DOWNIEVILLE — When the young athletes of Downieville United Soccer Club take to the pitch tomorrow, they will do so in triumph – wrapping up the 2023-24 season indomitable, invincible, and undefeated.
Downieville United Soccer Club; (left to right) back row Abby Mooers, Chloe Knoefler, Ryker Knoefler, Priam Kapadia, Jase Painter, front row Konner Knoefler, Lexee Knoefler, Braylen Ledesma, Charlett Ledesma, Rudy Jackson
The team revived the town’s tradition of footballing excellence and tapped a shared love of the world’s most popular sport to further the legacy of soccer in the Sierra.
Every Thursday the squad built up its fitness running through demanding warm-ups known internationally as “Brazilians.” They established fundamental skills through drills like “Sharks and Minnows” and, of course, “What Time is it Mrs. Fox.” Mostly they took the field to do what they do best: play soccer.
“It makes me feel really happy because I love sports,” says fourth-grader Rudy Jackson. “And Mr. Tom is a really good coach.”
Ryker “The Striker” Knoefler leading the charge
As the season progressed, the town’s excitement grew. Old-timers on the Downieville Grocery porch posited that the team’s popularity might explain the increase of bear activity in town; perhaps the ursine visitors just wanted to come cheer the kids on.
Chloe Knoefler and Abby Mooers battle for the ball
Last week the team shone especially bright in their new green uniforms, thanks to a generous sponsorship from Sierra City’s famous Red Moose Café. And the club’s reputation spread beyond the forested canyons of the North Yuba watershed.
Liverpool-born soccer journalist Roger Bennett proclaims, “Downieville United Soccer Club have the best logo in the world of football. And they played as well as that logo.”
Downieville superfan Roger Bennett on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
“What a season. What joy,” effuses Bennett, co-founder of the Men In Blazers Media Network and author of New York Times Bestseller and Amazon Best Book of the Year Reborn in the USA.
“I hope the players made memories that will last forever, which is what football at its best is all about.”
Coach Tom and the squad