Preps, alums get shot at Super Cup title
Teens suit up for Chicago Mustangs in minor league final
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The voice, sharp and distinctive, rises inside the tight confines of the indoor soccer field at the Grand Sports Arena.
“You gotta run a lot harder than that if you want to win on Saturday,” coach Dino Delevski said.
He’s a conductor with flair and panache, and he is now at the end of a brisk, electric 90-minute training session. The players, 19 of them in all, spill out in waves of six at a time in a hockey-like formation.
They are engaged in a special drill where they make the quick transition from attacking to defending, with the objective of simulating the need for an end-of-the-game score as the seconds wind down.
Delevski is the head coach and technical director of the Chicago Mustangs, a developmental, professional youth program.
However, this practice is not just the standard midweek affair. It’s loaded with significance and meaning.
The program, formally established in January, travels to Springfield, Mo., on Saturday night to play in the championship of the Fall Super Cup.
The Mustangs meet the home-standing Springfield Demize at 7 p.m. at the Lake Country Soccer Complex.
The game can be viewed through a Facebook stream (@MLSCtournaments) or online at www.minorleaguesoccerchampionships.com.
The field for the tournament featured 17 teams from nine states that made up the four-region alignment. The championship game takes place under the auspices of Minor League Soccer Championships.
These are development club programs that principally play in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), like the Mustangs, or the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
The Mustangs captured the six-team Great Lakes Division, a Midwest-based satellite of teams from Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
As the only Illinois program in the field, the Mustangs went 2-0-2 during pool play.
They qualified for the semifinals with superior goal-differential.
On Halloween, the Mustangs defeated Arkansas-based Atlas FC 3-2 in Springfield, Mo., to qualify for the title game.
Midfielder Adrien Graffin scored the game-winner.
“I think it’s really exciting,” Graffin said.
The ball was played to him, and he blasted it home. He was just waiting on the opportunity.
“I am more of a direct player. If I see the goal, I am going to try hardest to get the ball in, and that’s what I did.
“I am not really that fancy. I just try to be as efficient as possible.”
The 24-player roster is primarily composed of recent high school graduates or current seniors who are eager to get in playing opportunities after the IHSA shifted the boys’ high school season to the spring due to the pandemic.
The team has many recognizable and prominent players who have graced game and feature stories in SoccerCenter on the Chicagoland Soccer website (https://www.chicagolandsoccer.org/soccercenter.html_.
Jonathan Rodriguez, a three-time all-state player who led St. Patrick to two state trophies, has started every game for the Mustangs at defender.
Two-time all-state defender Jose Ibarra of Streamwood is another key in the back.
Three top players from Glenbard North -- keeper Martin Argirov, forward Nathaniel Enriquez and midfielder Raul Pasillas -- offer athleticism, speed and power.
Addison Trail’s Leo Acosta and Eduardo Gomez have contributed to the Mustangs success. Alexis Arroyo, a starting defender on West Chicago’s historic Class 3A state champion, is another player of distinction.
“These kids are all amateurs, and their high school or college eligibility is not jeopardized,” Delevski said.
The Mustangs intertwine youth with a bracing mixture of five or six older players who offer a different perspective, the necessary stability and experience.
At 31-years-old, Adrian Ortiz is the oldest player on the roster.
Forward Jimmy Matthew, born in South Sudan and a former player at Glenbard East, is a cagey veteran at 26.
“It’s a little unusual for me, especially compared to my other experiences where I was always used to being one of the youngest guys on the team, and now that’s changed,” Matthew said.
He personifies the larger ambitions of the Mustangs’ platform as a showcase for his talent and a gateway to other professional opportunities.
“I am here to get better as a player and just have the chance to grow my game and see how far I can develop,” Matthew said.
“I am very excited with the chance to play in the Super Cup this weekend. A lot of teams wish they could play there, and we feel very fortunate to be that team.”
The camaraderie is distinctive and highly authentic.
“We are a team composed of youth, but we also have more mature or experienced players,” Graffin said. It’s a good, healthy mix.”
