Youth Soccer Squad Hopes to Play in Spain

The players on north Huntington Beach’s 13- and 14-year-old boys’ soccer team were thrilled when, for the second year in a row, they took second place in Mexico’s international soccer tournament.

They were even more excited when head coach Dave Weston told them that their performance this fall earned them an invitation to the 28th international youth soccer tournament, set for Barcelona, Spain, in June.

“These are the most dedicated kids. They play the game seven days a week,” said Weston, who has coached the team for three years.

He is counting on that devotion to motivate the players to do the fund-raising they will need to pay for a trip to Spain.

Weston estimated that the 16-member team will need about $1,500 a player, or $24,000 total, for air fare to Spain and housing for the weeklong tournament. “A lot of my kids are from homes and families that just can’t afford much,” he said.

Starting with $300 already donated, the team is planning car washes and raffles to raise money. Weston said he will also ask sporting equipment companies to consider sponsoring the team.

The Huntington Beach youth soccer organization, which has 22 teams made up of about 350 boys and girls, has brought home a number of trophies since its founding in 1978.

Among them were a national title for 1991 in the 18- and 19-year-old category and for 1992 in the 15- and 16-year-old category.

In all, the teams have claimed 10 state championships and four regional titles, and some club players have won international acclaim.

Alumni Joe-Max Moore and Mike Lapper, for example, became U.S. National team members and competed in the World Cup in 1994.

Weston said the 13- and 14-year-old boys’ trips the past two years to Guadalajara and to Salamanca, a Mexican city southeast of Guadalajara, cost the players’ parents about $450 for each tournament.

For youngsters whose families could not pay, he said, he lined up local sponsors to cover their air fares and arranged for them to stay with Mexican families.

For the trip to Spain, he said, the challenge will be much greater.

For information on sponsoring or donating to the team, call Weston at (714) 842-6195 or club President George Mitton at (714) 963-2544.