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“Soccer is more than just a game, it’s a community and we must help the community too.” Vera’s Soccer Academy (VSA) teamed up with Jackson Heights Beautification Group last Saturday to clean up St. Michael’s Playground and Field in Woodside. It was great to be able to participate in a group effort of all ages, and afterwards there were snacks and some league games for the kids. If you’d like to know more about volunteering with Jackson Heights Beautification Group, check out their Fall Gardening Calendar!
A few highlights from the International Break:
Ronaldo scored his 700th career goal even though Portugal, the former Euro 2016 Champions, fell to Ukraine 2-1. This makes Ronaldo only one of 6 players in history to pass 700 goals.
Argentina routed Ecuador 6-1, and without any of their key players like Messi, Aguero and Di Maria. Is this the first signs of a promising new generation for the Albiceleste, or just a fluke day of bad defending from Ecuador?
Meanwhile, Messi was busy accepting his 6th Golden Boot award for top scorer in Spain. In doing he so he set a new record, as well as celebrating 15 years since his debut with Barcelona.
The USA lost to Canada for the first time in 34 years! Oof. To be clear, the last time the USA lost to Canada, the MLS didn’t even exist yet. Though the MLS is growing and teams are setting new records, seems like this version of the national team still needs to find their identity. Some people are already saying Coach Berhalter needs to go. Who would be the ideal coach to take the USMNT to the next level?
Coming up:
- Sunday will be a full day in both Flushing Meadows park and then over at Randall’s Island. Rain or shine I’ll be visiting the Estudantil Soccer League, a league that’s been playing in Queens for almost a decade. Then I’ll be hitting up Joni Larrea’s All Ecuadorian League playing over under the RFK bridge. There are so many great fields out on Randall’s Island. If you haven’t been, come check it out before it gets any colder.
- Also, next week I can’t wait to meet up with another league I recently discovered—its teams consist almost solely of taxi drivers. Amazing! Only in New York.
- If you’d rather watch than play Sunday, Man U vs Liverpool starts at 11:30 am. Though Liverpool are heavy favorites, based on international duty it may be a slightly more even match. It’s a rivalry that goes back ages and should make for an interesting game. Liverpool even released a short documentary about the rivalry, you can watch it here.
- Maradona, imperfect and extraordinary. Diego Maradona is the new documentary about him, made by the Oscar winning director of Senna and Amy. The movie was largely made possible by over 500 hours of footage shot back in the 80s for a documentary about Maradona that was never made. Can’t wait to see this one. It’s already out on HBO if you have a subscription.
Weekly Face of Fútbol:
Name: Alejandro Vera
Age: 28
From: Elmhurst
Playing since: since always.
How I help the beautiful game: I work with my family’s academy, Vera’s Soccer Academy. We are open to everyone with passion. Passion in these young players should be encouraged, no matter the skill level.
Not just a game: It doesn’t stop when we leave practice. We need these kids healthy and informed. Our academy isn’t just a babysitting service, we help them succeed off the field too
Send me any upcoming events you know about and I’ll share them next time around! I’m always looking for new fields, new leagues, and new anything fútbol.
And feel free to forward this, it’s just the start.
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See you on the pitch,
Jon D