BSOC: Photo Gallery from @CCPAthletics 2-1 victory (4-2 in PKs) over @FHCSoccer in a @STLchampsleague semifinal from 10-14-26 is at the link below. @Msccamp @STLHSCL. benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-So…

BSOC: Photo Gallery from @WAOS_Tigers 2-1 OT victory over @fzwjaguarsoccer in a @STLchampsleague semifinal from 10-14-26 is at the link below. @Msccamp. @STLHSCL. benvessa.smugmug.com/Boys-So…

St. Louis High School Champions League @STLchampsleague :Semifinal Matches are set! The stage is set for some FIRE #STL - Wednesday 10/14 ⚽️Chaminade Football Stadium 5:00 pm Oakville vs. Fort Zumwalt West 7:00 pm Chaminade vs. Francis Howell Central

If you’re not willing to risk it all, you’ll never create anything truly new. Living in the world of high performance can be one of the loneliest places to exist. You walk a razor-thin line between success and failure, constantly challenging boundaries, questioning conventions, and pushing yourself beyond what others consider possible. But perhaps the greatest challenge of all is authenticity: having the courage to be unapologetically true to who you are, what you believe, and what you stand for, even when it makes others uncomfortable. Try living with that level of authenticity for just one day. No masks. No compromises. No pretending to be someone you’re not. No changing your convictions to fit in or seeking approval to make others feel comfortable. You might discover just how difficult it really is. Because when you stop trying to please everyone, not everyone will stay. Some will misunderstand you. Others will walk away. And you may find yourself standing alone more often than you ever expected. But that is the price of choosing conviction over conformity, truth over comfort, and creation over convention. Sometimes, the loneliest path is the one that leads to something extraordinary.

Forget pay to play… How about Stay to Play? The cynical “you must stay in this hotel (add this exorbitant rate) or you cannot play” policies that the intelligentsia foists upon people. The same intelligentsia that tells you high school soccer sucks. lnkd.in/p/gtkGPhai

There seems to be an escalating arms race happening in American soccer. USL recently brought in the BellTower Partners investment group, while MLS NEXT Pro partnered with global private equity giant KKR through Hometown Soccer Holdings. Billions are being raised and spent in a battle to grow professional soccer in the United States. But here’s the uncomfortable reality: you cannot buy culture. You cannot spend your way into creating a true soccer nation if the game is disconnected from the everyday lives of children and families. While billions are being poured into leagues, stadiums, media rights, and a one-month tournament, our children are becoming less healthy, less active, and academically weaker. In New York City, where the FIFA World Cup Final will be played in 2026, nearly 50% of K-12 students are failing reading proficiency standards, around 70% are failing math proficiency standards, and one in three children in grades K-3 cannot read at grade level. This is happening while NYC’s public school budget approaches $44 billion annually. In October 2023, I met with one of MLS’s top executives and presented research from a pilot study we conducted in Houston alongside Houston Dynamo and the University of Houston. We studied several hundred children and the impact Ball Mastery training had on academic performance and physical activity. The results were encouraging: improved mathematics scores, improved reading scores, and reduced sedentary behavior on weekends. More research absolutely needs to be done, but the findings suggested something important: simple soccer-based movement activities, supported by parents, teachers, and schools, may positively impact both learning and health outcomes. The Houston pilot was conducted with KIPP Schools, an organization widely respected for producing strong outcomes in underserved communities. Because KIPP operates nationally, the model has the potential to scale nationally as well. I suggested to MLS that, with the 2026 World Cup approaching, they should work with the New York City Department of Education to explore piloting this approach in NYC and eventually across the country. Unfortunately, nothing came from those discussions. To me, this should have been the true legacy project of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Not another sponsorship deal, celebrity investor, or billion-dollar valuation, but a nationwide initiative using soccer to improve childhood health, learning, confidence, focus, and family engagement. “Soccer Starts at Home” is simple, affordable, scalable, and inclusive. Several CONCACAF member associations have already reached out asking how a program like this could be implemented in their own countries. That tells you everything. The future of soccer in America will not be determined by how much money leagues can raise. It will be determined by what the game actually does for children. Right now, this feels like a massive missed opportunity.

Pool B comes down to the 3rd pool play game Tuesday 9/22 at Chaminade! Chaminade advances with a win or a tie. Parkway West advances with a win! 4:15pm kickoff at Chaminade! #RiseAboveTheRest