OV Toros: Kicking Off a Bright Future
MLS NEXT and National 1 League are the highest platforms for soccer in the U. S., elevating teams across the country. Top teams from each age group, U13 to U19, compete in regional games against other teams in the Bay Area during the spring and fall season, and players get the opportunity to attend two college showcases, where they compete against other U. S. clubs and demonstrate their skills for college recruits. These programs pave the way for junior, four year, or out of state colleges, and help players reach their goals of elite or professional soccer. Getting accepted into these leagues had its challenges. McMullen and his colleagues needed to ensure that their team was at the appropriate level and that their and they’ ve had 35 new U16 boys sign up for tryouts specifically because they want to become part of the MLS NEXT program. OV Toros currently has 46 competitive teams from U8 to U19 for both boys and girls, but McMullen anticipates that will likely grow to be over 50 in the coming year.
The energy within OV Toros has been electric.“ I think players and parents are very excited. So are the coaches,” McMullen said,“ I think it provides a bit of nerves because some of these teams could be changing a little bit, but I also think it gives an opportunity for these players to play locally at an elite level, which they deserve.” coaches had the highest qualifications and were receiving continued education for coaching. But the biggest challenge for OV Toros was getting people to realize they existed at all.“ Some people are like,‘ Oh, I didn’ t know there’ s a soccer club in Morgan Hill,’” McMullen said. No one expected such high caliber teams to come from such a small city, so no one ever looked.
Since OV Toros announced their acceptance into MLS NEXT and National 1 League, people are taking notice. 25,000 people viewed their announcement post on Instagram, 26 percent of which weren’ t even followers,
Putting OV Toros on the map could also spell great things for Morgan Hill as a whole.“ When you have a tournament, you usually have a game in the morning and one in the afternoon, so you need a filler. Downtown Morgan Hill is incredibly nice for that. There are great places to go for food and games,” McMullen explained. He envisions Morgan Hill eventually hosting national soccer tournaments. That level of sports tourism would fill up hotels, restaurants, and shops, and that, in turn, could be channeled back into helping the city. It will take more work and more soccer fields to get to that point, but McMullen has faith in his community.
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