Chasing Dreams, Fueled by Community: The Academy in 2023
The kids are alright. Over the last three years, young New Mexicans have had a chance to take massive steps toward a future in soccer through the elite-level coaching and competition provided through the New Mexico United Academy program — but they’ll tell you, being home is what makes it special.
It used to be that a high-level Academy program was only available to a young New Mexican if they left the state. For parents, the near-impossible choice of sending their child out of state as a teenager only rivaled the tragedy of lost potential, lost chances for their talented children to take their chances to be seen from a “flyover soccer state.” Some were able to break through the noise, but for many, peace had to be made with what could have been.
Peter Trevisani and other New Mexico United leaders in Ownership, Front Office, and Technical sides of the organization shared the same vision since the early days — that the Academy program be a meritocracy, where the inability to pay would never keep a talented player out. That vision was the basis for the development of the Somos Unidos Foundation.
While the Foundation has a commitment to the community impact & programming to serve New Mexicans through the Beautiful Game, its core mandate will always be to scholarship the Academy through donor & partner development. The Academy is funded through community support, and the players don't hesitate to prioritize their part in promoting the community impact of the Club. While training and competing year-round, 5+ days per week while maintaining academic eligibility, they also serve as key community representatives and role models through the Foundation’s Community Clinics, school visits, and outreach initiatives.
In asking the players what being part of the Academy program means to them, and how they feel about the community support of the Foundation’s resource-building on their behalf, you see how personal it is.
“Here, the foundation has made it possible for all these guys — teammates — to still be connected with their family, friends, and just live a normal life, but at the same time, doing something they might have a future in.”
-Ivan Moore
For Ivan Moore, one of the youngest but most tenured talents in the program, it's about community. “Here, the foundation has made it possible for all these guys — teammates — to still be connected with their family, friends, and just live a normal life, but at the same time, doing something they might have a future in.”
The players’ futures are in good hands, and every outcome is treated with importance. Orlie Ramirez, the team’s Educational Liaison & Academic Advisor — alongside Academy coaches and the network of the New Mexico United technical staff — takes it upon himself to produce the best possible outcome for each player. That effort isn’t lost on Ivan Lozano, a new Academy addition with experience with the Barca Academy, who says, “They [the coaches and Foundation] have helped me a lot with connecting me with colleges. Looking into colleges and reaching out to them.”
It's working.
At the most recent Signing Day for graduating Academy players, eight of them committed to collegiate programs, with the majority of them signing to play in Division I NCAA Soccer.
The personal commitment from coaches and staff to promote the best futures for our Academy players goes beyond signings and development on the field. The Academy scholarships also fund sessions from a mental health coach, and each player’s holistic health is prioritized. Lozano is already experiencing that impact: “The foundation has supported me, both mentally and physically, on the field and off the field. Sometimes me or teammates are not feeling too well, and staff will notice and help you through it…”
It takes a village. The parents, coaches, teammates, New Mexico United Front office, Foundation staff, fans, donors, and the youth soccer network through club and high school teams fortify the ecosystem that makes this program a gem in the landscape of youth development: a sparkle of hope, opportunity and collective impact that has kept New Mexico on the map as a must-see for the future of the sport.
On that same map, in the high desert of Albuquerque, you can pinpoint the dot where the Moore household is, where Ivan lives under one roof with his parents. His father, Clint, shares, “For our family, it’s God, family, then soccer. So when Ivan was recruited at an early age to leave Albuquerque for the next level of academy soccer, we said no, but we were torn. You can imagine how thankful we were when we heard New Mexico United was starting an academy. It meant we could watch our boy play, raise him in our home, eat with him at our dinner table, stay connected to his school, and watch him thrive in this state.”
Because of the support from our community, dreams are within reach. Every New Mexican can see themselves in this story, and the ripple effect knows no bounds.
Together, we can achieve so much, and we can do it right here, at home.