Team USA News > Team USA World Cup Champions

Story and photo by Heather Appel
Courtesy of http://xAble.com

Until recently, the furthest the Solorio family had ever traveled was to Florida. That changed this October, when the family boarded a plane for Tokyo, Japan, where brothers Omar and Jairo were competing in the first ever Power Soccer World Cup. For two weeks, they traded the quiet of their 40,000-person town of Hollister, California, for the bustle and crowds of Tokyo.

“I never even imagined being out of the country,” said Jairo. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

Both Jairo, 18, and Omar, 22, started playing 10 years ago. Both have a form of muscular dystrophy and have used powerchairs since they were young. Discovering power soccer was a big turning point in their lives.

“Before that, I really didn’t do anything,” said Omar. “I was just home and went to school, and that was about it. Power soccer was my first activity, and I’ve been in it ever since. I love to play.”

The Solorios made a name for themselves in regional and national competitions in the United States, and it was no surprise that they were among the 18 players invited to try out for the national team last September. Making the team meant a major commitment for the eight players and three alternates on the team: four training camps in different cities around the country, plus weekly practices and emails to the coach reporting on their progress. Omar earned a position as a starter with his strong spin kick and abilty to control the ball, and Jairo was recognized for his versatility—he’s a strong goalie and a solid forward.

In Tokyo, they tested their skills against the best players in the world, and their practice paid off. Team USA won its first match easily and held onto its first place lead throughout the four days of play. The team defeated England, Portugal, Belgium, Japan and Denmark and tied France. The next day, in the closest game of the tournament, they beat France in a sudden death overtime period.

But getting there to begin with was almost as big a challenge as the matches were. In order to attend the training camps and the World Cup, their parents had to negotiate time off work at the tomato canning factory where they’re both employed, and the family had to raise enough money to pay the way for the two athletes, their parents, and their 2-year-old brother, Oliver, which amounted to several thousand dollars per person. They solicited donations from companies and colleagues and ran carwashes to raise more funds. In the end, other members of the team helped secure some grants, but there were doubts until the very end about how they would afford it.

“In Hollister, the sport isn’t well known, because it’s a smaller town,” said Maria. “But everyone we know was very excited for them and supported us,” said the boys’ mother Maria Solorio, who moved with her husband Jose to California from Michoacan, Mexico over 20 years ago. 

They also caused a small sensation in their local media -- Maria recounted several radio and newspaper interviews Omar and Jairo did in the days leading up to the World Cup.

“This is something they’ve always been fighting for,” said Maria. “And it’s an accomplishment for them to rise to this level. For them it’s the ultimate.”
She said it can be a struggle to accommodate all their needs when they’re traveling and don’t have access to the assistive devices they have at home, but it’s worth the trouble. “I don’t know how to explain how happy it makes me to see them happy,” she said. “We support them, and wherever they go, we’ll be there with them.”

After winning the Cup, Jairo, who keeps his teammates laughing with his sarcasm and humor, shared his reflections on being 5,000 miles from home and winning the biggest honor possible in power soccer.

“Anything is possible,” he said. “I didn’t think we would even be in the top three, and we ended up winning the thing.”