Sporting Padula Soccer Academy

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MEET KYLE BAKER

A few days ago, we had a nice visit in our office. His name is Kyle Baker. Kyle played several years for SP prior to starting college. Kyle started playing soccer at the early age of 5 on a recreational team. Kyle played several sports as a youth, however, he loved soccer the most. He played soccer 24/7. Indoor, spring, fall, summer, he could never get enough.

Kyle joined SP Soccer Academy in 2011, his freshman year in high school. However, he did not want to play high school soccer. Lucky for Kyle, SP had a team for him. Kyle talked about how much he loved his experience at SP and how Gino played an integral role in his love for the game. Kyle expressed that “Gino taught me a lot about the game. How to play and how get enjoyment of out the game". Kyle professed to us that he was losing his passion for the game prior to joining SP. Gino helped him get that passion back. Kyle remarked that Gino “taught me the technical ability to play at a higher level. To be confident and enjoy the game”. One of Kyles best memories of SP Soccer Academy was going to tournaments and hanging out all weekend with the other players while staying at the same hotel. The fun wasn’t limited to hanging out at the hotel all weekend with his teammates though, Gino was a fun coach as well. Kyle expressed Gino “made it fun to learn the game of soccer”, that he “taught so much to the players”.

Kyle went on to play college soccer at Ohio Dominican University where he just finished his final season. If asked, Kyle would like to play at the next level. He would love to go overseas and play soccer. When Kyle was younger he went to England for trials where he had a great time playing with kids from all over the world. He met so many people from different countries with different cultures. It was an experience of a lifetime.

When asked what advice Kyle would give to new players joining SP he remarked that players should“come in with an open mind, listen to your coaches, and have fun. SP is a great club”. In Kyle’s own words, with SP Soccer Academy “you cannot go wrong”.

Mia joined SP from our begining!

September 2019

Mia Thatcher recently received an invite from the Puerto Rican Football Federation to try out for the Women's National Team, who is preparing for Olympic qualifiers.

Tryouts are set at the Stadium Ángel Luis Correa, in Cayey, from Sept. 19-Sept. 27. Thatcher made the trip to Cayey on Saturday with the hopes of representing Puerto Rico on an international stage.

Thatcher, whose mother was born in Puerto Rico, is no stranger to this sort of opportunity. In 2017, she tried out for the team and made it as a "select" player. Unfortunately, the devastation of Hurricane Maria forced the Puerto Rican Football Federation to cancel the season.

If Thatcher can make it as a select player this time around, she could get called back to play in more exhibition games with the team. The invitation itself is already a source of pride for Thatcher.