CARSON, Calif. – Jose Villarreal is known for his flashy work on the field but the 21-year-old forward from Inglewood will be watching another group of talented players take the field later this summer.
On Monday, the Galaxy announced the signing of 30 new players for their Special Olympics unified team. The team made up of students with and without intellectual disabilities will begin training on Tuesday and then play their first game on Aug. 15 against FC Dallas.
After LA’s big announcement, Villarreal was beaming.
“It’s so cool. I got the chance to meet the Mexican Special Olympics team when I was down in Mexico. They’re great people, they’re special,” Villarreal said. “They’re definitely a lot funnier than any of us here. It’s fun seeing them and even with the conditions that they have, they’re still doing what they do, and do it extraordinarily. It’s amazing."
And when the Galaxy unified team takes the field in August against FC Dallas, Villarreal and the rest of the Galaxy will be cheering them on.
“It’s pretty cool that Galaxy is helping them out,” he said. “It’s special and shows what kind of character our organization has.”
