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Eastern NY ODP would like to congratulate coach Haleigh Svede, 2006 ODP Girls, on her selection to the United Soccer Coaches 30 Under 30. The program features a group of America’s most promising young coaches. Individuals are selected from a pool of almost 300 applicants.

The 30 Under 30 Program is a year-long education and mentorship opportunity designed to support up-and-coming members of the coaching profession who are 30 years of age or younger.

Great job Haleigh!!!

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

March 31, 2016-As the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) kicks off its fourth season on Saturday, April 16, 11 players from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) are on the rosters of the 10 NWSL teams. Nine of these players played in Eastern New York's Olympic Development Program (ODP). Our players in the NWSL grew up in the Hudson Valley, Westchester, New York City and Long Island:

A little bit of history occurred last November when two Eastern New York players were traded for one another for the first time ever as NWSL defending champion FC Kansas City sent Rebecca Moros to the Western New York Flash for Brittany Taylor.

Although Kansas City has won the past two NWSL championships and is one of the favorites again this year with Taylor on defense, the addition of Moros could mean that Western New York will lift the trophy in 2016 as she has won championships in the W-League, Women’s Premier Soccer League, Women’s Professional Soccer, the NWSL and the Nadeshiko League in Japan, often playing a pivotal role in the championship game.

Congratulations to all 11 players who have achieved their dream of playing professional soccer!

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 tohttp://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 3, 2021-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that James Malone, President of Middle Country Children’s Soccer in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), is being honored as Administrator of the Year.

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/

Photo courtesy of the LIJSL

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

March 19, 2015-At the Huntington Hilton on Saturday night, March 7, five soccer players who grew up playing in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) were inducted in the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame during the 33rd Annual Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Convention. Michael Windischmann of Queens was one of the honorees.

The awards keep coming for Mike as he has been inducted into the Halls of Fame of US Soccer, the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) and Adelphi University and now adds the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame to that list. He grew up playing for B/W Gottschee, Gjoa, Queens United and Brooklyn Italians plus was an All-American at Adelphi. He earned 50 caps with the US Men’s National Team and is best-known as being the US captain during the 1990 World Cup as the Americans qualified for the first time since 1950. They have qualified for every World Cup since but Mike and his teammates ended that 40-year drought.

Mike was also a player on the 1998 Olympic team, 1987 Pan American team and US National Youth Teams in 1983 and ‘84 plus helped lead the red, white and blue to the 1992 Futsal World Cup final in Hong Kong, where they lost to Brazil 4-1. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lazars of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1987-88 and Albany Capitals of the American Soccer League in 1989.

The other Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame inductees were Alan Bodenstein, Ed Cody, Emily Pickering Harner and Tom Lang. Congratulations to all five!

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.

From left to right: ENYYSA Hall of Fame Chairperson Ken Gulmi, SIYSL President Bill Smith, Joe Licata, ENYYSA President Richard Christiano

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
December 19, 2017-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that longtime volunteer Giuseppe “Joe” Licata was inducted into the Eastern New York Hall of Fame during our Holiday Party on December 17 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

Our honoree developed a love of soccer early on in life in his hometown of Porte Empedocle, in Agrigento, Sicily. He played everywhere he could, including the beach and the streets, when he wasn’t on the field. When he was 12, he began playing for Ragazzi dell'Empedoclina, a local youth them. At 18, he competed for Prima Divisione and impressed everyone with his technical and strategic skills plus goal-scoring ability. When not on the field, Joe found time to acquire his degree in Ragioniere & Perito Commerciale (as a CPA).

Joe immigrated to America at the age of 26. His love of soccer continued in Brooklyn on the Italian-American Soccer League team Fiorentina. The highlight of Joe's local playing experience was a game he played at Downing Stadium on Randall’s Island in front of 40,000 screaming fans. Soccer legend Pelé was featured in the second match and Joe remembers running up to the great Brazilian player and congratulating him after he scored a goal for the Santos team.

Joe and his family moved to Staten Island in 1974. At that time, soccer was virtually non-existent on the island, and in 1976, he founded the St. Patrick’s Soccer Club. Before that, the only soccer club on the island was Silver Lake of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL). Over the next decade, St. Patrick’s grew to unexpected proportions, and in 1979 consisted of 27 teams, 65 coaches, and 350 players.

St. Pat's became the first league to initiate an all-girls team. Over 800 supporters celebrated at the bi-yearly award dinners and often included American soccer celebrities as guest speakers and award presenters. In addition to his work with St. Patrick’s, Joe was considered one of the founding fathers in 1978 of the Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) that presently boasts more than 6,000 youth players of all ages and nationalities. The girls’ soccer program on Staten Island is currently one of the best in the state.

The highlight of his soccer volunteering occurred in 2002 when he and wife Anne used their Wall Street contacts and fluency in Italian to fulfill an invitation by the Italian government for a Staten Island Boys-Under-17 team to play in a tournament in Agrigento named “The World In Sicily.” The New Yorkers turned heads by finishing in second place and Joe received a Humanitarian Award. Over their long career, the Licatas also took youth soccer teams to tournaments in Canada and across the United States and they were the first husband-and-wife team to be inducted into the SIYSL Hall of Fame, with Joe being inducted in 2008 and Anne in 2010.

In 1997, Joe retired from his full-time position as a Foreign Exchange Broker and was once more lured back to the soccer field as a referee and league consultant. He held ref certification badges for the New York State Public and Catholic Schools as well as for US Soccer. In the summers, Joe taught youngsters in a soccer sponsored by the Police Athletic League of New York.

