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From left to right: ENYYSA President Richard Christiano, Girls Recreational Coach of the Year Jason Buser,
Of the Year Awards Chairperson Randy Vogt

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

December 12, 2018-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that longtime East Islip Soccer Club coach Jason Buser has been honored as our Girls Recreational Coach of the Year. The award ceremony took place at the ENYYSA Holiday Party on Saturday, December 1 at Marina del Rey in the Bronx.

The East Islip resident coached both his son and daughter in the East Islip Soccer Club’s intramural program for over a decade, starting in 2005, and continues to coach his youngest daughter. He can still be found giving his time to the club at field set-up, working in the concession stand, working as a field marshal at the Fall Classic Tournament and even cleaning up the fields at the end of the day.

Jason also become involved with the East Islip TOPSoccer Program when it kicked off in 2008.

East Islip TOPSoccer Director Louis Pepe wrote, “The program was in its infancy stage and was a work in progress but Jason jumped in without hesitation. He initially decided that we needed to have a logo so he designed our Just for Kicks logo plus produced letterhead and shirts for the players. We decided that it would be a great idea to be a resource to the community and he produced brochures to distribute to the school district. Without his initial push, the program would not have grown to the point it is today.“

Congratulations to Jason Buser, the Eastern New York Girls Recreational Coach of the Year.

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.

From left to right, Tim Kane, Justin Weinert and Stephen Betz with the Excel Cup

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

May 4, 2018-Three boys from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) travelled to Scotland with the 2002 Boys East Region Olympic Development Program (ODP) and won the Excel Cup during Spring Break from April 7 to 15.

Tim Kane and Justin Weinert are central defenders, Stephen Betz is the central midfielder and all three have developed their skills with Eastern New York ODP for the past four years. In club soccer, Kane plays for the Cedar Stars Academy of the Staten Island Youth Soccer League (SIYSL) while Weinert and Betz are teammates on the Levittown Gunners of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL).

The Excel Cup, organized by Worldstrides, offered an opportunity for many of the best players from each country to compete against one another. Playing against youth teams of Scottish professional clubs, East Region ODP defeated Celtic, 4-3, then was shut out by Hearts, 4-0, before defeating Airdrie, 3-0, Alloa Athletic FC, 3-1, and topping East Kilbride in the shootout, 4-2, to take the Excel Cup.

ODP is considered the highest level of competition in state associations. Each year, players must be re-evaluated by the ODP professional staff of coaches for a position on each age-specific team. The identification process ends with the most elite players within the region competing for a position on the regional team. Players are then identified by US Soccer staff coaches for possible entry to the national team program. Crystal Dunn and Allie Long are two Eastern New York ODP players who are playing on the US Women’s National Team yet even those players who do not make the regional or national teams often use ODP as a springboard to college scholarships and even on to pro soccer.

The Scotland trip was not all soccer as the players and their families were able to tour Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Paisley in-between games.

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

 

 

The 71s in white and the 72s in orange before the game

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
  
September 4, 2014-We at the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) know that the friendships forged on soccer fields can last a lifetime. One example is the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Select Team of boys born in 1971.
 
As teenagers, the 71s won the Pocono Cup in Pennsylvania and played in the Dallas Cup in Texas and the 1987 Pelé Cup all over Brazil. With the World Cup being played in Brazil this past summer, the teammates, now in their early 40s, decided to have a reunion. So they met at Lily Flanagan’s in Babylon on June 14 and watched the Italy-England World Cup game from Manaus, Brazil, a place they had visited in 1987. Their coach, Bill Easteadt, even was there as the former teammates from all over the East Coast came to Long Island and the party lasted much longer than they had the room booked for.
 
Seeing the publicity about the 71s, who call themselves the “best LIJSL Select Team ever,” was the LIJSL Select Team of boys born in 1972. This team had also won the Pocono Cup and played in the Dallas Cup as teenagers. They too were still in touch with one another so they challenged the 71s to a friendly game which took place on Saturday, August 23 at the New York Cosmos training field in the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale.
 
