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Behind The Stripes

2023 Unified All-Stars

By Atlanta United FC

July 17^th, 2023

Late in the second half of the match between the Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls Unified teams, Atlanta player Liam Stuart received the ball. He took a touch with his right foot, then cut the ball back deftly with his left, evading the tight coverage of a Red Bulls defender. With one more touch he drove a fierce right-footed shot that hit the edge of the post and went into the back of the net. To celebrate, he paid homage to teammates past and present. He lifted both arms into the air exclaiming “Yeah!” as former Unified player Michael Mastrangelo would do, then Stuart climbed onto the back of current Unified partner Dylan Lenze right there on the pitch at Red Bull Arena.

The goal against Red Bulls was the first of Stuart’s career with Atlanta United Unified. The skill shown on the goal and his team-oriented attitude proved why Stuart was named one of three members from the Unified team to represent Atlanta United at 2023 MLS All-Star Week. Stuart and Nick Villar, an Atlanta United Unified partner, were the two players selected. Head coach Marty Jelleme was also named a coach for the Special Olympics Unified Sports® All-Star Game Presented by MLS WORKS & Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.

For Stuart, learning he’d been named a Unified All-Star was a surprising moment. After Atlanta United Unified’s opening match of the season, a hard-fought scoreless draw with Charlotte FC Unified in the program’s first-ever time playing 11v11, the club surprised him during the post-match interview. When Stuart turned away from the microphone back toward the pitch, above him were the words “You’re going to Unified All-Star!” lit up on the halo board at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“To be a part of Atlanta United and then Unified Cup and then All-Star, it’s very surprising for me,” he said. “And yes, I did have a very surprised look on my face. And I was talking a lot at the moment. I mentioned how my mom was in the audience. She was very excited for me. It's a moment of history.”

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

It’s an amazing accomplishment for Stuart to be named an All-Star when he hasn’t been playing soccer very long. The Gwinnett Technical College graduate found soccer late as a teen. He played at North Fulton United FC, a soccer program designed to enrich the lives of special abilities individuals by providing camaraderie, inclusion, and fun in a positive environment. North Fulton United was Stuart’s entry point to the sport. There he learned the game and met Jelleme, the league director. The two formed a friendship and would often go on runs together.

“To be a part of a bigger soccer community in a year has been a huge life-changing experience for me,” Stuart said.

“I get excited because I want to get to know people around the world, interact with them, get to know them, share my experiences with Special Olympics and share my personal interests.”

Joining Stuart at MLS All-Star is teammate Nick Villar, a Unified partner at Atlanta United. Villar recently graduated from Kennesaw State University and said that being named to the All-Star team was very humbling. The 21-year-old credited his family, which includes his brother Joe who also plays on the Unified squad, and his coaches for helping him reach this point.

“It means a lot coming from people that you've worked with, and played with, the last couple of years that you've had,” Villar said. “And it shows that you've had a big impact on the community and organization that you love so much. It's very humbling to know that you've been trusted with that responsibility of representing Atlanta in a very cool and fun, entertaining way.”

Villar also accompanied the team on their June trip to New Jersey and saw minutes in the 3-1 victory. Playing in the back, Villar is often in position to bring the ball up the pitch and initiate the attack. He helps his teammates know which routes to run and when to look for the ball. In the match against Red Bulls, he saw the team come together in a way that made the competition even more enjoyable.

“The entire team dynamic throughout the game, it was the best thing I've ever seen,” Villar said. “It seems like after every game we play, we seem to get better and the hard work we put in at practice shows on the field. We dominated possession. We took countless shots on goal. The players knew where to go, when to take the space. And we did well communicating. It was just a fun time overall. Not just because we won the game, but it was enjoyable knowing that the countless Wednesdays that we come to practice and the sweat and hard work we put in, it shows on the field.”

