NJ Youth Soccer players gifted World Cup tickets, 'best experience'
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Shane Swoope first knew something was going on when he woke up late, and his mom didn't get upset. Instead of going to school for a final review before a math test, Shane and his mother, Courtney Swoope, were heading to MetLife Stadium to watch France play Senegal in a 2026 FIFA World Cup group-stage match.
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An 11-year-old goalkeeper for Dutchmen FC in West Long Branch, Shane had been gifted free tickets for the June 16 match. Courtney Swoope added to the surprise with a blue France home jersey for him to wear.
About 1,000 free tickets to World Cup matches were distributed to New Jersey residents via a partnership between Gov. Mikie Sherrill's office, the New York/New Jersey Host Committee, and Choose New Jersey. They were funded by Uber and AirBnB.
"I like to watch the goalie, since that's my position," said Swoope, one of three players on his U-12 team who got tickets in the first row of section 228A behind the goal. "In the second half, there were so many shots and (Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy) just kept stopping them and having a whole bunch of good saves."
Choose New Jersey and New Jersey Youth Soccer selected the "players from underserved communities" who got the exclusive opportunity. Players from teams in 10 more towns – including Paterson, Freehold Borough, New Brunswick and Burlington – will attend the Norway-Senegal group-stage match on June 22.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani at MetLife Stadium
It was New Jersey's response to New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's announcement of a $50 ticket lottery for New York City residents – using funds provided by the state of New Jersey to the host committee.
Bashir Gueye, Hayley Bravo-Reyes and their East Rutherford Youth Soccer League teammates met Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, at the Brazil-Morocco MetLife opener on June 13. They all happened to be seated in the same row, and the young players asked for photos. Mamdani even posed with the East Rutherford soccer banner.
"It was the best experience I ever had. The most cool part was seeing my dad (Vitaliano Bravo) so happy, because my dad never went to a World Cup game," said 11-year-old Bravo-Reyes, a diminutive striker for East Rutherford and Garfield-based PDA Vistula.
"Beating the defenders is mostly skill. They wait until the cross and go in and make a header. Even though I'm small, I do score most of the goals. ... My dad says I'm almost like (Argentine star Lionel) Messi, because I'm short and I can do skills too, and score a lot of goals."
A defensive midfielder turned goalie, Gueye recalled Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker making a double-save in stoppage time to preserve the 1-1 draw with Morocco.
A couple of days after the Brazil-Morocco match, Gueye happened to meet streamer and musician Darren Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed, at the Riggins Field track in East Rutherford. Watkins, who recorded the official World Cup song "World Cup (Champions)," signed Gueye's Senegal jersey, which he has hanging on his bedroom wall.
"I learned what it'll be like as I grow," said Gueye, whose father was born in Senegal. "I'll definitely have to improve my skills if I want to continue my soccer career as I move to older ages. I'm still shocked that I was there for my first World Cup game."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Youth soccer players gifted free World Cup tickets