Local Soccer Team Honored By Long Valley Mayor

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Members of the West Morris Central High School Unified Soccer Team received a special proclamation from Mayor Matthew Murello last month.

The team was named the official Unified Soccer Team of the New York Red Bulls for the 2022–2023 season and competed in two pre-game matches at Red Bull Stadium earlier this spring against participating Unified teams from New York and Atlanta, Georgia.

"We would not be where we are today without the support of the district, community, families and our amazing student-athletes," coaches Martin O’Toole and Karin Buchanan said.

Unified Sports teams people with and without intellectual disabilities.

It was motivated by a simple principle: training and playing together lead quickly to friendship and understanding. Teams in unified sports are made up of people of comparable ages and abilities, according to Special Olympics New Jersey.

Special Olympics New Jersey is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide sports training and athletic competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, completely free of charge.

According to West Morris Regional High School District administration, the formation of a unified soccer team at West Morris Central High School has strengthened the school's atmosphere and developed new friendships among athletes and students.

The New York Red Bulls are also looking to build a new training facility in Morris County. The approved training facility in Morris Township would house the Red Bulls' first team, the USL's Red Bulls II and the Red Bulls Academy and Youth Training programs.

The Red Bulls have based training operations in Hanover since 2013.

The club's first team will continue to play Major League Soccer games at Harrison's Red Bull Arena. The new training complex will be located at the former Honeywell site off of Columbia Road, within one mile of the Route 24 interchange with County Road 510.