Many players on the field were high school and college All-Americans two decades before and all are still involved in soccer in some way. Some are in playing shape and some are a few pounds over.
 
With many current Eastern New York youth soccer coaches on the field, perhaps it’s not surprising that the teams concentrated on keeping their defensive shape and no goals were scored at the start. But when Brian Anselmo scored for the 71s in the 15th minute, the floodgates opened and the 71s topped the 72s, 8-7.
 
Anselmo scored a hat trick, Jason Renick added two goals, Michael Blackton and Joe Ferrante scored one goal and Craig Marino notched the winning goal. For the 72s, Brian Sentowski scored four goals, Brandon Cruz added two goals with an additional tally by former U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Chris Armas.
 
So the 71s can keep their unofficial title of “best LIJSL Select Team ever,” at least for another year. There is talk of them playing in a tournament in Upstate New York or playing the 72s again next summer.
 
“It was great seeing that my former players still have skills and can think on the field,” commented Coach Easteadt. “Most of all, it was great to see their families and future soccer stars playing on the side.”

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.

 

Teresa is front and center, being honored by the Italian-American Soccer League of New York

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

February 3, 2016-The pasta and wine were flowing in Howard Beach this past Sunday when Teresa Petruccelli-Weston was honored as the Italian-American Woman of the Year. The ceremony took place at Russo’s on the Bay.

Teresa is the third consecutive woman from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) to be given this honor. In 2014, the Italian-American Soccer League of New York (IASL) honored Cathy O’Brien, who despite the award is 100% Irish-American, as its Woman of the Year. Cathy, who was the Operations Administrator of Eastern New York before her retirement last year, was honored for her enthusiastic commitment to the Olympic Development Program (ODP) trips to Italy. Last year, a bit of normalcy returned to the award as the IASL honored Gina Titus, 100% Italian-American, for her more than three decades of working as a soccer volunteer.

Teresa continues the pattern of honoring women who have given much of their lives to soccer. She comes from a soccer family and her father, Giulio, an Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Famer, is from Santi Cosma e Damiano in Italy while her mother, Nancy, hails from Sicily. Teresa played on a boys team with the Auburndale Soccer Club of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) until she was 12 years old. She then played on the first girls team for the LIJSL’s New York Hota Soccer Club, serving as team captain, with her team winning the State Open Cup three consecutive years.

Teresa also developed into a top player with Eastern New York ODP and Region 1 ODP. Another highlight of her soccer career was competing for the Long Island Lady Riders in 1996 and 1997, helping lead them to the W-League national championship in ‘97 as a teenager while playing against opponents a decade older than her.

At St. Francis Prep in Queens, she was a four-year starter, captained the Terriers for two years and scored an amazing 95 goals. She became the first girl from Auburndale to gain a full scholarship to a Division 1 college, leading another team called the Terriers as she was a two-year captain, four years All-Conference and helped Boston University win two America East titles and make the NCAA playoffs twice. Teresa was also honored as the America East Rookie of the Year. She graduated in 2002 with a degree in Communications and Sociology, married her husband Bobby and now they have three children––Julia, Peter and Alessandro.

In 2007, Teresa began training various girls travel and premier teams. She also founded the First Kicks Soccer Program for the Auburndale Soccer Club. First Kicks introduces children from ages three to five to the wonderful sport of soccer. The program has grown and expanded to various locations on Long Island’s North Shore.

The now Manhasset resident also founded the first adaptive soccer program for special needs children in the Auburndale Soccer Club and it holds a special place in her heart.

In her acceptance speech, Teresa said, “Women’s soccer has come a long way. When I was growing up in Queens, not many parents were pushing their girls to play soccer, so I was forced to play on a boy’s team. All my success is a direct result of my parent’s love and encouragement, on and off the field. Some people rolled their eyes at my parents when they enrolled me in soccer. Others criticized them. But my parents, my coaches and my teammates at Auburndale never told me that, as a girl, I had no place on the soccer field. With their guidance, I learned that I could do anything I wanted do if I worked hard and kept trying. That’s the lesson I try to share with my children and now, as a coach, with my players on the field.”

