INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The LA Galaxy Special Olympics Unified Team is in high spirits ahead of their first match of their 2015 campaign this Saturday.
Over the weekend, the Galaxy squad will make the trek to the Lone Star State to face a squad from FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The match will take place immediately following the first team game between the Galaxy and FC Dallas at 6:00 pm PST on Saturday.
For many of the players, this weekend’s trip will be their first time away from Southern California, and their first time playing on a full-side regulation field which many admit is a dream come true.
“It’s going to be so cool. I’ve always wanted to play on a big field,” midfielder Juan Morales said after the team’s training session at Algin Sutton Recreation Center in South Los Angeles. “It’s kind of like a dream. It’ll be really good for us.”
Saturday’s match will be the culmination of a journey which began way back in May when the LA Galaxy held tryouts for their Special Olympics Unified squad at StubHub Center. From the hundreds who tried out, 30 were selected to the team at a ceremony in June.
“We’ve all come together stronger as a family. We’re more united and we all get along with one another really well,” defender Jonathan Aguilar, who is among the 15 players that will be traveling to Texas, said. “It’ll be a pretty exciting trip for everyone here. We’re all pumped up to go, we’ve got to try our best, and do what we’ve got to do to win the game.”
While the Galaxy will be gunning for a victory in Dallas, Morales admits that his squad has different objectives once Saturday rolls around.
“We want to win but what is most important is having fun,” Morales said. “We just want to bring our team together.”
