News

Nominations Are Open For the US Soccer AGM Awards

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

September 18, 2026-The US Soccer AGM Awards recognizes individuals who have made meaningful contributions to the sport and our soccer community. We encourage you to nominate someone deserving recognition for their leadership, service, innovation or dedication in advancing US Soccer’s Generational Ambitions – US Soccer Success, US Soccer is Yours and US Soccer Everywhere.

Fernando G. Alvarez Referee Champion Award-This award honors those who dedicate their time, wisdom and passion to championing refereeing in the United States. Nominees may be leaders, mentors or advocates who inspire, support and positively advance refereeing.

Nominate a Referee Champion

Kim Crabbe Game Changers Award-This award recognizes individuals who have created positive, lasting change by addressing social challenges in their communities through impact, creativity, sustainability and expanded opportunity in the game.

Nominate a Game Changer

Carla Overbeck Leadership Award-Recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership within the US Soccer landscape—motivating and mentoring others, leading by example, adapting to change and fostering collaboration across membership.

Nominate a Leader

Werner Fricker Builder Award-Honors individuals with at least 20 years of service to soccer who have made a significant national impact, built programs that outlast their involvement and demonstrated distinguished service to the sport. Nominees must be living at the time of nomination.

Nominate a Builder

Nominations for all awards close on Friday, October 16.

The four recipients will be celebrated at the 2027 Awards Dinner held on Saturday, March 13 at the US Soccer Annual General Meeting in Atlanta.

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/

Eastern New York Remembers Those We Lost on 9/11

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

September 11, 2026-Architect Minoru Yamasaki once said this about his most famous work:

“I feel this way about it. World trade means world peace and, consequently, the World Trade Center buildings in New York…had a bigger purpose than just to provide room for tenants. The World Trade Center is a living symbol of man’s dedication to world peace…Beyond the compelling need to make this a monument to world peace, the World Trade Center should, because of its importance, become a representation of man’s belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and through cooperation, his ability to find greatness.”

September 11, 2001 changed all that and the world we live in.

2,753 innocent people were killed at the World Trade Center exactly 25 years ago, including 37 from the New York soccer community:

Coaches
Joseph Angelini, coach, Lindenhurst Soccer Club
Scott Bart, son of Danny Bart, past president of the Valley Stream Soccer Club and Long Island Junior Soccer League supervisor
Jim Cove, coach, Rockville Centre Soccer Club
Vincent D’Amadeo, coach, Bellport Soccer Club
Andrew Desperito, FDNY, coach of the Bellport Tigers (Boys-Under-11)
Andrew Friedman, coach, Syosset Soccer Club
Bill Gardner, coach, Lynbrook Soccer Club
Edward Geraghty, coach, Rockville Centre Soccer Club
Jim Geyes, coach of the Rockville Centre Lightning (Girls-Under-14)
Thomas Hobbs, coach, Baldwin Scorpions (Boys-Under-11)
Rudy Mastrocinque, coach of the Kings Park Celtic (Boys-Under-12), past president of the club
Kevin Murphy, coach, Northport Youth Center
Gerald Olcott, coach of the Albertson Lightning Bolts (Boys-Under-19)
Adam Ruhalter, coach Plainview/OB (Boys-Under-10)
Howard Selwyn, coach of the Hewlett/Lawrence Blue Blast (Boys-Under-10)
Lonnie Stone, coach, Bellmore PAL
Steve Tighe, coach of the Rockville Centre Revolution (Boys-Under-12)
Danny Trant, former coach of the Northport/Cow Harbor Bandits (Girls-Under-19)
Paul Zols, coach, Oceanside United Soccer Club

Players, parents
Ezra Aviles, Commack
Erwin Ecker, Farmingdale
Craig Gibson, Barnstonworth Rovers FC (Cosmopolitan Soccer League)
Gary Herold, Farmingdale
Billy Johnston, FDNY, played originally for the North Babylon Patriots
Mrs. James Kenworthy, wife of Downtown United Soccer Club coach Farrell Lynch
Joseph Maloney, Sachem Youth Soccer League
Louis Modafferi, Silver Lake (FDNY Captain who was off-duty that day but still went to the World Trade Center)
Peter Nelson, South Huntington
Patrick O’Shea, Farmingdale
John Paolillo, North Shore Soccer Club
Christopher Quackenbush, Manhasset Soccer Club
Paul Sarle, North Babylon
Tommy Schubert, New York Hota
Chris Sullivan, Farmingdale
Tim Suozzo, Hauppauge
John Tipping II, Smithtown
Sergio Villanueva, FDNY, player, College Point Flames (Long Island Soccer Football League)

A non-profit organization, the 9/11 New York Soccer Foundation, was created to help the families of the above victims. A fundraiser was held at Farmingdale State College on November 23, 2001 with three friendly games being played that day in front of a large crowd. FDNY played NYPD in the opener, the New York Cosmos Alumni took on the Legends team with the Greens vs. the Blues competing with professional players on both teams.