Congratulations to Teresa Petruccelli-Weston, the Italian-American Woman of the Year!

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.

Back row, left to right-Coach Billy Carroll, Nina Carlomusto, Talani Barnett, Claire Mensi, Nicole Scudero, Sarah Quigley, Administrator Kim Houlahan, Coach Bill Carroll 
Middle row, left to right-Francesca Lilly, Ryan Conway, Jade Fixon-Owoo, Morgan Novikoff, Amanda Steinberg, Kaylee Houlahan, Logan Ward, Sabrina Bell
Bottom row, left to right-Brittany Munson, Julianna Kissane, Gina Giovinco, Kaila Jean-Charles, Lauren Mastandrea, Lindsay Wright

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

July 11, 2017-The HBC Impact of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) continue to fill up their trophy case as the girls not only became the only team in Region 1 to defend last year's Regional title but won their third consecutive Regional championship, in Spotsylvania, Virginia on the Fourth of July. It's been said that defense wins championships and that could be a good omen for HBC at Nationals from July 25 to 30 in Frisco, Texas as they have conceded only 4 goals in 16 games this spring.

“I don't think anyone from New York can properly prepare for Nationals in Texas as the conditions are just so different but we're going to train as hard as we can,” commented HBC coach Billy Carroll. “We need to work on corner kicks and set pieces as we gave up the majority of our goals last year on them. We're going to try and get as much conditioning done so that we're as prepared as possible for the heat and sun. The plan is to play a couple of friendlies to stay in game shape during the next two weeks.” 

The team from Huntington is in the middle of another amazing season as they went 8-0-0 in the Girls-Under-17 age group in the Eastern Regional Premier League. They have played in five State Open Cup finals, winning the last three years, and won all three Regional finals they have played in.

“We're excited to be attending Nationals again and representing HBC and Eastern New York,” Coach Carroll 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 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.

 

 

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
August 16, 2019-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Kieran Hughes is receiving a Livio D’Arpino Scholarship. The scholarship’s namesake was a beloved Eastern New York Vice President who was seemingly involved in every level of local soccer before his untimely passing in 2002. The award is based on success in high school as well as community service.
 
The Latham resident was on the Honor Roll and received the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish before graduating from Shaker High School this past June.

Kieran is also receiving a scholarship from the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL). He played for the CDYSL’s Latham Circle Soccer Club plus has officiated hundreds of youth soccer games in both the CDYSL and at Afrim’s Sports.

He wrote in his essay, “During my sophomore year of high school, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness known as ulcerative colitis. I did not know it at the time but the diagnosis has given me a life-changing form of adversity that would shape my life from that day forward.

Prior to my diagnosis, I was an active person. I worked as a certified referee for the CDYSL, captained my JV soccer team and played on the varsity team during their sectional run…The following year, due to my health, I struggled to earn a spot on the JV team.

I was absent from school 25 days during my junior year, was hospitalized for a second time and found difficulty in participating in activities due to fatigue. I succeeded in putting my school work first and my grades remained the same as previous years.

I’ve come to the hard realization that playing competitive soccer in college is no longer an option but my love for the game will never change. I plan to join the club team in college and will also continue working as a referee…Through this experience, I’ve prevailed as a stronger individual. This daily battle with my body continues to give me the confidence day after day to prove to myself that I’m able to win this battle.”
 
We wish Kieran the best at Siena College this fall.
 
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.

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

January 4, 2023-Approximately 100,000 children and teenagers, from the East End of Long Island to the Canadian border, play soccer in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). Although some have gone on to play professional soccer plus in the World Cup and Olympics, all have learned the value of teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship and getting along with others through the life lessons they have learned on our soccer fields. Here are the Top 10 Reasons why we have so many players:

1. State Cup. Eastern New York has two levels of the State Cup––the State Open Cup and the Challenge Cup––so every premier and travel team in Eastern New York has a chance to win a state championship. Both competitions try to schedule games against local opponents as much as possible. The finals of both will be played on June 3 and 4, 2023 at Stringham Park in LaGrange as that first weekend in June will be a celebration of New York soccer. 

