The Big Apple Youth Soccer League and Metrokids Youth Soccer League will be holding special matches between their championship teams Aug. 27 at Frank Principe Park in Maspeth. Known as the Interligas Champions Cup, these games are meant to celebrate each league’s championship teams.
The Boys-Under-10 final will kick off the Interligas Champions Cup at 9 a.m. The Boys-Under-12 final will begin after that game concludes, followed by the Boys-Under-14, Boys-Under-16 and Boys-Under-17 age groups.
Admission to the event is free.
“We at the Big Apple Youth Soccer League look forward to having our champion teams play the champs of Metrokids,” Big Apple President Carlos Vergara said. “Maybe we can expand this event to other leagues in the future, but we are pleased to see how our best teams currently match up against another local league.”
Both the Big Apple Youth Soccer League and Metrokids Youth Soccer League have been increasingly working together in recent years. In 2019, they co-hosted a soccer festival for the Eastern New York Soccer Association. The seeds for the Interligas Champions Cup were initially planted by founder and former president of Big Apple Youth Soccer League Luis Montoya several years ago. Plans were made for it to begin in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the event on hold until this year. Unfortunately, Montoya, a member of the Eastern New York Hall of Fame, passed away in 2021.
“The Metrokids are very happy to participate with Big Apple in this first-ever event between the champions of both leagues,” Metrokids President Cesar Juca said.
The Eastern New York Soccer Association stretches from Montauk Point on Long Island to the Canadian border. More than 100,000 boys and girls play in the association and over 25,000 volunteers help run it. The Eastern New York Soccer Association is comprised of ten leagues covering the state of New York east of Route 81.
The Eastern New York Soccer League promotes and enhances the sport for kids and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 while also encouraging the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered, including intramural, travel team and premier players as well as for children with special needs.