Midfielder Jedidiah McCloud noticed a distinctive dynamic about the interplay of the older and younger players. It was natural and intuitive -- nothing was ever forced.
“I came in here, and what I noticed right away is the younger players and the older players talking to each other as if they were the same age,” McCloud said.
“You don’t see that gap. You wouldn’t even notice it except for the physical differences.”
Most important, the older players have helped the younger players adjust to the faster style and aggressiveness of the game.
“It’s bigger and more consistent,” McCloud said. “With club, you might have some players who are bigger and faster. The players here weigh more, and they are definitely faster.
“The physicality is the biggest difference.”
McCloud played his freshman year at Wheaton Academy before electing to be homeschooled.
His older brother Elias McCloud earned All-State recognition there. As a sophomore Elias McCloud was a midfielder on the Warriors’ 2014 Class AA state champion.
Elias McCloud just finished a professional stint in Australia. Jedidiah McCloud aspires toward his own path. He says playing with the Mustangs is an optimal step toward achieving his dream.
“I see this as a pathway to playing professionally,” Jedidiah McCloud said. “College is another way to get that route. My goal is to play professionally, and I think this is an incredible way to get there.”
Julian Saldana is a senior at Dundee-Crown. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, his roots cut deeper than just about any other player.
“About ten years ago, I was actually playing against them in a club game, and they beat us like 10-1,” Saldana said. “I decided after the game I had to talk to their coach, and do whatever I had in order to get on the team.”
This specific arrangement of players has existed since the start of the year, according to Delevski. The Super Cup marks the culmination of his grander plan.
“Most of these guys I have coached since they were 10 or 11,” he said.
His own odyssey is remarkable. He grew up in Skopje, the soccer-mad capital of Macedonia. He came to America in 1995 as a foreign-exchange student in Oklahome City.
After a year of high school, he set school records at Oklahoma City University, operating principally as an attacking midfielder and forward.
He began a long, varied and highly successful professional career. He was a two-time MVP of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
He played in far-flung locales from Wichita to Mexico to Milwaukee and Rockford. During his career with the Rockford Rampage, he spent time in Carol Stream.
During time in the northwest suburbs Delevski connected with Armando Gamboa, the owner and founder of the Mustangs’ professional team.
He was an assistant coach on the team that won the 2013-14 PASL championship.
He also had forays in youth and academy development. He worked as the technical director at the Oak Brook-based Eclipse Select. He also founded an earlier iteration of the Mustangs, the Chicago Inferno.
“This is the path we have taken because of how we much we believe in the product we have developed," Delevski said. "There is definitely a need for creating opportunity for standout players.
“So much emphasis is put on college, and I think that kind of takes away from the further development of those who want to play beyond college. There is definitely a value to the college route. There should be a choice.
“These kids, even if they are only 17 or 18, I believe they are good enough to compete at this level for the purpose of getting the necessary experience.”
Delevski and Gamboa are coaching the program. Another player, Trajche Lostovski, is a bridge who played on the Mustangs’ indoor professional team.
It’s all in the family.
The bulk of the team might be kids, but Delevski said they are positioned to succeed. The events of the last few months have only accelerated their learning curve.
The players are wholly assimilated into the sacrifices and steps necessary for success.
“These guys are playing against adults, and it’s a different physicality, a different maturity they are up against,” he said. “It has also helped them mature a lot faster than any youth competition they would have participated in.”
For a team assembled literally on the fly, the Mustangs have already made huge leaps.
“Everything that happens is a first for us,” Delevski said. “Everything that we see is going to be a learning experience regardless of the outcome of the game.
“The pressure of winning is not a factor for us. We have gone into it with an open mind and competed in these platforms, and now we have more experience.
“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
The anticipation is already there for the players.
“We got a draw in our first game, and after we saw the level of play, we were more than ready,” Saldana said.
“I think we are all very excited. It’s the kind of thing we have been working on very hard since the summer. Every game is a challenge.
“We are ready for any opponent.”
