Engineering the Historic Revival of the Mineola Portuguese Soccer Club (MPSC)

Last Updated: September 6, 2020

1. History

Since 1936, the Mineola Portuguese Center had many soccer clubs, known by many names, over its many years in the Long Island Soccer Football League (LISFL). Although the exact date of the inaugural season of “Mineola Soccer” is not know, the “Mineola Soccer Club,” coached by LISFL life member John Pereira won their first championship, the Theodore Joseph Memorial Trophy (Div 1), in 1954. That legendary team started the heritage that we know, having won the league by only the 8th season in LISFL history. Mineola S.C. returned to prominence only two years later, winning the division 1 league championship again in 1956.

a. Their Own Words: Fred Edwards Jr. (Grumman player circa 1950’s)

“I played against Mineola in the early 1950s with the Grumman team. It was always fun playing against the likes of the Sinclair brothers (Ian, Fred, and Pete) and Dr Cesar de Rostang. Doc was a professional ( from the American Soccer League) and it clearly showed. I also remember Big Frank, a fullback though memory of his last name fades and the great Johnny Pereira. I remember Johnny because he used to pick up my father after Dad retired as League President and drive him to League meetings. A great guy! My wife and I had our wedding reception at the Portuguese American club in 1954. Mickey said they wanted to go into the business and a Swedish caterer down the street could serve a fine buffet meal. Mickey got Matty Daniels , a Great Neck winger, to bring his 7 piece band to play at no charge. When Matty had to leave halfway through for a paying gig Mickey provided a 4 piece combo. The guests never knew what hit them. It was a marvelous party! I have wonderful memories of your club and wanted to tell you how happy I am for you. I do remember [Mineola Player] Dr. Cesar De Rostang quite well. “Doc” always played with gloves on. This was because he was an obstetrician. In fact, my sister was a patient of his office. As a former American Soccer League professional he couldn’t play in Cup matches. However, I recall that, when Grumman played you, Doc would seem to score whenever Mineola needed the goal. He would then relax until needed again. Consequently, we generally lost each game by one goal, 2-1, 1-0, 3-2. It was frustrating but the sting went away with a beer at the PA Club. This all happened before 1954.”

b. Their Own Words: John Ploeger Jr. (Son of Mineola Portuguese Hall-of-Famer John Ploeger)

“I will tell you what I know about my dad’s soccer life. He was born August 21, 1929 in Paterson NJ. His parents had moved here from Holland a couple of years before his birth and moved back to Holland in late 1929 due to the economic conditions. He grew up in Amsterdam and lived there during World War II. He told me that he came up in the Ajax youth system and had Rinus Michels as a team mate. Rinus Michels was the coach of the Dutch World Cup Teams of 1974 and 1978. My dad had the opportunity to meet with Rinus Michels at Giants Stadium in the early 1980’s. He came over to the US in about 1950. I can remember going to see him play with a team at Hofstra University when I was young. My father became a Lutheran Minister and had churches in Pennsylvania and Denville, NJ. He was a high school soccer ref in the North Jersey area when I was growing up. He was a season ticket holder for the New York Cosmos for many years. I have played soccer all of my life and have done very well due to his influence. He attended every game and most of my practices and was a great support. I have had a great soccer life and am still playing at age 52. I have passed the legacy onto my two daughters. They have both played all of their life and have excelled in their soccer lives.

“My dad died on May 14, 1998 of heart problems. Before he died, he gave me a soccer medal that was in a frame. I have kept that medal with my trophy collection since it was given to me. I took the medal out of the frame for the first time ever [after visiting your website]. The front of the medal says Long Island Soccer F.L. and has a blue and yellow ribbon attached. When I took it out of the frame, I realized that it was engraved on the back. It says “Mineola S.C., Jospe Cup, J. Ploeger, 1953-’54”. I asked my mother if she remembered the Mineola Soccer Club and she said that it was where she met my father. I do not even know what position he played, however, I think that he was a forward.”

It is unknown how the great team of the 50’s declined to the third division, however 8 years passed since the team would again hoist a trophy. In 1964 Mineola S.C. finally escaped the 3rd division by winning the Fred Edwards Cup. After the league underwent restructuring in 1965 the team was again placed in the first division and spared no time in winning the league division 1 championship for the third and forth times in ’65 and ’66. It was also in 1965 that the team reached new heights in winning the “LISFL Major Division” championship, a league version of UEFA’s Champions League.

Although not much was accomplished during the 1970’s, outside of a 4th division title in 1979, the Mineola Portuguese Americans did record a friendly match in Mineola against a 2nd Division team from the Portuguese “Liga de Honra,” Beira-Mar Athelic Club on September 7th, 1976.

