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There’s a new semi-pro soccer team taking the field on Long Island.
The American Soccer Club New York (ASC NY) will begin play this spring as part of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the first and only men’s league designated by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as a Tier 1 national league.
The team will be led in part by general manager Jim Kilmeade, a Long Island native who began playing in the Long Island Junior Soccer League with the Massapequa Soccer Club. Kilmeade went on to captain both his Massapequa High School and Hofstra University teams.
“Being a lifelong Long Islander and New Yorker, we believe we should put a team out there that will reflect the values of Long Island. Hard working, blue collar, aggressive, very prideful,” Kilmeade said.
True to that vision, the roster is already loaded with Long Island talent. Committed players include Selden native and Stony Brook University standout Nick Wilson, Northport native and Molloy College’s Aidan Kolbe, and Brentwood native Stayln Acosta, who plays for SUNY Cortland.
For Acosta, the path to the pitch hasn’t been easy. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with bone cancer.
“I went through chemo for 8 months. I had to get one rib removed from my left side because the chemo burned my rib and the cancer was still there,” Acosta said.
He beat cancer, went on to win a state championship with Brentwood High School, and is now pursuing his dream of playing professionally.
“All the players GLI spoke to have dreams of becoming professional soccer players,” Kilmeade said, adding that he hopes to show the world how strong Long Island’s soccer roots really are.
“We believe this used to be the epicenter of American soccer, and it will be again,” Kilmeade exclaimed.
ASC New York kicks off its inaugural season on Sunday, May 4, against Osner’s FC at Hofstra University.
Top photo: American Soccer Club New York/Facebook