Teens suit up for Chicago Mustangs in minor league final
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The voice, sharp and distinctive, rises inside the tight confines of the indoor soccer field at the Grand Sports Arena.
“You gotta run a lot harder than that if you want to win on Saturday,” coach Dino Delevski said.
He’s a conductor with flair and panache, and he is now at the end of a brisk, electric 90-minute training session. The players, 19 of them in all, spill out in waves of six at a time in a hockey-like formation.
They are engaged in a special drill where they make the quick transition from attacking to defending, with the objective of simulating the need for an end-of-the-game score as the seconds wind down.
Delevski is the head coach and technical director of the Chicago Mustangs, a developmental, professional youth program.
However, this practice is not just the standard midweek affair. It’s loaded with significance and meaning.
The program, formally established in January, travels to Springfield, Mo., on Saturday night to play in the championship of the Fall Super Cup.
The Mustangs meet the home-standing Springfield Demize at 7 p.m. at the Lake Country Soccer Complex.
The game can be viewed through a Facebook stream (@MLSCtournaments) or online at www.minorleaguesoccerchampionships.com.
The field for the tournament featured 17 teams from nine states that made up the four-region alignment. The championship game takes place under the auspices of Minor League Soccer Championships.
These are development club programs that principally play in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL), like the Mustangs, or the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
The Mustangs captured the six-team Great Lakes Division, a Midwest-based satellite of teams from Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
As the only Illinois program in the field, the Mustangs went 2-0-2 during pool play.
They qualified for the semifinals with superior goal-differential.
On Halloween, the Mustangs defeated Arkansas-based Atlas FC 3-2 in Springfield, Mo., to qualify for the title game.
Midfielder Adrien Graffin scored the game-winner.
“I think it’s really exciting,” Graffin said.
The ball was played to him, and he blasted it home. He was just waiting on the opportunity.
“I am more of a direct player. If I see the goal, I am going to try hardest to get the ball in, and that’s what I did.
“I am not really that fancy. I just try to be as efficient as possible.”
The 24-player roster is primarily composed of recent high school graduates or current seniors who are eager to get in playing opportunities after the IHSA shifted the boys’ high school season to the spring due to the pandemic.
The team has many recognizable and prominent players who have graced game and feature stories in SoccerCenter on the Chicagoland Soccer website (https://www.chicagolandsoccer.org/soccercenter.html_.
Jonathan Rodriguez, a three-time all-state player who led St. Patrick to two state trophies, has started every game for the Mustangs at defender.
Two-time all-state defender Jose Ibarra of Streamwood is another key in the back.
Three top players from Glenbard North -- keeper Martin Argirov, forward Nathaniel Enriquez and midfielder Raul Pasillas -- offer athleticism, speed and power.
Addison Trail’s Leo Acosta and Eduardo Gomez have contributed to the Mustangs success. Alexis Arroyo, a starting defender on West Chicago’s historic Class 3A state champion, is another player of distinction.
“These kids are all amateurs, and their high school or college eligibility is not jeopardized,” Delevski said.
The Mustangs intertwine youth with a bracing mixture of five or six older players who offer a different perspective, the necessary stability and experience.
At 31-years-old, Adrian Ortiz is the oldest player on the roster.
Forward Jimmy Matthew, born in South Sudan and a former player at Glenbard East, is a cagey veteran at 26.
“It’s a little unusual for me, especially compared to my other experiences where I was always used to being one of the youngest guys on the team, and now that’s changed,” Matthew said.
He personifies the larger ambitions of the Mustangs’ platform as a showcase for his talent and a gateway to other professional opportunities.
“I am here to get better as a player and just have the chance to grow my game and see how far I can develop,” Matthew said.
“I am very excited with the chance to play in the Super Cup this weekend. A lot of teams wish they could play there, and we feel very fortunate to be that team.”
The camaraderie is distinctive and highly authentic.
“We are a team composed of youth, but we also have more mature or experienced players,” Graffin said. It’s a good, healthy mix.”