“We soccer volunteers all know people who died on 9/11, including dozens from the soccer community,” stated ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “None of our current youth players were alive then so I hope that what they have read and learned in school will lead them to ask questions to find out more about the heroism shown on that tragic day and the months that followed.”

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/

All Our Players Should Be Learning About Sportsmanship

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

September 10, 2026-It’s mathematically impossible for the two teams competing to win a soccer game but both squads should be having fun. In a Project Play survey of youth soccer players in the New York City metro area last year, 48% of kids said playing with their friends, 46% replied having fun and 45% said learning or improving skills were their reasons for playing youth soccer. Only 23% cited winning as the reason.

Few kids in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) will receive college scholarships or go on to play professional soccer but all should be learning about sportsmanship and treating others the way that they want to be treated so that they become better people.

Courtesy of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League

Opposing coaches can get off to a good start by greeting one another when they arrive at the field as a number of refs have reported that games can go much smoother because of this. Players and spectators follow the lead of their coach on how to behave.

As Eastern New York leagues kick off the Fall Season this month, let’s see great goals, good saves and Fair Play in every game.

There are approximately 25 million handshakes after Eastern New York matches annually.
Photo courtesy of the Long Island Junior Soccer League.

Eastern New York Supports the Historic Integration of US Soccer and US Youth Soccer

State Associations helped shape the decision and will play and even larger role in creating new opportunities to strengthen soccer in communities across the country.

August 31, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has joined state associations across the country in supporting a historic step to make US Youth Soccer (USYS) part of US Soccer, bringing the organizations closer together to invest more in local soccer and create better experiences for players and families. Creating greater alignment across the game and new opportunities to strengthen soccer locally.

USYS State Associations voted to approve the change during their Annual General Meeting, which will begin a two-year integration process starting on September 1, 2026. The decision brings USYS’s decades of experience and reach across youth soccer closer together with US Soccer’s resources and national scale.

“This is an exciting moment for soccer in Eastern New York and across the country,” said ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. “We supported this decision because we believe we can accomplish more for the game by working together. Our clubs, leagues and communities have built an incredible foundation for soccer in Eastern New York. US Soccer has made a real commitment to investing more in the game locally, which gives us an opportunity to build on what we’ve created with greater resources, stronger connections and the full weight of US Soccer behind our shared goal of growing and improving the game.”

What This Means for Soccer in Eastern New York

The integration begins a two-year process in which State Associations will work closely with US Soccer and USYS to help shape the future of soccer in communities around the country.

The goal is to create a stronger and more connected soccer system that can:

Bring more resources and investment to soccer locally.
Strengthen State Associations and their ability to support and grow the game in their communities.
Create more opportunities for people to play and stay in the game.
Better support clubs, leagues, coaches and referees serving players every day.
Make soccer easier for families to understand and navigate.
Connect local communities more directly to US Soccer and the resources, expertise and opportunities available nationally.

The integration is part of US Soccer’s broader Pathways Strategy, which brings together members and stakeholders from across American soccer to create a more connected future for the game. For Eastern New York, that future starts locally building on the work already happening in our communities and creating the support, investment and opportunities to help soccer reach even more people across our state association.

Eastern New York ODP Places 24 Players on the Interregional Team

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

August 30, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that 24 players from our Olympic Development Program (ODP) have been selected for the Interregional Team.

The breakdown is as follows:
2010 Boys-Jaedan Coleman, Ibrahima Diallo, Ely Tai
2011 Boys-Kenneth Cabanas, Noah Garcia, Angelo O’Connor
2012 Boys-Aaron Pantophlet
2013 Boys-Gavin Deyo, Darina Mu, Roan Prenga
2014 Boys-Carter Williams
2009 Girls-Abigail Woodruff
2010 Girls-Charlotte Laraque, Beatrix Milledge
2011 Girls-Valentina Marquardt, Emily O’Brien
2012 Girls-Calianna Robilotti
2013 Girls-Teddyanne Calixte, Samone Spivey
2014 Girls-Saige Bullen, Brynn Hullah, Julia Nordman, Antonia Purificato, Catherine Smolenski

“We’re happy and excited that these players are getting the recognition they deserve,” stated Interim ODP Director Bryan Knight. “We are also pleased that they have advanced to the level they are at and look forward to them representing Eastern New York at the highest levels of the game.”

