Few tournaments have sparked the interest of the American soccer public like the TST 7v7 tournament that wrapped on Sunday. The TST (which stands for The Soccer Tournament) promised a million dollar prize to the winning team. 32 teams signed up, filled with stars from the past including notable former national team players like Jimmy Conrad and Demarcus Beasley. The bracket also included representatives of some big name overseas clubs including the media darling Wrexham FC. To fuel the public’s interest, the matches were broadcast by NBC, filling social media with clips of goals and celebrations.

Over the course of 4 days, the bracket played out and one by one the big names exited the tournament. Rather than some superstar-studded roster advancing, it was a small club from Connecticut that ended up winning the prize. Newtown Pride FC plays in the Connecticut Soccer League and was founded 20 years ago by a father and son duo, Mike and Matt Svanda.

While the soccer club has had some success, including winning the National Amateur Cup in 2019, the focus of the team changed after the Sandy Hook School shooting event that took place in 2012. Matt Svanda highlighted this after the TST title win in a long and heartfelt Twitter thread. “My family lives right up the street from the school. My dad is a retired teacher. It put a lot in our life into perspective. And what’s it have to do with soccer? In the grand scheme of things - nothing. But in our hearts - we knew we could make a difference through the game. What does that mean? Supporting local organizations who are already doing incredible work. Being an outlet to community members to come watch games. And more importantly gave our players and staff a sense of pride in knowing we needed to do something.”

While the team didn’t have the resources or name recognition of its competitors in the TST, it approached the tournament seriously. Svanda pointed out that began with “strategically putting together a roster we knew could compete. And while we went out of our way for some - it’s been a cultivation of relationships over the years that has allowed us to put together a brand.” That roster would be the key to winning the title and the prize money. The winning goal would come off a beautiful backheel assist, a sure sign of players that knew each other and had chemistry. Kelvin Nunes would score that game winning goal and win MVP.

After the massive financial win for the tiny amateur club, Svanda now has to decide what to do with winnings, but the dollar amount doesn’t change the club’s approach. “It will allow us to evaluate the organization as a whole and make some decisions we’ve been wanting to make both on the field and off. It allows us to build a team to continue our mission; our vision. We will also donate locally. It allows players to take the next steps in their careers to support their families. Without their commitment to us; we have no team.”

The title couldn’t have gone to a more fitting champion.

- Dan Vaughn