2. National Championship. For ambitious teams looking to play against top competition and possibly win a national championship, they can do it through the State Open Cup as it’s part of the National Championship Series. After winning the State Open Cup, they would move on to Regionals and potentially Nationals. Or they could become a national champ through the US Youth Soccer National League. The top teams earn advancement to the Regionals as well as a chance to earn a coveted spot in the National Tier of the Leagues Program. Additionally, we are kicking off the ENYYSA National Qualifying League this spring by invitation only for top teams in Eastern New York.

Crystal Dunn, back row in gray shirt, with some of her adoring fans in her hometown of Rockville Centre

3. Olympic Development Program. ODP is considered the highest level of competition in each state association. Every year, players must be re-evaluated by the ODP professional staff of coaches for a position on each age-specific team. The identification process ends each summer with the most elite players within the East Region competing for a position on the regional team. Players are then identified by US Soccer staff coaches for possible entry to the national team program. Crystal Dunn and Allie Long are Eastern New York ODP graduates and Women’s World Cup champs yet even those players who do not make the regional or the national teams often use ODP as a springboard to college scholarships and even on to professional soccer.

4. TOPSoccer. This is a wonderful program for Children With Special Needs. Special Children playing soccer in an organized league actually started in Eastern New York back in 1978 when the Huntington Boys Club (HBC) and Massapequa Soccer Club separately started programs in an era when Special Children playing sports is not as accepted as it is today. Craig Ludin, who has Down’s Syndrome and has been playing for HBC since he was a young boy, received so many medals in the Special Olympics that he was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame over a decade ago. Craig’s teammate John Cronin started a very successful local business, John’s Crazy Socks, with his father Mark. 

New York Futsal action

5. Futsal. Futsal is the only version of indoor soccer approved by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. The surface, ball and rules together favor ball control in small spaces and futsal is increasingly cited in the discussion on how to improve player development, particularly in the winter months here in Eastern New York where outdoor fields are frozen and unplayable. Both New York Futsal and the Long Island Futsal League play under the Eastern York umbrella and both are very active with league play this winter. 

6. Risk Management. To protect our players, Eastern New York conducts background checks on coaches and referees before they participate in our games. They must pass this background check every two years to continue to be involved in our competitions. Eastern New York also provides awareness education to coaches, communicating information regarding field and player safety.

7. Coaching Education. Under the supervision of Eastern New York Director of Coaching Tim Bradbury, the coaching licensing curriculum provides all soccer coaches, from the beginner to the advanced, with up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge so that Eastern New York coaches can help our players develop to their full potential. Coaches can earn state and national coaching credentials plus the courses offer valuable information and current coaching trends state-wide, nationally and internationally. All courses are available in both English and Spanish.

8. SAT and ACT Prep Courses. Eastern New York provides exclusive, free access to acclaimed SAT and ACT prep courses from eKnowledge, which is normally a $250 value. These courses can be taken online or via DVD, which makes them ideal for our busy student/athletes. Contact Siokbee Usaraga at siokbee@eknowledge.com

9. College Scholarships. Every summer, Eastern New York awards college scholarships to help defray the cost of college for deserving high school seniors. Five Eastern New York leagues––Capital District Youth Soccer League, Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League, East Hudson Youth Soccer League, Long Island Junior Soccer League and the Staten Island Youth Soccer League––all have separate scholarship programs as well.

10. Support of All Leagues, Players, Coaches and Refs. Eastern New York provides insurance for all its competitions, hosts referee certification and recertification, promotes member leagues and recently helped secure $1.27 million in funding from New York City to create a new turf soccer field at Big Bush Park in Woodside.

