On a recent summer night, Gian Maldonado begins his warmups for practice on a neighborhood field that he has played on since his youth playing days. Maldonado, born in Camden, New Jersey, moved to and grew up in Philadelphia, PA. He started playing soccer at age 11 and began playing for his local club, Kensington SC (Philadelphia, PA) and their U14 youth travel team in 2016. A center back and center defensive midfielder, he is now playing for the Kensington adult men’s team and is looking to help take them to new heights.

This Fall, Maldonado will be looking to lead Kensington to a berth in the U.S. Open Cup in addition to competing in the Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL). For the first time in the club’s still young history, they will be competing in qualifying rounds for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. When asked what it would mean to help lead his team to the U.S. Open Cup, Gian says “It would mean the world to me, playing for the team that has always been there for me and treated me like family from the start. I feel privileged that I get these types of opportunities through Kensington SC. I hope that this big moment for the club opens doors for the people of Kensington”. Kensington SC takes its name from the neighborhood of Kensington in North Philadelphia and the club is a great sense of pride within the community.

A homegrown player in the American lower league soccer landscape is an inspiring grassroots soccer story as is, but this Philadelphia underdog story doesn’t stop there:

Recently, Maldonado decided to take a chance and bet on himself. Gian’s parents are originally from Honduras so Gian will keep an eye on some of the professional club soccer teams from the country. One such team is Platense FC. Gian saw on their social media that they were having first team try outs, so he decided to book a flight to Honduras and try out for the club. The flight ended up being worth it because after the first day, the head coach invited him to join the first team for pre-season training. While trialing with Platense FC, Gian was scouted by a recruiter from Real CD España, another professional club in Honduras, and was invited for a trial with them as well. A few days later, he was at the Real CD España training ground, practicing with the team. While Honduras may be far from his neighborhood soccer fields in Philadelphia, it was those fields that helped prepare him for this moment. Gian described it as “an amazing experience. The coaches and players there were welcoming and professional. It was a great atmosphere, everybody there was focused and had a big desire to win”.

For now, the focus is on EPSL play, state cup competitions and a berth in the U.S. Open Cup. You can catch him and his teammates putting in work on the familiar local soccer fields, the same one’s that Gian grew up playing on. A Kensington SC youth team finishes their practice as Gian completes his warmups before the field lights go on for the men’s team practice. When asked for any advice for kids just starting to play the game, with a smile Gian says “Focus on having fun. Enjoy the ball at your feet and make it your best friend. The game is there to be enjoyed”. The youth players walk off with their parents as Gian dribbles onto the field, enjoying the ball at his feet.

- Tim Lutz

For his soccer highlights, follow Gian Maldonado on Instagram at gianinho7 and follow Kensington SC on Instagram at kensingtonsoccerclub and Twitter @KensingtonSC.

Cover graphic designed by Cory Mizer.