Next January in Florida, these players will have the opportunity to be selected to the ODP National Team.

ODP is a high-level supplementary program where players are guaranteed to be seen by national and regional coaches. Eastern New York boasts one of the strongest ODP programs in the country and the development of stars like current US National Team players Sam Coffey, Claire Hutton, Joe Scally and Phallon Tullis-Joyce are a testament to the program’s excellence.

Local Soccer Events Raise Money For Breast Cancer Support

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

August 25, 2026-With 320,000 women diagnosed annually with breast cancer, including 17,000 New Yorkers, two local soccer events run each year by dozens of enthusiastic volunteers were played in August to raise money against the disease.

The 19th Annual Goals For Hope Tournament, featuring many alumni from the Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League (HVYSL) and other Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) leagues, was played on Sunday, August 2 at Stringham Park in LaGrange. Six men’s teams and 15 women’s squads competed on a cloudy day in the Hudson Valley.

Through tournament sponsorships, donations and raffles, including donations from US Men’s National Team player Tyler Adams of Poughkeepsie, money was raised for the Miles of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. This wonderful non-profit organization supports and provides services, financial aid and resources for those affected by breast cancer in the nine counties of the Hudson Valley. Since its founding in 2004, Miles of Hope has raised over $4 million.

Refs from the Hudson Valley Soccer Referee Association (HVSRA) donated their services to the tournament.

The 20th Annual Pink Ribbon Soccer Festival, organized by the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) and Estée Lauder, was played on Saturday, August 8 at the Peter Collins Soccer Park in Plainview. 25 LIJSL teams played 3v3 and four coed teams from Estée Lauder had fun in small-sided games on a glorious summer day on Long Island.

“It was a wonderfully pink day at the park,” LIJSL League Programs and Events Manager Stephanie Hernandez said. “No scores, no standings, just lots of fun raising money for a good cause. Our partnership with Estée Lauder has turned into years of friendship that continues to grow.”

Through player entry fees, breast cancer support merchandise sales and raffle tickets, $5,438 was raised for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, founded by Evelyn Lauder in 1992.

Refs from the Long Island Soccer Officials (LISO) donated their time in refereeing.

Juan Castillo, Estée Lauder’s Executive Director of Quality Assurance at the Melville office, explained, “The energy from work is here. What the volunteers do is the backbone of the tournament. We have mothers, sisters, wives who are all impacted. Because of you, they are not alone.”

ENYYSA Teams Can Receive a Free Sideline Camera and Subscription

August 20, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is proud to announce Trace as its new Official Sideline Video partner.

Trace, established in 2011, is revolutionizing the use of video by leveraging AI technology to seamlessly identify, follow and spotlight each player on the field, automatically delivering a personalized playlist of individual highlights for every player after each game.

Additionally, Trace cameras are specifically designed to provide an enhanced viewing experience, allowing parents, coaches, and scouts to zoom in and follow a player throughout the match. Account users can also rewatch their plays, use video to develop their skills and share highlight playlists with friends, family, and recruiters.

Under the partnership, every team registered with an ENYYSA member club, from recreational to premier, can claim a complimentary sideline camera and PlayerFocus™ Pro subscription, bringing automated game film to sidelines across all ten of Eastern New York’s member leagues. Each team claims its own equipment directly at the partner checkout page, with instructions provided throughout the process.

“Every one of our member clubs, from our biggest programs to our smallest grassroots leagues, now has access to the same video technology top programs pay thousands for. Partnering with Trace means our coaches spend less time worrying about who’s filming the game, and our families have access to every highlight without lifting a finger,” said Tom Frambach, Director of Marketing & Membership Programs, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association.

“Eastern New York is one of the largest, most established youth soccer associations in the country, with ten leagues and more than 100,000 players across the region. Giving every one of their member teams a free camera and access to automatic highlights is exactly the kind of value we want partnerships like this to deliver. We can’t wait to see cameras on sidelines across all ten of their member leagues,” stated Gentry Contreras, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Trace.

