It’s easy to pick out John Young on a soccer field. At 6-foot-6, the Plymouth man stands heads and shoulders above most everybody else. Then there’s his beaming face – it’s like a beacon. All eyes are drawn to his gleaming smile as he glides down the pitch with the rest of the New England Revolution Unified Team, which features Special Olympians.
“John is a character,” said assistant coach Jack Danubio. “He has a wit and sense of humor that keeps everyone on the team loose. He jokes around a lot.”
Indeed, Young likes to keep things light in the clubhouse and on the field. With a gleam of mischief, the 20-year-old midfielder, who is autistic, likes to remind his fellow players of his self-anointed nickname: Captain Storm.
“I tell my teammates, ‘I feel a storm coming on,’” said Young with a pretend maniacal glare on a recent day. He added, “Soccer has excitement, action and romance. I love it.”
Young is the only Plymouth resident on the Revs Unified Team, which is affiliated with the New England Revolution professional club. The Special Olympians take the field at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough with partner athletes, who help guide play and keep the game going.
The Foxborough soccer squad plays other unified teams associated with Major League Soccer. Saturday, July 20, Revs Unified faces off against its counterpart from FC Dallas at Gillette, just after the pros play, at 7:30 p.m.
This will be the final game of the season for the team. Though practicing weekly, they see action only twice a year. In May, the team traveled to New Jersey to battle the New York Red Bulls Unified Team to a 1-1 tie.
“That was John’s first time away from home alone,” said his mother, Tara Young. “It was a new experience – for us and him. But everything went great. It was an adventure.”
Fast and agile, John loves team sports. In addition to soccer, he plays softball and basketball, as well as track and field with the Massachusetts Special Olympics. He also enjoys bowling. His athleticism and size – he wears a size 17 soccer cleat – are definite advantages in this fast-paced, occasionally rough game.
“When John was younger, it was all about sportsmanship when he played soccer,” Tara noted. “You didn’t bump into anyone, and you passed a lot. At this level, we’ve had to assure him that it’s OK to be aggressive and challenge other players. If he is pushed, he can push back.”
A graduate of Plymouth South High School (“I’m a Panther for life,” he proudly declares), Young played several sports on unified teams. He also attended Cape Cod Collaborative, where he received additional education and occupational training. He works with Old Colony Elder Services at Cordage Park, assisting with the Meals on Wheels program.
If there’s one thing Young loves more than soccer, it’s pizza. He can consume a large pie in a matter of minutes. Young is so fond of the food that his ultimate goal is to work at Papa Gino’s in West Plymouth.
“We’re helping him with that now,” said Tara, who pointed out that while John has high-functioning autism, he still needs guidance with certain things. She turned to her son and asked, “John, what would you do if someone asked for a tuna sub?”
Young quickly replied, “I would tell them to get pizza instead.”
“Is that right?” his mother queried.
“No, I guess not,” he answered, only half believing that a person would really want to order something other than pizza.
Tara and her husband Joe Young learned about the Revs Unified Team last year and urged John to try out, although they cautioned that he might not be accepted. Like all parents, they want their son to succeed, but don’t want to see him hurt or disappointed.
“We kept telling him to not get his hopes up because you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she recalled. “But he tried out at Gillette Stadium and made the team. John signed a contract just like the pros and started practicing. He’s one of the youngest players on the team.”
So far, playing on the Revs Unified Team has been more than the family could have hoped for. Tara said she has watched her son gain confidence and grow emotionally through the experience. As for John, well, he’s just happy to be playing a sport he is passionate about.
“I love playing soccer,” he said. “I’m really good at it.”
Dave Kindy, a self-described history geek, is a longtime Plymouth resident who writes for the Washington Post, Boston Globe, National Geographic, Smithsonian and other publications. He can be reached at davidkindy1832@gmail.com.