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Fighting their way through elimination rounds to earn their place on the American team, three nine-year-olds from Hollister’s Faultline Football Club not only played in the Federación Mundial de Fútbol Mini World Cup in Mexico, they also came home with a trophy almost as tall as they are.
“These guys brought their ‘A’ game to every single tryout and every single game,” Faultline coach Jesus Reyes, Jr. said of Jesus Reyes (his son), Salvador Cortez and Marcos Hernandez. “I don’t know if you can expect that out of nine-year-olds, but they just dug deep, and it was pretty exciting to see.”
Faultline was formed a year and a half ago by Reyes and his brother, Christian Reyes. Starting with just seven kids, the club has grown to more than 80 players on six teams. When the coaches heard that a series of 10 tryouts were being held to create four teams to send to the Mini World Cup, he entered the three local players to vie for positions.
“Every tryout was an elimination round,” Reyes said. “There were initially about 100 kids, and I kept telling mine, ‘Whether you’re in or not, play your hardest. Make sure you leave it all out on the field.’”
While Reyes said he did not expect all of his kids to make it onto the final team, he was also not surprised when all three advanced through every round.
“With kids at this age,” he said, “it’s usually hit or miss. But I see these guys at their games, and they play at a high level. I did have high hopes for them. And they did very, very well.”
Team America. Photo courtesy of Jesus Reyes. 
Marcos Hernandez, Salvador Cortez and Jesus Reyes the trophy. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Jesus Reyes, Salvador Cortez and Marcos Hernandez with Coach Jesus Reyes and the trophy. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Jesus Reyes. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Salvador Cortez. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Marcos Hernandez. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Salvador Cortez, Jesus Reyes and Marcos Hernandez, with certificates form the City of Hollister. Photo by Robert Eliason.
The three-day competition, which began on Aug. 7, was held in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. The team won its first two playoff games easily, starting with a 4-1 victory against France, followed by a 3-0 win against Germany. The third game, against Turkey, was a close 6-5 win.
Reyes describes the fourth game, the team’s 5-2 semifinal elimination round victory against Mexico, as their best game of the tournament.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “There is something about Mexico and the U.S. in competition that makes it a little bit more exciting. Those guys had a heck of a game.”
In their final game, the team again faced Turkey, pulling off a 6-4 victory—a slight improvement over the previous meeting.
“It was a tough one,” Reyes said. “It was back and forth, back and forth. I think we were down two [goals] at one point. But these guys just dug deep and they handled their business.”
Hernandez described Turkey as the most formidable opponent and a very active team.
“After that first game against Turkey,” he said. “I knew that they would want to win. They were pressing us fast, and we had to pass and score. It was exciting because we went to play and we played really hard.”
Reyes’s son and namesake, Jesus, said that both games against Turkey left him uncertain about his team’s chances.
“I didn’t think we were going to win,” he said. “I thought we would get second place. Those kids had good shots, and they dribbled good. But we just did all those things better.”
The three players were fairly restrained and nonchalant in talking about the trip and their victory.
Cortez said it was fun and that he hoped to have the chance to play in Mexico again. Jesus said it made him think about playing soccer professionally. And Hernandez liked the trophy because it was “golden and big.”
Reyes said that he and his brother have more practical thoughts as they work to expand Faultline as a club that is bringing a unique style of soccer to the community, while emphasizing player development and sportsmanship.
It’s a year-round program that offers traditional grass and beach play, which transitions to indoor “futsal”—small teams playing indoors—during the winter. Reyes said he is also anxious to bring in some of the more individualised elements found in South American soccer culture.
“The goal,” Reyes said, “is to make it a positive thing where kids are eager to play. We’ve had some kids cry because they don’t want practice to end. We turn on music, and we make it fun. But we make it competitive and we stick to a regimen.”
The nonprofit organization charges $150 for six months of training, primarily to cover insurance and field costs. It operates on a “no child left behind” principle, offering to sponsor kids who otherwise would not be able to participate, and holds popcorn fundraisers and family cookoffs to raise the funds..
“We are reaching out,” Reyes said. “We want to have a recreational league in this county. We welcome everyone, whether they barely know how to play or have been playing for a couple of years. We want to put San Benito County on the soccer map.”
For more information on Faultline FC, visit the website or call (408) 373-4197
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