Teams interested in requesting their free Trace camera and PlayerFocus™ Pro subscription should visit traceup.com/partner/eastern-new-york-youth-soccer to begin. Use code ENYFREE at checkout. Must be redeemed at checkout with a new camera.

Remembering the Dedicated Joe Danbusky

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

August 15, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is mourning the loss of longtime referee, instructor, mentor and assessor Joseph Danbusky, who passed away peacefully at home on August 12 after a long battle with cancer. The New Hyde Park resident was 80 years old.

Joe’s “real job” was working as a courier for FedEx for many years before retiring but he found his passion in the Beautiful Game. He was a referee at the youth, adult, high school and college levels and as the years went on, he became a dedicated instructor, becoming Eastern New York’s Director of Instruction. He also served for over a decade on the Board of Directors of the New York Metro Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association (NYMISOA). In the twilight of his life, Joe still showed up to help at Eastern New York ref clinics in-between his chemotherapy treatments.

The Long Island Soccer Referees Association (LISRA) stated, “Joe found tremendous joy in devoting himself to teaching, mentoring and preparing the next generation of soccer officials. He approached the game with the same qualities he brought to everything in his life: discipline, fairness, attention to detail and an unwavering commitment to doing things the right way.”

Visitation is Monday, August 17 from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm at the New Hyde Park Funeral Home, 506 Lakeville Road, New Hyde Park, NY. Funeral Mass on Tuesday, August 18 at 10:45 am at Notre Dame Church, 5 Mayfair Road, New Hyde Park.

We have lost a very good man! May he rest in peace.

Ellida Earnhart Receives a Cortlandt ODP Scholarship From Eastern New York

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

August 14, 2026-Congratulations to Ellida Earnhart who is receiving a scholarship through the Cortlandt ODP Scholarship Program from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA). ODP, short for the Olympic Development Program (ODP), is the highest level of play in every state association and players are guaranteed to be seen by national and regional coaches. Eastern New York would particularly like to thank the Cortlandt Soccer Club for funding this scholarship. Ellida has played for Eastern New York ODP for the past two years. The Philmont resident wrote in her essay:

Playing sports while balancing your education is hard. The long nights, tired mornings and exhausting days can feel like they last forever. But at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of the marking period or the end of a game, when you score a goal, make an amazing tackle or receive an “A” on an assignment ,it makes it all worth it.

For me, I strive to be the best I can be. Whether that’s my career in sports, on the soccer field, or in every honors and college class I take, I choose the hard path. I chose to take the honors classes, complete the extra assignments and try out for the ODP team. My time here and now matter. I plan to make an impact. I plan on graduating summa cum laude, playing soccer in college and becoming an environmental lawyer. I am chasing my dreams, and will take every chance and opportunity I can to make them a reality.

Ellida is in the top 10% of her class at Taconic Hills High School, has maintained this status since the eight grade and recently received awards in Chemistry and Spanish.

Sean Mahoney Receives a Cortlandt ODP Scholarship From Eastern New York

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

August 13, 2026-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is pleased to announce that Sean Mahoney is receiving a scholarship through the Cortlandt ODP College Scholarship Program. ODP, short for the Olympic Development Program (ODP), is a high-level supplementary soccer program and players are guaranteed to be scouted by national and regional coaches. Eastern New York would particularly like to thank the Cortlandt Soccer Club for funding this scholarship.

Sean has played for Eastern New York ODP for seven years, represented the East Region three times and was the East Region team’s captain this past year. Additionally, he played for the ODP National Team in both 2025 and ’26.

From his midfield position, the Baldwin resident helped lead New York Hota Bavarian 2008 Blue to the State Cup and Regional championship last year as well as the semifinals of Nationals and to the State Cup title this year.

Sean was on the honor roll at Oceanside High School where he was a 3-year varsity starter. He captained the Sailors last fall to the Conference AAA championship and was named Class AAA Player of the Year, All-County, All-State, All-Region while leading Class AAA with 17 assists.

Sean wrote in his essay that “I made lifelong friends through ODP, both players and coaches at the state, regional and national levels. I’m proud of the trust my coaches put in me to be a leader and I hope that I lived up to their expectations. My favorite moment was playing Juventus in Italy in front of 1,000 people. ODP was a great experience that I would not change for the world!”

We wish Sean the best studying and playing soccer at Cortland State 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, 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/