A new nonprofit gives young soccer players a chance at the big leagues.
Soccer fans around the world are gearing up for the FIFA 2018 World Cup tournament. The quadrennial event will take place from June 14-July 15 in Russia.
The World Cup puts soccer into the international spotlight, with billions of people expected to watch the games. But to young athletes affiliated with Open Goal Project, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that gives players from low-income families a chance to play soccer, the game is more than a spectator sport. It’s a means to a brighter future.
Founded two years ago by Simon Landau, a 2005 Gilman School graduate, and Amir Lowery, a former Major League Soccer player and volunteer coach, Open Goal Project supports players from low-income families by offering free programs and funding team-related expenses such as travel, uniforms, hotel stays and food. The group’s mission is to provide all players with an equal opportunity to access higher-level soccer opportunities.
“Almost all soccer programming is extremely expensive,” says Landau, 31, the organization’s director of development and partnerships. “A lot of players are being priced out or phased out because of the way the system is set up. I would see extremely talented players whose parents had no idea travel soccer was a vehicle for growth … and the families didn’t have the resources to make that sustainable, even if their kids were given the chance to play.”
Prior to founding Open Goal Project, Landau volunteered as a coach with DC SCORES, a nonprofit afterschool program that forms neighborhood soccer teams to help kids build skills and confidence for success, both on the field and in the classroom. It was through that organization that Landau met Ariana Reyes, who he says was the inspiration for Open Goal Project.
“After coaching, I would play pickup soccer with guys from the community, which was largely an immigrant community,” says Landau. “One of the guys I became close with would bring his daughter to the field. At 8 years old, she had no formal training but would play soccer in the corner. It was striking how talented she was.”
Landau began working with Ariana and managed to place her on one of DC SCORES’ boys’ teams for players 15 and under.
“There was nowhere else for Ariana to play, so we started bringing her to these games,” Landau says. “She was this 8-year-old girl playing with 15-year-old boys. Eventually, I decided enough was enough. If she was put in the right position, with the right resources, I believed she could potentially land a scholarship to college. No one in her family had been to university, and it was obvious to me soccer could be a unique vehicle to get her to a new level of education.”
Now 15, Ariana plays on one of the country’s most competitive travel soccer teams in Northern Virginia and is on the path to playing college soccer.
“Open Goal Project has given me the opportunity to play on teams at the next level,” says Ariana, whose goal is to play soccer with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team. “They help prepare me for college soccer and help me to be a better student athlete. I wasn’t able to have these opportunities when I was just playing at a dusty field with my friends.”
Edgar Ayala, 17, another Open Goal participant, says the nonprofit “has opened many doors for me, both on and off the field. I’ve gotten exposure to many college soccer coaches and I’ve been able to travel outside of the country for the very first time. Thanks to that, I’ve met many different people who have taught me about themselves and their cultures, and soccer was the language we shared.”
Says Landau, who recently left his media career to focus on Open Goal Project fulltime: “Soccer teaches communication, teamwork, leadership and having to think things through. These aren’t things that should cost a lot of money for young people to access.”
Landau says it was a Birthright Israel trip that first made him aware of the importance of giving back to the community.
“I had never been in an environment where service was the core pillar of what people do,” he says. “I came out of that trip feeling like what I was doing with regards to my community and the people I was close with and cared about was part of living a good life.”
Since its creation, Open Goal Project has provided financial support to about 25 players and hosted free programming for 300. Programs include open tryouts and college showcase ID camps that give players a chance to meet and demonstrate their skills to college coaches.
Participants have included athletes from Maryland, Virginia and D.C., and coaches from Howard University, Frostburg State University and Trinity Washington University.
Currently, Open Goal Project supports players from local schools, travel teams and recreational leagues, but Landau says he and Lowery will soon start their own teams. In the future, Landau hopes Open Goal will also provide mentorship and higher education opportunities for the student athletes.
“Open Goal has most definitely changed my life,” says Ayala, a senior at Bell Multicultural High School in D.C. “Without Open Goal, I would have never become the soccer player I’ve become. It’s helped me become a better leader and more vocal on and off the field. I’ve realized how important dedication and commitment is and I will carry all of those skills and lessons with me for the rest of my life.”
Aliza Friedlander is a Baltimore-based freelance writer.
The Orioles' weak defense plays a major role in the nightly carnage, writes Michael Olesker.
Educators, ethicists and Jewish leaders are debating the question as content mills slop on.
Schools in Montgomery County have recently experienced a wave of antisemitic incidents.
This year’s Community Block Party at the JCC of Greater Baltimore will feature classic cars, giant inflatables, games, a rock-climbing wall and roller skating rink, and strolling entertainers.