Councilman Jon Burgess recognized the champions of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) 2017 All Stars Team (Region 805) at the City Council Presentations on February 22, noting the teamwork, dedication and “fire” of both the coaches and players. The U12 Girls Team won first place in the annual tournament in January, making them the State Champions for the third year in a row. The U10 Boys Team were also victorious, coming home with a second place win.
Councilman Burgess opened his presentation, saying, “The AYSO 805 soccer teams that made it to the finals this year did a great job representing Homestead up at Wellington.” He first acknowledged Head Coach Carlos Montes and Assistant Coach Jonson Gutierrez, who coached the U10 Boys Team. “These guys dedicate their time each and every week to help these young men out on the soccer fields — not just to teach them about soccer but to teach them about life,” he said, adding, “[They] make sure the kids learn from whatever they do.”
Continuing, Councilman Burgess turned to the players and said, “We’re very proud of you guys and we thank you for representing us. Next year, we’ll see you back here and we’ll give you a trophy for first place, I hope."
Then he turned to members of the U12 Girls Team, who had placed first in States in their age group, and said, “The girls dominate every year. It’s unbelievable how good they’ve become. This is the third year in a row they’ve won a championship and brought it back, representing Homestead.” Again, he noted the coaches’ dedication, saying, “It’s unbelievable how hard [the coaches] work for these girls. … I know one of the coaches gets a little fiery and has to be told to sit down every now and then, but that’s OK. He instills that fire in the girls [and] they go out and play.”
Concluding his presentation, Councilman Burgess exclaimed, “Congratulations, Ladies. What a great job!”
The State Champions, U-12 Girls Division, that were honored and recognized during the presentation included: Emily Saucedo, Leanna Gallegos, Abigail Lopez, Sarah D’Leon, Janeisy Gamino, Dierra Cantu, Lindsay Vega, Layla Reyna, Kennedi McPhee, Valentina Santana, Kathleen Fisher and Head Coach Soila Gallegos and Assistant Coach Javier Gallegos.
Second place winners, U-10 Boys Division, that were honored and recognized during the presentation included: Joel Gutierrez, Davis House, Gustavo Maltez, Carlos Montes, Westin Prichardo, Nicolás Mejía, Anthony Hill, Damien Lucero and Brady Largent, and Head Coach Carlos Montes and Assistant Coach Jonson Gutierrez.
The AYSO is the oldest national youth soccer program in the United States. It started from humble beginnings with only nine teams and a handful of soccer enthusiasts in 1964. AYSO has grown to a non-profit organization that provides youth soccer programs for participants all over the United States and internationally in the Virgin Islands and Trinidad and Tobago. Consisting of over 50,000 teams and 500,000 players nationwide, AYSO is one of the leading youth soccer organizations in the world.
AYSO Region 805 has continued to grow and offer its membership relevant programs to the communities of Cutler Bay, Homestead, Florida City and the Redland’s. Today, Region 805 has more than 60 teams and grown to more than 560 kids, between the ages 4-18.