World Cup fever hits San Jose: SJUSD hosts youth soccer clinic and match viewing
SJUSD hosts youth soccer clinic ahead of Mexico vs. South Africa match
The large-scale enrichment event, held at The Plex, brought together students in grades 2 through 6 enrolled in the district’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P).
SAN JOSE, Calif. - World Cup fever officially arrived in the South Bay as more than 800 students from the San José Unified School District gathered for a day of soccer drills, team building, and a live international match viewing.
The large-scale enrichment event, held at The Plex, brought together students in grades 2 through 6 enrolled in the district’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P). Ahead of the tournament's opening match, students ran soccer drills and participated in youth clinics with trainers from community partner America SCORES.
For the organizers and coaches involved, the sport served as a universal bridge for young people.
"This is not just a sport, this is a common language with everybody around the world. For me, that’s how I was able to assimilate to the United States when I arrived. I played soccer, " said Hamza Alhaidari of America SCORES. "We love for them to all feel what it feels like to root for one team as one big body."
Following the physical activities, the students packed into the facility for a licensed public viewing of the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa. Energy ran high among the students, with the crowd rooting heavily in favor of Mexico. We asked several who they were cheering on:
"I would probably say Mexico, because I speak Spanish," said Natalie, a rising fourth grader.
Other students shared their excitement for the community environment and the sport itself. Aaliyah, a rising fifth grader who was rooting for Mexico to score, noted that she enjoys the sport's collaborative nature. "I like soccer because you can really work on your legs, and you can meet other people," Aaliyah said. "Everyone’s happy on the team and everyone’s cheering for you, and it just makes it really nice."
Penelope, a rising seventh grader who also cheered for Mexico, added that the event provided a great outlet, saying, "I get to watch soccer and have a break from school."
The facility was filled with raucous applause when Mexico scored the first goal of the match, ultimately taking home a 2–0 victory over South Africa.
Beyond the love of the game, organizers emphasized that the day was designed to foster a sense of belonging and healing during a transitional period for the district. San José Unified families have endured a challenging year after the school board announced that 10 local schools would be merging into five.
Sena Lee, CEO of community partner MILLU, explained that the event used the tournament's momentum to weave in social-emotional learning and character development.
"We have 10 schools that are now merging into 5, and so as we are coming around the World Cup and the unity of the love of soccer, we have 900 to 1,000 kids here," Lee said. "We wanted to use this opportunity to be able to really ask, ‘What does it look like to welcome someone into your home?’ From paper trains to how we made the different tracks, was so that everyone would leave knowing a new face and a new name."