Soccer travel program sees healthy future

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Four Valley Stream Soccer Club travel teams performed well in the 2015 Long Island Cup at Stony Brook University in June, and the official in charge of the club’s travel operations said it’s a sign of the club’s overall health and good direction.

The Valley Stream GM Academy and the Valley Stream Warriors were named Long Island Cup champions, and the Valley Stream Vipers and Valley Stream Dragons also took home division titles in the knockout-style regional tournament. Luis Correa, a second vice president with the club, said the teams’ performances were a testament to the improvement that the club has seen in its enrollment and player ability in recent years since partnering with the New York Red Bulls.

“We’re developing kids at a higher level with the help of the Red Bulls,” Correa said. “We’re developing them here and keeping them here.”

Correa said that the improved training made more travel teams possible, which is good because it exposes players to other clubs on Long Island. While the club used to lose players to other clubs as soccer gained popularity and new clubs sprang up nearby, the VSSC travel program increased by more than 50 percent in the last three years, going from 185 players to 420 at present, with more still enrolling.