Soccer Standout to Play for Puerto Rican National U20 Team

When it comes to soccer, Matthew Gordon's coaches say he's got a gift.

"He's capable of playing almost any position on the field," said Mark Lugris, who coaches Gordon on the Stony Brook Knights club team. "That versatility is his gift. He's an exceptional kid."

Earlier this month, Gordon, 16 and a junior at Ward Melville High School, became one of the youngest players to make it onto the roster of the Puerto Rican national under-20 men's soccer team. Eligible because his mother was born in Puerto Rico, Gordon tried out as a defender and made the cut. He said he was excited to learn he'd made the team.

"After thinking into it I realized how big of a deal it actually it is to be on this roster at such a young age," he said.

Gordon plays as a striker on the Ward Melville team, helping the Patriots get to the county semifinals and finish with a record of 14 wins, one tie and three losses this past fall. He also plays as a striker on the club team, which finished with 13 wins, 10 ties and six losses.

Lugris, who played on the Puerto Rican national team and played professionally in the U.S. and Spain, said making a national team is a pretty big deal.

"These are your country's top players, the most passionate in the world," he said. "You're basically representing an entire nation. It's a lot of pressure."

To handle that pressure, Gordon said he trains an hour to one-and-a-half hours each day. His added strength and conditioning did not go unnoticed. Ward Melville coach Jon Stecker said it helped Gordon play more maturely.

"He works extremely hard in the off season," Stecker said. "He went from a player who came off the bench to a full time starter. We expect to rely on him much more next year."

Gordon has been playing soccer since the age of seven. On the field, he wears two numbers – 11 for his club team, 10 for his high school team. He wears 11 in honor of his trainer Rafael Morais, whom he credits for introducing him to a whole new style of playing; and wears 10 in honor of his father Nick, a former semi-professional soccer player.

Gordon, who also maintains a 91 average in his classes, hasn't been called to play a game yet. Even the experience of the tryout was intense: three days of long practice sessions in the heat.

"It’s definitely the kind of thing that makes you kind of grow up quick," he said.  "You really have to fight for a spot because everyone’s out there trying to get the same thing."