ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It was a first-time experience for a New Mexico youth soccer club, as they made their way across the ocean to compete against teams in England during an international trip. “We’ve worked so hard for this trip, and it was just truly amazing,” said Nico Reyes, a striker for the 09′ NM Rapids S.C.
The 09′ NM Rapids Soccer Club, based here in Albuquerque, got a chance to spend several days overseas going up against some of the best youth soccer programs from around the world. “I don’t know the last time they lost a game against a New Mexico team here in New Mexico, so, they were a prime candidate to go out of town and test themselves across the pond,” said Chris Hurst, head coach for the 09′ NM Rapids S.C.
The boys spent those several days in London and Manchester training with world-renowned teams such as Manchester City, and Wolverhampton. They also got a chance to play against highly elite youth teams – some that feed into the English professional teams. The New Mexico Rapids won their first two matches but came up short in the last match.
“The last game, they played a team where they had, the center forward was playing for the first team, and the national league north, and there was another player who plays college, so it was a variety of ages, some of them older than us,” Hurst explained. “The boys got a little bit of a lesson.”
Though they can’t change the results of the last match, the team says the experience was well worth it. “The intensity, and tempo of the game was just different from the U.S. and it was awesome,” Reyes added.
The boys had a big hand in making the trip happen, after raising about $27,000 through fundraising. They put on events such as a golf tournament, wine tasting, and silent auctions as part of the fundraising efforts. Moving forward, the team says they’ll take what they learned from the trip and apply it to their regular season stateside.
“There’s talent out in New Mexico and people need to know that,” Reyes said.