After a relative absence in the 1970’s, thought to be in part due to the massive emigration of Portuguese to the United States that caused displacement among players, the team returned again in the 80’s. New on the scene was present M.P.S.C. Hall-of-Fame Coach Jack Dafonte. The second dynasty had emerged under the name “Mineola United”, and in the first year of the decade raised the bar yet again. During the 1980/81 season Jack Dafonte led the reinvented team to its first New York State championship, winning the Eastern New York Manning Cup. By the end of the year Mineola Utd. had gone on to win the New York State “cup winners cup”, called the NY Knickerbocker Cup and qualified for their second, third, and forth spots in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. As the decade rolled on Coach Dafonte and company would add division 1 premier championships number 4 and 5 and Mineola’s first and second reserve championships , back-to-back in 1983 and 1984. Another club first was their fair play award, received in 1983 for the reserve team receiving the fewest amount of penalties during the year. Three very notable friendlies were played during this decade, including on May 27th and July 1st, 1984 when Mineola took on the Luso-Stars of Montreal Veterans and premier team respectively, Quebec in Mineola. Perhaps the most famous friendly was played on July 21st 1985, a match against 2nd division Portuguese team Sporting Maritimo Murtoense, also in Mineola, where they lost 6-0. The event was considered a measure of notoriety in Portugal of the teams success.

With the players from the 1980 dynasty aging, Mineola would see its largest faction, with 3 team represented in the league, during the 1990’s. Two new Portuguese clubs, Mineola-Alheirense and the Lusitano Soccer Club, would divide the newest class of Portuguese players. The team changed its name for the third time in 1990’s to the Mineola Portuguese-Americans, in order to distinguish itself from the other two clubs. In 1992 MPA coach John Pereira was duly honored with life membership in the LISFL and had the division 2 trophy named in his honor. The club would recognize Mr. Pereira’s honor by seizing two trophies during that year, the third division Edwards Cup and the cup that still bears his name, the 2nd division Pereira Cup. During this decade Mineola hosted three friendlies of note against Uniao Desportiva Ferrierense (Portugal Div 2) on April 4th, 1995, the Portuguese American Club of Bethlehem Veterans (Velha Guarda) on June 30th, 1996, and against the Portuguese American Cultural Center of the Tarrytowns Veterans (Velha Guarda) on May 23rd, 1999. Mineola had a few teams scattered through the 1990’s, but no team could sustain more than a couple of years before folding.

2. Modern Revival (Where I Come In)

Infamous Mineola Soccer Club Hall of Fame Coach Jack DaFonte had been retired for many years since his famed march to a State Cup in 1986, but his contributions to the history and culture of the club continued to live on through the passion of his son, Marco, who had a mission to restore the glory of the team and follow in his father’s footsteps.

Marco officially registered the team with the LISFL under its current form in 2007, as the Mineola Portuguese Soccer Club (“MPSC”). He led player recruitment and development and formed a competitive team of friends and classmates, including USA Junior National Team stars Georgi Spanos and Jason Landers.

Marco and I had known each other through family for many years, but in 2008 he asked if I could assist the team and the lead the administrative-side of things, serving in the roles of Executive Vice-President and General Manager. Recognizing the need and current vacuum of soccer in our community since the last great Mineola Soccer Club team fell, I immediately accepted the challenge.

The new installment of MPSC team was an instant success and picked up where it had left off, winning the LISFL Division 2 league championship undefeated and the Division 1R/2/3 Joseph Goldberg Indoor Cup tournament in 2008.

No words, however, could illustrate the breathless artistry that was executed the team during the 2008/09 season. Having a largely successful recruiting season and learning from Jack’s experience, our team ran rampant through the LISFL, fearless and resilient. Mr. Dafonte, Marco and I would leave the 2009 LISFL awards dinner with 5 trophies, having won the 1st Division East, Division 1 Championship, Division 1 Gil Beanland Sportsmanship Award, and Tony Cangero Division 1 Super Cup. Incredibly, in only our second season, the team also reached the New York State Div. 1 finals (walking away with a runners-up trophy) and for the 5th time in its history the MPSC reached the preliminary qualifying round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Continuing to embrace our growth and success in the off-season of 2009, we decided to absorb the then-defunk Real Mineola, a newly created LISFL second division team. The organization was restructured and a our reserve squad was bolstered, unifying the two Mineola Portuguese soccer clubs into one new superpower. The club also secured funding from some top sponsors and private donors, such as PowerBAR, which boosted the ability to secure better fields and crisp new uniforms. At this point, the MPSC was now equipped with the player pool and financial strength necessary to compete at the highest level in New York State Soccer.

By 2010, The MPSC continued its momentous run, setting a few new milestones along the way. The MPSC repeated its 2008/09 run by winning the Division 1 League Championship again for the 6th time in team history. In addition the team repeated its championship in the Eastern Division, came up as finalists in the Tony Cangero Super Cup, and finished as semi-finalists in the State Cup. One of the highlights for the players was their back-to-back Gil Beanland Sportsmanship Award, signifying that the club received the least amount of bookings during the past year. The club also brought home its first reserve trophy in over 27 years, albeit a runner’s up trophy, by playing in the finals of the Gunner Hertwig League Cup.

