Lionel Messi recently played to a record crowd at Gillette Stadium. Now is Luca Capilli’s chance to show off his football skills at the nearly 70,000-seat stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Capilli, a sophomore at Elmira High School, will join his 2008 Venom Red Boys teammates from the Elmira-based Soaring Capital Soccer Club at the stadium on May 25. Venom Red takes on New England Football Club South at 9:35 a.m. as part of the prestigious Needham Memorial Day Tournament.
“I think it will be a lot more energy and maybe a better game because we will all be a lot more excited and ready to play because it’s everyone’s dream to play in a professional stadium and we can do it for a weekend,” said Capilli.
The invitation was a surprise for Derek Hamilton, the Venom coach and first-year president of the Soaring Capital Soccer Club. He let a call from a Massachusetts number go to voicemail before hearing the good news he shared with his parents via email.
“For parents, it’s a great opportunity for them to tell their own kids, because I think it’s a good time to share with them,” said Hamilton, the only coach in the history of the Elmira High boys soccer team. “Not only are the kids excited, but the parents are excited to share this with them. I also have a son on the team and it’s great for us to share this moment.”
Capilli initially didn’t believe it.
“I thought he was just trying to prepare us for the tournament, but when I found out it was real, it was great to finally see our team get noticed and be able to play in such a big, high-level stadium.” Capilli said. “A great opportunity for us.”
The tournament features teams from Canada, throughout the Northeast and other parts of the United States. Last year’s tournament included 530 teams and 90 clubs.
Venom Red was not chosen at random. Tournament organizers were looking for two top teams to play in the top college division in a stadium that is home to MLS’s New England Revolution and the NFL’s New England Patriots. Messi’s presence in late April drew a crowd of 65,612, a record for a Revolution home game..
Venom Red has won four of its last five tournaments while playing in a league that includes teams from the biggest cities of Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester. Venom Red is ranked in the top 15% nationally and top four in New York. He plays an eight-game league schedule and participates in five to seven tournaments from spring through early July.
Hamilton said it is “a really special team,” with many of the players having been with the team since they were 7 years old. He continued as coach as the team grew.
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Venom’s Red and Black teams have a group of 34 players from 16 school districts in New York’s Southern Tier and Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier. Players come from as far east as Binghamton and as far west as Hornell, led by eight from Elmira.
Six games are scheduled to be played at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, with the Revolution at home that night to face New York City FC.
Stonehill College is the main venue for the tournament. The Venom will play two games on Saturday and one on Sunday, with the possibility of a championship game on Monday.
“We have had a great season,” said Hamilton. “Anytime you get a chance to play teams you’ve never seen before and get your name out there not only in the state but also in the region, I think it’s an exciting opportunity.”
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This article originally appeared in the Elmira Star-Gazette: Soaring Capital Soccer Club’s Venom Red will play at Gillette Stadium
