Jimmy Harkes has been the coordinator and coach for the Kearny United youth soccer program for the past two decades.
Harkes, whose brother John is a member of the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame and was a major reason why Kearny was given the well deserved nickname of “Soccertown, USA,” during his World Cup appearances, has been coaching several of the Kearny United teams over the years.
None were better than the current group he assembled for the 15-and-under season.
This current group not only won the New Jersey Cup as the top U15 squad in the state, but they also moved on to the Eastern Region 1 tourney in Baltimore and won there.
With the nation’s top eight teams all gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma two weeks ago to convene for the youth national championships, Kearny United won three times to advance to the national title game, where they unfortunately fell, 3-2, via penalty kicks after two grueling overtime sessions.
Needless to say, it was a fabulous run for the local squad, advancing further than any previous Kearny United team had reached.
“We never had been to the regional finals,” Harkes said. “This was the first time. I’ve been doing this a long time and this was the first time. It was really great to get there.”
What these youngsters had to endure to get to the national title game was nothing short of miraculous.
First, Kearny United won 18 consecutive regular season games to get to the New Jersey Cup winners’ bracket, then won eight straight playoff games after that to hoist the Cup as the state’s premier team.
Then, as state champs, Kearny United went to the Region 1 tournament in Baltimore and had to face more adversity.
“We played five games in three days in 100 degree heat in Baltimore,” Harkes said. “We had a 19-man roster and kept substituting in and out every 10-to-15 minutes. We were doing that with everyone. It was so hot that we had to keep doing the same thing. But we felt like we could beat anybody on any given day. We were that good.”
It was also a team that understood where they were and what they were playing for.
“We had a really good group of kids,” Harkes said. “It’s one of the best groups I’ve ever had. They knew their roles.”
After winning the Region 1 title, Harkes had to do some major fundraising to send the team to the national championships. More than $10,000 was raised in a short period of time to help defray the cost of travel and lodging in Oklahoma.
The Kearny United team was led by talented goalkeeper Marcelo Vargas, who was named to the All-Tournament team for the championship round.
“He was very good in goal, very solid,” Harkes said of Vargas, who had Joao Ohmung as his backup.
Ohmung stepped in for Vargas in the title game and kept Las Vegas off the scoreboard.
The sweeper was team captain Nicholas Fiallas.
“He played fantastic for us,” Harkes said. “He reads the game real well and he’s a pure leader. He’s very vocal. He’s just a very good player.”
The stopper is Jerson Santander, who “was very solid every game,” according to Vargas.
Marlin Rodriguez and Brian Miranda were the two remaining defenders.
“They absolutely gave up nothing,” Harkes said. “They were a very good defensive group. We were able to move kids in and out and still gave up nothing.”
Patrick Lettre is a midfielder who was named to the All-Tournament team.
“He plays more of a defensive midfielder role, but he did a great job,” Harkes said of Lettre.
Mike Buestan is another midfielder who was more of a scorer and playmaker.
“He was our leading assist guy,” Harkes said. “He is a left-footed player and used that powerful left foot to set up plays.”
Manny Gomez started many games in the midfield.
“He’s another playmaker,” Harkes said. “He scored the first goal in the championship game.”
Ryan Silva was the team’s center midfielder and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament even in defeat.
“He had a fantastic tournament,” Harkes said of Silva. “He was tough going through the lane, beating people inside and out.”
Jose Molina is another midfielder.
“He’s probably the most talented player we have,” Harkes said of Molina. “He wore the No. 10 for a reason. He’s one of the most talented players I’ve ever coached.”
It is a tradition in soccer, an unwritten rule, that the team’s top playmaking midfielder dons the No. 10 sweater _ and that distinction fell to Molina.
Oscar Garcia is another midfielder who played more of a defender’s role.
“He was pretty reliable for us,” Harkes said.
John Carlos Pereyra was another playmaking center midfielder who scored a lot of goals for Kearny United before leaving to visit family in Argentina.
“He did manage to knock in a few penalty kicks for us in the State Cup before leaving,” Harkes said.
Connor Crispin, the younger brother of Observer Female Athlete of the Year Amber Crispin, was another solid midfielder.
Joseph Figueiredo was another midfielder and playmaker off the bench.
Up front, the team had Austin Sweeney, who was tireless.
“He did a lot of work for us,” Harkes said. “He was our workhorse. He scored a bunch of goals.”
Sweeney also earned All-Tournament for his hard work and dedication.
Omar Sowe, the younger brother of former Harrison High All-State player Madou Sowe, was Kearny United’s resident jack-of-all-trades.
“The kid is so talented that he can play anywhere,” Harkes said. “He’s a very good player. He was one of the top players in the tournament. He could score goals, come back to play in the midfield and defend. He scored a hat trick in our win over Illinois and I had him in goal for our penalty kicks in the title game. He’s a great athlete like his older brother.”
Needless to say, Harkes thoroughly enjoyed coaching this team.
“It was a special thing for them and something they’ll never forget,” Harkes said. “It was fantastic. It brought back memories that I had as a kid. They really enjoyed themselves and I was happy to share it with them.”
Collecting a total of 29 victories and a trip to Oklahoma is something that will last a lifetime.
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”