After 35 years of service, Joe is very happy to see all he helped create for the youth of Staten Island continue. His love of soccer and of young people continues, and he hopes the early soccer seeds he planted will grow for many years to come.

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.

From left to right: Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame Founder Kevin McCrudden, Jack Shannon, Sara Whalen-Hess, Dominic Padone, Sue Ryan, Ritchie Kotschau and LIJSL President Addie Mattei-Iaia.

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

March 18, 2014-At the Huntington Hilton on Saturday night, March 8, five top Long Island soccer players were inducted in the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame during the 32nd Annual Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Convention:

Hicksville’s Jack Shannon played for the LIJSL’s Hicksville Americans Soccer Club from 1968 to 1980. He was cut from Hicksville’s “A” team at the age of 11 so he spent many hours practicing by himself and made that squad the following year. He eventually wound up on the Hicksville Minutemen, coached by former LIJSL President Peter Collins, and the team finished second in the nation in 1979 and 1980. Jack was a member of the Hicksville Americans Board of Directors in 2001 and 2002. He was an All-American at Hicksville High School and received the Vince Lombardi Memorial Trophy for Best Student Athlete in 1982 while playing at Fordham University from 1979 to 1983. Jack played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1982 and 1983, the New York Nationals of the United Soccer League during their one season in 1984 and the indoor New York Express in 1986 during an era when American pro soccer is not nearly as stable as it is today.

Greenlawn’s Sara Whalen-Hess played for the LIJSL’s Northport/Cow Harbor Mustangs and the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) Olympic Development Program. After competing in soccer and basketball plus running track at Harborfields High School, she became a three-time All-American at the University of Connecticut, being also honored as the NSCAA National Player of the Year in 1997 plus Big East Defender of the Year in both 1995 and ‘96. Sara played for the Long Island Lady Riders of the W-League, then the United States Women’s National Team. She replaced Michelle Akers and played every minute of overtime in that iconic 1999 Women’s World Cup final and landed on the cover of Time magazine and Sports Illustrated a few days later. Although they could not make the induction ceremony, her former teammate Mia Hamm and her former coach Tony DiCicco sent congratulatory letters to Sara. In 2001 and 2002, Sara played for the New York Power of the Women’s United Soccer Association until she tore her ACL and MCL. The recovery did not go well as her knee became infected and she became seriously ill with a severe allergic reaction. She underwent five surgeries to recover but that ended her playing career. The sudden loss of her lifelong identity as a soccer player prompted Sara to help others with the same issues so she studied for her Master’s at Fordham and her doctorate at Fairleigh Dickinson and today she’s Dr. Sara Whalen-Hess, a clinical psychologist.

Dominic Padone played for the LIJSL’s Glen Cove Soccer Club, the North Shore Soccer Club and with Jack Shannon on the Hicksville Minutemen. Dominic was also a star player at Schreiber High School in Port Washington, earning All-American honors. He played for the NASL’s Washington Diplomats in 1979, then came home to play for the Mineola Portuguese of the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL). His exemplary play was spotted while the team was on tour in Portugal and he was signed to a pro contract in that country. From 1981 to ‘85, he played for Portuguese First Division teams Leixoes Sports Club, FC Salgueirous and Sporting Trofense at a time when it was very rare for an American to be playing pro soccer overseas. Tragically, a MS diagnosis ended his professional career. Dominic came home and was somehow able to play a few more seasons in the LISFL.

“I have so many fond memories of growing up and playing soccer on Long Island,” he said upon his induction.

Northport’s Sue Ryan is a pioneer for women’s soccer. She started playing soccer in the 1970s for the LIJSL’s Northport Sea Devils, then played four seasons at Cortland State, winning the first women’s college soccer national championship in 1980. Sue competed in the inaugural Empire State Games in 1978, helping Long Island win consecutive gold medals during the first three years of the competition. Sue then became the head coach of the Stony Brook University women’s soccer program in 1985 and has coached the Seawolves for the past 29 seasons. In 2011, she was honored with the NSCAA Women’s Committee Award of Excellence, which honors those who have brought distinction to women’s soccer. Sue is also the head coach of Region 1 ODP and has served as head coach of Eastern New York ODP and the LIJSL Girls Select Team Program.

“Especially since my alma mater, Northport High School, did not offer girls soccer when I was there, if the LIJSL volunteers did not have the idea to start a girls soccer program in the 1970s, I wonder what I would be doing today,” Sue stated.

Levittown’s Ritchie Kotschau played for the LIJSL’s Levittown Soccer Club, then competed for the Hicksville Hawks, winning the Triple Crown (State Cup, Chase Cup, LIJSL division title) with the Hawks. Ritchie also played for LIJSL Select and Eastern New York ODP. After leading George Mason University to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, he was selected second overall in the 1998 Major League Soccer Draft by the expansion Chicago Fire. Ritchie and fellow LIJSL alumnus Chris Armas, teaming up for the first time, helped lead the Fire to the MLS championship and US Open Cup title in that magical ‘98 season. Ritchie had a 10-year MLS career and also played for the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake. He competed for the United States National Team at the Under-18, Under-20 and Under-23 levels and had one cap for the US Men’s National Team.

“Steady, consistent, didn’t stray and everybody liked him,” commented Hicksville Hawks coach John Fitzgerald, who introduced Ritchie. “He’s one of the most humble players I ever knew.”

Congratulations to all five inductees who join the inaugural class of 2013––Chris Armas, Paul LeSueur, Shep Messing and Kim Wyant––in the Long Island Soccer Player Hall of Fame.

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.