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

The Unified All-Star match also offers a time to connect with other players and partners who are part of the league-wide Special Olympics program. Both the East and West All-Star teams are comprised of 24 individuals with intellectual disabilities (Special Olympic athletes) and without intellectual disabilities (Unified partners). Atlanta will be just like the first team and compete on the East side. The East team includes players from Atlanta United, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Charlotte FC, Houston Dynamo and Chicago Fire.

Leading the East team is none other than the third member of the Atlanta United Unified Team making the trip. Head coach Marty Jelleme, the Unified coach who joined the program as a co-head coach in 2021, will make his first appearance at MLS All-Sar weekend. As the designated head coach, he’ll take the East team through training and coach them during Wednesday’s match. There will be just one training session before the East kicks off against the West, which gives Jelleme his first look at several of his players.

"I was thankful that the coaches selected Liam and me to be able to go to D.C. and represent Atlanta United because that’s a great honor."

Villar, who graduated with a major in business management and a minor in finance, will soon be on his way to taking the next step. Following graduation, he was accepted to the Achieve program at Gallagher Insurance, a global and industry-leading insurance and risk management company that sponsors Atlanta’s Unified team. His role as a client service associate will help him develop skills such as problem-solving, analysis and client relations. He’ll also get experience in various departments to see different areas of the business and learn which path is right for him. His first day on the job was scheduled to be the same week as MLS All-Star, and Gallagher graciously allowed him to still make the trip.

Participating in MLS All-Star provides a unique opportunity for Villar and Stuart. They’ll be in the same host city as the professional and Academy All-Stars in Washington D.C. On Wednesday, July 19, they will suit up for the East team in the Unified All-Star match at Glenn Warner Soccer Facility at the Naval Academy. And during the MLS All-Star Game later that evening, both the East and West Unified All-Star teams will be recognized on the field. Stuart and Villar will then get a chance to cheer on Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis, who will be representing Atlanta United as the MLS All-Stars take on Arsenal FC.

Behind The Stripes

Behind The Stripes

As Jelleme looks to bring some of his competitive, positive spirit to the East Team, he’s also made time for some fun team building as well. Like the overnight trip to New Jersey with Atlanta United, Jelleme plans to take his group of All-Stars out for an activity after training Tuesday. An outing together will give the players a chance to get to know each other and build relationships. It’ll let Liam, who cites The Super Mario Bros. Movie as one of the best movies he’s seen this year, a chance to share his love of Pixar and Studio Ghibli movies with others. And it’ll give time for Villar, a self-proclaimed history buff, to see more of the country’s capital.

“I think one of the coolest things about the excursions is you learn a lot about what other organizations are doing and how different they are, on how it all works in their states and different things and how many people they have try out, things like that,” Jelleme explained. “Then it’s good camaraderie because we all get a good chance to talk as opposed to just only be on the field against each other.”

“I think that’s the biggest thing what All-Star is all about. You come in from all around the country. You got kids coming from all different walks of life. We want to mold something. So, that is one of my goals. Whether we win or lose, I want to make it so that all these kids have a great time and they have made friends and they stay in contact after the game.”

– Marty Jelleme, Atlanta United Unified head coach and 2023 All-Star coach

The three from Atlanta also plan on making the most of their time together. They’ll have enough time after they land in Washington D.C. on Monday to see the city that afternoon. They plan to walk around and view some of the buildings together, perhaps visit the National Air and Space Museum or the Lincoln Memorial. And then after a day of sightseeing, they’ll hit the pitch with the other Unified All-Stars.

“I'm looking forward to meeting new people,” Stuart said. “I get excited for that because I want to get to know some people around the world and interact with them and get to know them, share my experiences with Special Olympics, any highlights of my Special Olympics life or share my personal interests.”

“During those four days, we'll be able to get to know not only our teammates, but know how their lives are like, what their teams are like and get a better understanding of how different we could be, but how we also relate. It’s going to be a great bonding moment,” Villar said.

Story by Sandy McAfee / Photos by Atlanta United

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