CARSON, Calif. – Malik Franks grew up a stone’s throw from the StubHub Center, and now the 17-year-old from Carson will have an opportunity to suit up for his hometown team.
Franks is among 30 Southern California youth chosen for the second-ever LA Galaxy Special Olympics Unified team after a try-out process that saw hundreds of students from around Los Angeles audition to join the team.
After making the squad, Franks is hopeful that he can be one of the 15 chosen to represent the Galaxy team when they travel to face a squad representing FC Dallas on August 15.
However making the squad may not match the excitement that Franks and the rest of the team felt when they had the opportunity to meet the likes of Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez and sign official Galaxy contracts.
“It was good. I was a little nervous because at first I didn’t know what we were signing but it was very interesting to meet Landon Donovan and Omar Gonzalez,” Franks told LAGalaxy.com. “This [experience] will be a lot of fun.”
Succeeding at soccer is nothing new to the senior from Harbor City’s Nathaniel Narbonne High School, who first took up the sport as a young age by playing with an elderly neighbor. Each afternoon, the neighbor tutored Franks and crafted the young forward’s finishing ability, which ultimately helped him qualify for the Galaxy’s unified squad.
Even after his mentor passed away, the love of the beautiful game lived on with Malik.
“Every day we’d watch soccer or play soccer together,” said Franks. “After that, I learned to love to play and to score goals.”
Competitive spirits like Malik are vital to a project that second-year Unified head coach Candice Villagran says teaches the competitors both the positive and the negatives of organized sports.
“A lot of times our kids with disabilities do not have the chance to have an athletic experience like others would. Our program gives our kids the chance to share in team work and camaraderie so that they can understand what it is like to win and to lose,” Villagran told LAGalaxy.com. “This program isn’t just about giving a kid with disabilities the ball so that he can score.
“This is about kids with disabilities and those without working together to reach a common goal. We don’t give the ball to people. Our kids earn their spot on the team which helps our program bring awareness to the community as a whole.”
Franks and the rest of his teammates will convene on June 23rd at the LA Galaxy Field at Algin Sutton Recreation Center in South Los Angeles for their first training session as the coaching staff begins their selection process to determine a travelling roster for the Dallas trip. But even before the team meets up on the field for the first time, Franks has begun fine-tuning his goal scoring ability by training with several of his neighbors at parks around Carson.
And if Malik is one of those lucky few to don the Galaxy kit against the FC Dallas unified team, the youngster from Carson will relish the experience.
“If I make the team, I’ll be so happy,” Franks said. “It’d be really exciting to play for the Galaxy.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.