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 10 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/

 

CHICAGO (Nov. 9, 2015) – The named Plaintiffs in the Mehr youth soccer concussion litigation and the U.S. Defendants, the United States Soccer Federation, United States Youth Soccer Association, American Youth Soccer Organization, US Club Soccer and the California Youth Soccer Association are pleased to announce a resolution of the lawsuit.

The United States Soccer Federation and the other youth member defendants, with input from counsel for the plaintiffs, have developed a sweeping youth soccer initiative designed to (a) improve concussion awareness and education among youth coaches, referees, parents and players; (b) implement more uniform concussion management and return-to-play protocols for youth players suspected of having suffered a concussion; (c) modify the substitution rules to insure such rules do not serve as an impediment to the evaluation of players who may have suffered a concussion during games; and (d) eliminate heading for children 10 and under and limit heading in practice for children between the ages of 11 and 13. The complete details of the initiative along with a more comprehensive player safety campaign will be announced by U.S. Soccer in the next 30 days.

Steve Berman, lead counsel for the plaintiffs said: "We filed this litigation in effort to focus the attention of U.S. Soccer and its youth member organizations on the issue of concussions in youth soccer. With the development of the youth concussion initiative by U.S. Soccer and its youth members, we feel we have accomplished our primary goal and, therefore, do not see any need to continue the pursuit of the litigation. We are pleased that we were able to play a role in improving the safety of the sport for soccer-playing children in this country."

U.S. Soccer CEO/Secretary General Dan Flynn of the United States Soccer Federation representing the Federation and the other youth members said: "We are proud to be leaders in the areas of concussion education and management. The development of a player safety initiative was under way before the current lawsuit was filed. In constructing the concussion component, U.S. Soccer sought input from its medical science committee which includes experts in the field of concussion diagnosis and management, as well as from its technical advisors, and worked with its youth members to develop a true consensus-based program. We are pleased that the plaintiffs and their counsel recognize the steps we have taken and look forward to sharing the benefits of the youth concussion initiative with players, coaches, officials and parents."

– ussoccer.com – 

Photo of goalkeeper Tim Melia courtesy of US Soccer

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
 
November 20, 2017-Great River, Long Island native Tim Melia has a great deal to be thankful for this Thanksgiving as he helped lead Sporting Kansas City to the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup championship and was selected as the MLS Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year with over 50% of the vote.

The now 31-year-old grew up playing in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) for such notable teams as the East Islip Red Raiders, Albertson Red Storm Arrows and the LIJSL Select Team plus also played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) teams of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Region 1.

In college, he competed for Oneonta State and then Lynn University. Tim bounced around the pro soccer circuit, playing for the Long Island Rough Riders (2007), Rochester Rhinos (2008-10), Charleston Battery (2010), FC New York (2011) and then made it to Major League Soccer (MLS) with Chivas USA, conceding 12 goals in six games as their back-up goalkeeper from 2012 to ’14. When Chivas folded in 2014, Tim ended up in MLS’s goalkeeper pool––where no one wants to be at 28 years old.

When Sporting Kansas City’s three goalkeepers were injured the next year, they called on Tim, and he has been their starting keeper ever since. Tim was named the MLS Comeback Player of the Year in 2015.

This year, Tim put together his strongest MLS season with a league-leading 0.78 goals-against average and 78.4 save percentage among goalkeepers (to make at least 15 regular-season appearances) and 10 shutouts, ranked second in the league. In his third season as Kansas City’s starting goalkeeper, he set career highs in wins (12), shutouts (10), saves (91), minutes (2,759) and games started (31). Kansas City’s defense led MLS by conceding the fewest goals this season with 29.

Tim said about receiving the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, “It’s an honor as this is the highest accolade you can receive as a goalkeeper in MLS. It’s something that you work your whole career toward achieving but it is a personal accolade and it only happens because of the efforts of teammates and coaches. Without the support of my family, friends and teammates, receiving this award would not be possible.”

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.