CARSON, Calif. – LA Galaxy captain Jelle van Damme is excited to work with the 20 new members of the club’s Special Olympics Unified team, and the defender even has a little advice.
“I would say don’t talk to the referee that will be the first thing,” Van Damme joked.
For a third consecutive year, the LA Galaxy and LA Galaxy foundation have partnered with Special Olympics Southern California to put out a Special Olympics Unified team that will compete against other MLS sides later this year. As an added feature to the program this season, each member of the Unified squad will be paired with a Galaxy first team mentor that will provide guidance throughout the season.
The Galaxy’s Belgian captain is paired with 18-year-old Matthieu Nunez, a fellow defender from Los Angeles. As Nunez and the Special Olympics Unified squad prepare for their season, Van Damme says the key to success is to play with a smile.
“He has to enjoy himself on the field,” Van Damme said. “That’s the biggest aim to go out there on the field and just enjoy yourself.”
Above it all, however, Van Damme believes that the Galaxy’s continued participation in the Special Olympics Unified program showcases the club’s rich family values.
“This is great. The Galaxy is a great warm club. It’s a family club and doing this work is very good to do and says very much about what the club is all about,” Van Damme said. “We have a lot great things that we do here in this club. We do a lot of work with the LA Galaxy Foundation and everything that we’ve done has been good stuff. It’s nice to see everyone gets involved and it’s one big happy family.”
