A community affair: Newton celebrates 75 years of fastpitch softball
14 July 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — We are nearing one of the biggest weekends Wichita has ever seen for the sport of soccer. Three teams from ages 14 to the semi-professional level are competing in national tournaments against some of the best teams across the country.
“It feels great as a soccer community,” explained FC Wichita Director of Academy Technical Staff Mauricio Vargas. “To give boys and girls the opportunity to grow and develop.”
Youth teams for both Sporting Wichita Academy and FC Wichita Academy are in action on the national stage, and it’s a big step up for both teams.
“I think it’s a really great opportunity for us,” said Brady Liebl, a right-wing for Sporting Wichita’s 2009 boys team. “We just like to play for each other, and I think we play hard when we play as a team.”
“It’s just going to be a really great experience,” added Kyia Kelly, an outside forward for FC Wichita’s 2008 girls’ team. “We’ll be able to get looked at by colleges, and it could help determine our colleges in the future.”
But both teams believe they are prepared and ready to make a statement about the level of soccer in the 316.
Sporting Wichita’s Technical Director, Qaies Alamood, explained, “For us, really, we’re not afraid. We’re there to compete, and we believe we have to talent to compete with them, so I’m excited, excited for it.”
As for Sporting Wichita’s semiprofessional team, they have been dominant in the USL2 league, remaining undefeated and advancing to the quarterfinals.
“It’s a big deal,” said Sporting Wichita midfielder Tommy Fiszel. “So we’re very excited, and we’re going to be prepared for it as well.”
But it wasn’t without adversity. Last week the team was down 2-0 before roaring back to keep their season alive.
“We didn’t know how we would face that in the second half,” Sporting Wichita midfielder Lucas Silva said. “But the team showed that everyone is on the same page, and I think that was the big reason we got the win.”
While all three teams hope they can win championships this weekend, regardless of the results, they highlight how much the sport is growing throughout the area.
“I always knew there was a lot of talent in Wichita,” Abdullah Ahmed, another Sporting Wichita midfielder, said. “And I’m glad we’re finally getting the recognition we deserve. Especially with us just being teams from Wichita.”