In 2011, Marco and I had matured greatly and our targets were set on carving out a name for our team among the greatest in Mineola Portuguese history- but to do that we would need to bring home the New York State Division 1 Manning Cup (and not just the runner-up trophy like last year). The regular season ran its course much as the previous two years, but the team fell short in every LISFL trophy run. The focus; however, was all on the top-level championships.

We realized our dream in the hot Westchester summer of 2011, using every breath to reach the State Finals once again in a rematch against the 2010 USA National US Open Cup Champion New York Pancyprian-Freedoms. By the end of what was described by league officials as a “breathless game of inches,” one of the greatest MPSC teams of all time routed the Pancyprians 5-3 for the 2011 ENYSSA Dr. Randolph G. Manning Cup and Mineola Portuguese’s 5th career New York State Championship.

The dream season continued later that summer, when we reached the finals of the New York Champions League Sal Rapaglia Cup and placed 4th in the United States Adult Soccer Association national George F. Donnelly Cup. The historic run was capped with a victory against the professional Long Island Rough Riders in the inaugural Pro-Am Nassau County Executive Cup at Mitchel Field Stadium.

3. Reinforcing the Next Generation with the Launching of MPSC Academy

The following year things slowed on the field, with only a 2013 Reserve Championship and Hertwig Cup runner-up trophy, but the club’s reputation would explode. Recognizing the opportunity to not only revive the club but reinforce and secure its future operations with community youth, we launched our first ever Youth Academy and registered it with the new up and coming JSS league.

The club was now a self-sufficient enterprise and once again a soccer icon on Long Island.

But by the end of 2014, Marco and I, now a bit older than the young men that took this dream upon our shoulders, had stepped down in our respective roles to give the opportunity to others. We both accepted seats as Board Members and used our experience to advise the next generation of team directors, now led by former MPSC 1st Team player and former Penn State star, President-Elect David Neves.

At this point, I had started to work more at the League-level with the LISFL, having been named an “Honorary Board Member” in 2010. Particularly in regard to more off-field projects and administrative programs. But regardless of whichever project I was working on, my heart and dedication were always with MPSC.

Gabriel Marques would help in inducting MPSC’s first player into the LI Soccer Hall of Fame, Dom Pedoni (center), who would be recruited to play professional D1 socccer in Portugal after his time with MPSC.

I was proud to watch as the Academy grew rapidly, and in 2015, with over 12 teams and 100 registered youth players, it was named the Best Soccer Academy on Long Island by LI Press Magazine.

In partnership with the MPSC’s most distinguished alumnus, Former Red Bulls and NY Cosmos captain Carlos Mendes, the MPSC launched an academy affiliate program with the rebooted NY Cosmos in the NASL. One of the major highlights came in the summer of 2015, when Spain National Team & Real Madrid superstar Raul and his son participated in a MPSC training program, launching the academy to local prominence. The NY Cosmos would celebrate the Portuguese Community that year and a year later in 2016 during a regular season home game.

4. Reflection

Overall, engineering the rebirth of the MPSC was an incredibly rich experience to me on both a personal and professional level. The people I met, the challenges overcome and the hope we inspired are still a part of who I am today.

As a player, I scored 4 goals for the club, winning two of those games, and had almost one hundred appearances for the first and reserve teams. In total, my time with the organization resulted in the following honors:

● Career winning percentage as Executive & Player of 62% (150 wins, 22 draws and 69 loses).

● MPSC Hall of Fame (Class of 2012).

● Long Island Press, Best Soccer Club on Long Island (2013).

● National USASA George F. Donnelly Cup (4th Place, 2011).

● New York State Sal Rappaglia Cup (Champions League) (Finalist, 2011).

● New York State Dr. Randolph G. Manning Cup Champion (2011) (Finalist, 2009).

● LISFL Cangero Super Cup Champion (2009) (Finalist, 2010).

● LISFL Division 1 League Champion (2009, 2010).

● LISFL Division 1 Conference Champion (2009, 2010).

● LISFL Division 1 Reserves League Champion (2013).

● LISFL Division 1 Reserves Hertwig Cup (Finalist 2010 & 2013).

● LISFL Division 2 Champions (2008).

● LISFL Division 1R, 2 & 3 Joseph Goldberg Cup Champion (2008).

● LISFL Gil Beanland Sportsmanship Award (2009, 2010).

● Nassau County Executive Cup Pro-Am Champions (2012).

As an Honorary Board Member of the League, I would also realize my highest individual soccer honor and received the inaugural LISFL President’s Award from legendary LISFL President Gus Xikis.