By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
June 6, 2026-Winning their semifinal and quarterfinal games in penalty kick shootouts after scoring one goal in each game, the floodgates opened for Brooklyn United in the Boys-Under-15 final and they defeated Clarkstown, 8-2. This match for the Ray Wolfe Cup was played on Saturday, May 30 at the Blue Sky Sports Complex in Middletown.
The cup’s honoree played in the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, coached in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) and was State Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) for nearly a decade before passing away seven years ago.
Brooklyn United coach Andrew Giraldo explained, “The boys walked into our third final this spring and were very nervous after losing the previous two. Really happy to win the State Cup Championship and win one trophy this spring. The boys have been working very hard.”
Neil Duff scored two goals while Thomas Bogdahm, Julian Cavallaro, Liev Cohen, Beckett Lemire, Henry Todd and Louka Valdes-Habib each netted one to bring the Ray Wolfe Cup back to Brooklyn.
Clarkstown received the Rocco Amoroso Sportsmanship Award as determined by the game officials. Amoroso, a US Soccer Life Member who died nine years ago, started the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it spread to Eastern New York, nationally and then to China and Ireland, and in the process, made soccer games kinder and gentler.
Brooklyn United will represent Eastern New York at Nationals from July 16 to 23 in Salt Lake City.
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, east of Route 81. ENYYSA encourages 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 US Soccer and US Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/