Midfielder Jedidiah McCloud noticed a distinctive dynamic about the interplay of the older and younger players. It was natural and intuitive -- nothing was ever forced.
“I came in here, and what I noticed right away is the younger players and the older players talking to each other as if they were the same age,” McCloud said.
“You don’t see that gap. You wouldn’t even notice it except for the physical differences.”
Most important, the older players have helped the younger players adjust to the faster style and aggressiveness of the game.
“It’s bigger and more consistent,” McCloud said. “With club, you might have some players who are bigger and faster. The players here weigh more, and they are definitely faster.
“The physicality is the biggest difference.”
McCloud played his freshman year at Wheaton Academy before electing to be homeschooled.
His older brother Elias McCloud earned All-State recognition there. As a sophomore Elias McCloud was a midfielder on the Warriors’ 2014 Class AA state champion.
Elias McCloud just finished a professional stint in Australia. Jedidiah McCloud aspires toward his own path. He says playing with the Mustangs is an optimal step toward achieving his dream.
“I see this as a pathway to playing professionally,” Jedidiah McCloud said. “College is another way to get that route. My goal is to play professionally, and I think this is an incredible way to get there.”
Julian Saldana is a senior at Dundee-Crown. Despite being one of the youngest players on the team, his roots cut deeper than just about any other player.
“About ten years ago, I was actually playing against them in a club game, and they beat us like 10-1,” Saldana said. “I decided after the game I had to talk to their coach, and do whatever I had in order to get on the team.”
This specific arrangement of players has existed since the start of the year, according to Delevski. The Super Cup marks the culmination of his grander plan.
“Most of these guys I have coached since they were 10 or 11,” he said.
His own odyssey is remarkable. He grew up in Skopje, the soccer-mad capital of Macedonia. He came to America in 1995 as a foreign-exchange student in Oklahome City.
After a year of high school, he set school records at Oklahoma City University, operating principally as an attacking midfielder and forward.
He began a long, varied and highly successful professional career. He was a two-time MVP of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
He played in far-flung locales from Wichita to Mexico to Milwaukee and Rockford. During his career with the Rockford Rampage, he spent time in Carol Stream.
During time in the northwest suburbs Delevski connected with Armando Gamboa, the owner and founder of the Mustangs’ professional team.
He was an assistant coach on the team that won the 2013-14 PASL championship.
He also had forays in youth and academy development. He worked as the technical director at the Oak Brook-based Eclipse Select. He also founded an earlier iteration of the Mustangs, the Chicago Inferno.
“This is the path we have taken because of how we much we believe in the product we have developed," Delevski said. "There is definitely a need for creating opportunity for standout players.
“So much emphasis is put on college, and I think that kind of takes away from the further development of those who want to play beyond college. There is definitely a value to the college route. There should be a choice.
“These kids, even if they are only 17 or 18, I believe they are good enough to compete at this level for the purpose of getting the necessary experience.”
Delevski and Gamboa are coaching the program. Another player, Trajche Lostovski, is a bridge who played on the Mustangs’ indoor professional team.
It’s all in the family.
The bulk of the team might be kids, but Delevski said they are positioned to succeed. The events of the last few months have only accelerated their learning curve.
The players are wholly assimilated into the sacrifices and steps necessary for success.
“These guys are playing against adults, and it’s a different physicality, a different maturity they are up against,” he said. “It has also helped them mature a lot faster than any youth competition they would have participated in.”
For a team assembled literally on the fly, the Mustangs have already made huge leaps.
“Everything that happens is a first for us,” Delevski said. “Everything that we see is going to be a learning experience regardless of the outcome of the game.
“The pressure of winning is not a factor for us. We have gone into it with an open mind and competed in these platforms, and now we have more experience.
“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
The anticipation is already there for the players.
“We got a draw in our first game, and after we saw the level of play, we were more than ready,” Saldana said.
“I think we are all very excited. It’s the kind of thing we have been working on very hard since the summer. Every game is a challenge.
“We are ready for any opponent.”