

Jamaica goalkeeper Nicole McClure, ironically a resident of Jamaica, Queens, played ODP for one year and also grew up playing in the LIJSL for the Auburndale Strikers and the East Meadow Shooting Stars. With the Shooting Stars, she won the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Girls-Under-15 State Open Cup final in 2005.

In the CONCACAF Women’s Championships last October, Nicole played one game in the group stage, a 9-0 shutout of Cuba. In the third-place match against Panama with the winner automatically qualifying for the Women’s World Cup, the score was knotted at 2-2 in the 120th minute when Nicole was brought on for the shootout. She saved penalty kicks from Panama's Lineth Cedeno and Kenia Rangel while Jamaica converted all four of their shots to qualify the Reggae Girlz for the Women’s World Cup.

Nicole commented, ”The feeling is indescribable. I am incredibly honored and humbled by all of this. It's truly a dream come true and such a surreal feeling. It hits me in spurts as to what I did for my country. It's amazing!” 

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 nine 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 onto http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.