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This Past Week:

The Liga Inter Base de Taxistas has been uniting taxi drivers via fútbol each Tuesday afternoon for over a decade! Though they play in north Brooklyn, the players are from every corner of NYC. League founder Luis Chacho—originally from Ecuador—resides in Ridgewood Queens. Like so many local leagues, their online presence is modest, just a Facebook page, but their turnout is epic. Check out some photos from the game day. 

a loose ball up for grabs
a volley rockets by the defense
half-time

Last Sunday was rainy and cold, but that doesn’t stop real fans. I spent the afternoon out in Flushing Meadows getting soaked and loving it with the organizers and players of a handful of different leagues that play there every Sunday from dawn ‘til dusk. One of the highlights was catching a penalty shoot-out between Islas Malvinas vs. St Mikes United. St Mikes came away with the win, and I came away with the shots. Check them out below.

A pregame huddle in the rain, nearby Flushing apartment towers in the misty distance
A goalie warming up for his game against a backdrop of Fall foliage.
An Islas Malvinas player makes the lonely walk up from the half-way line to take a penalty.
A Goal for St Mikes
A Penalty in the Upper 90 for Islas Malvinas
St Mikes United Celebrating After Their Keeper (Purple Jersey) Made The Game Winning Save

Meanwhile in pro soccer:

  • Remember the name Erling Håland. The 6’ 4” 19-year-old Norweigan prodigy cannot stop scoring goals for FC Salzburg, having netted 20 goals in just 13 games this year! He just got his 6th Champions League goal this week… in only his 3rd game. To put that in perspective, it took Messi 17 Champions League games to do the same, and Ronaldo 32 games. Insane.
  • Don’t forget about Pulisic! After a slow start to the season at Chelsea, he’s made some tremendous contributions off the bench this past week, assisting two game-winning goals. Check out his Champions League assist here

Coming up:

  • Brooklyn United Soccer League is starting its indoor league this weekend, and I’ll be visiting the inaugural matches. This is the same league founded by Leon Colt we highlighted a few weeks ago. Tis the season to start thinking indoor. 
  • On that note, consider signing up for an indoor league at SoFive before October 28, or check out Socceroof’s upcoming indoor offerings. I finally got to visit, and it’s an incredible space in a super unique location with immaculate fields and great views.
  • The USL Playoffs are starting! For those not familiar, the USL is the 2nd division of American Professional Soccer, just below the MLS. The quality of play is incredible (see some of the top goals of the season here). If you want to see the playoff games, here’s the low down.
  • Champions League Final rematch this weekend! Will Tottenham find their form and get revenge, or will Liverpool continue their league dominance? The game is at 12:30 this Sunday.

Weekly Face of Fútbol: 

Name:  Nahun Romero

Age:  34

From: Honduras

Resides in:  Astoria

Founder of: 5 Star Academy, a local soccer academy based in Astoria that provides training, fitness and inspiration for children from the age 4-12 years old

Milestones and Progress: 

5 Star Academy is about to have its 3 year anniversary but I feel like it’s just the beginning for us. We’re always growing.

One of the best parts of coaching is…

Giving the kids passion. That’s why I love coaching the youngest kids, you can really shape their passion so they’ll keep going, keep playing, keep trying harder always. 

For more info about 5 Star Academy, check out their website, their Facebook page, or their instagram.

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 share with all your fútbol friends!

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See you on the pitch,

Jon D