![\"Assistant](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Marshall_9083_web.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&quality=89&ssl=1\")
Despite this, the team maintained a united front and didn\u2019t let anyone\u2019s perception of them affect the way they played. On the contrary, as the championship drew closer and fundraising for new uniforms was suggested, the boys kept their original uniforms, believing they were lucky and wore them until the end. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to overcoming logistical obstacles from the school\u2019s administration, the team members had personal obstacles that made their accomplishments all the more inspiring. Many of the players came from working-class families, which meant their parents weren\u2019t able to attend all of their games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the team members themselves had to balance work schedules in addition to team commitments, having to choose, at times, whether to miss a game or a day\u2019s worth of pay. The obstacles the players overcame were not lost on their coaches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[They\u2019re] children who come from people who struggle,\u201d <\/em>Lacayo says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur team is like the United Nations of Latino\u00e1merica,\u201d says Gomez. Marshall\u2019s roster includes players that have immigrated from countries like Honduras, Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala. Though they come from different backgrounds, they feel a strong sense of Latino unity. The team\u2019s interconnectedness has a familial energy to it, a feeling of brotherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a very nice experience, being able to win with my teammates and with the support of the coaches,\u201d said Jafet, a junior from Honduras. Although the boys had their moments of conflict throughout the season, the coaches made sure they settled their differences before stepping onto the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lacayo is proud of his team and more than anything, he is proud of the example that his team has set for other lower-income schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have to fight against the world to win, it is a message to other schools that are not big and powerful that they too can win,\u201d says Lacayo. The win was bittersweet for the head coach, as his mother passed just a few days before the game. The team dedicated the game in her honor and played knowing they had an angel watching over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the team\u2019s future, assistant coach Gomez says he would like to take a more proactive approach to next year\u2019s team. His first year as assistant coach was spent in a primarily supportive role. He and his wife Venecia acted as team parents, taking the boys out to eat after games and keeping their morale high. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Next year, in addition to motivating the team, he says he would like to focus on the team\u2019s health and nutrition to give them a more well-rounded training regimen. He will be staying on as the assistant coach alongside head coach Lacayo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a neck and neck game on Feb. 25, Thurgood Marshall High School\u2019s soccer team lined up for the penalty kick shootout against Lowell High School, the City Championship on the line. They prevailed. \u201cThey were aware from the beginning, that this would not be easy, the job was very difficult,\u201d said head coach Matilde […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":56003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"by Coraz\u00f3n Diaz","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[269],"tags":[23810,75],"coauthors":[18445],"class_list":["post-56001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-en","tag-boys-soccer-team","tag-soccer","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Thurgood](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Marshall_1098_web.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&quality=89&ssl=1\")
![\"Thurgood](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Marshall_1096_web.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&quality=89&ssl=1\")