🌮 Oregon's first national champions came from where?

What’s Up Capital Connectors!

I’m already having fun with this Sunday edition. This is a chance to dive deeper into the people, places, and organizations that make Salem an incredible place to live.

This week we are highlighting a group of kids who did the impossible and brought a freaking NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP back to Salem.

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Building Champions: How Salem Became a Soccer City

A Dream Six Years in the Making

Martin Maldonado Cortez Jr. still remembers the first time he met them. A group of wide-eyed 11-year-olds, barely reaching his waist, looking up at their new coach with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. They were just starting their journey at Capital Futbol Club, and none of them could have imagined where it would lead.

Six years later, as the final whistle blew in Tampa, Florida, those same kids had become young men holding Oregon's first-ever US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup National Championship trophy. For Maldonado, watching them celebrate felt surreal - watching growth that stretched far beyond soccer.

"To have that moment as soon as the whistle blew and see them accomplishing something pretty big in our state," Maldonado reflects, "it was very, very surreal."

The Moment Everything Changed

The championship game started aggressively. Within 20 minutes, CFC was up 2-0 against the very team that had beaten them in group play earlier in the tournament. That's when something shifted in the players' body language.

"I think that's when they realized we're really going to do this," Maldonado says. "In the second half when we went up 4-1, their body language completely changed. Like they're thinking, 'Oh, we're running this game. We're owning this. This is ours.'"

But this wasn't just any championship team. This was CFC's second-tier squad, and more than half the players were on scholarship. The victory represented something much bigger than a trophy - it was validation of a philosophy that believes every kid deserves a chance to play.

From Struggle to Success

Just a year earlier, this same team hadn't even made it out of the group stage in their first tournament. The transformation wasn't accidental. Head Coach Matt Corti-Young watched his players evolve from a group that tended to "implode and beat ourselves" into a team that "refused to quit."

The journey to Florida was filled with dramatic moments that tested their newfound resilience. In the semifinal, with momentum hanging in the balance, goalkeeper Omar Silva Solis made a crucial penalty save. "I looked over at the coach and said, 'He's going to save this,'" Maldonado recalls. "'There's no way they score. Our momentum, we had all the momentum.'"

That save, followed by their own successful penalty kick just minutes before a lightning delay forced everyone off the field, epitomized the team's growth. They had learned to seize crucial moments instead of being overwhelmed by them.

More Than Soccer: Building Community

The championship team reflects CFC's broader mission in Salem. Players come from McKay, McNary, Blanchett, Silverton, and surrounding communities, creating a diverse group that mirrors the valley itself. But what makes CFC special isn't just where the kids come from, it's how the organization ensures that economic barriers don't prevent participation.

JoAnna Fields, who helps lead CFC's community outreach, puts it simply: "We really believe in the power of sport. Sports have the power to change lives, and we think that through sports you can create connection, healthy lifestyle, future education opportunities."

The numbers tell a compelling story. CFC now serves 7,000 kids annually, with 2,500 receiving scholarships based on the national poverty level. This isn't about wanting new cleats or the latest gear - these are families who truly need support to participate.

"Our scholarships are literally based off of the national poverty level," Fields explains. "This isn't just a willy-nilly situation. This is literally families who need help."

Growing a Soccer Culture

The transformation of Salem into a soccer city has been remarkable to witness. When Fields started at CFC, they served about 1,500 kids. The growth to 7,000 reflects not just organizational success, but genuine community need and desire.

"COVID was actually one of our biggest blessings because we own our facility, so we were able to still provide kids a space to go," Fields notes. During the pandemic, they literally had cones set up in the grass with six-foot boxes, determined to keep kids active and connected.

The demand has become so intense that kids regularly jump the fence just to play soccer at the complex when the gates are closed. "Jacob, if you swing by right now, the gates are probably closed and there's like 20 kids kicking the ball from CFC jumping the fence," Maldonado laughs.

The Ripple Effect

CFC's philosophy extends beyond their own programs. They've created partnerships with local institutions like Chemeketa College, expanding recreational opportunities and building relationships throughout the community. Executive Director Colin's vision of making Salem "the hub" for soccer is becoming reality.

The organization offers something for everyone: recreational programs for beginners, competitive teams for serious players, unified teams for kids with disabilities, and elite academy programs for those with professional aspirations. As Fields puts it, "Soccer is just the carrot" - the real goal is community building and life development.

"Whether you want to play in college or professionally or just recreationally, we have a spot for you," she explains.

Building for the Future

CFC's next major project, the Jason Sharp Center, will include an indoor field, community space, classrooms, and even restaurant facilities. The goal is creating a true community hub where families can gather, kids can do homework between practices, and teams can watch film together.

"The idea is a community space that's open for our community to further those deep connection pieces," Fields says. "Have a space for teams to watch film, but also for kids to do their homework before their next session."

The center represents CFC's evolution from just a soccer club to a genuine community resource. With construction underway and completion expected by spring/summer 2026, it will provide the infrastructure to serve even more families.

The Championship Legacy

What makes this national championship special isn't just that it was Oregon's first Presidents Cup title. It's that it came from a club's second team, with players who've been together for years, many of whom could only participate because of scholarship support.

"This core group, like I mentioned, that won this national title has been at the club for more than six years," Maldonado says. "They were part of that scholarship program that helped them stay with us not just for one year, but for years."

The victory validates everything CFC believes about access, development, and community. When your second-tier team can win a national championship while serving kids from diverse economic backgrounds, it proves that the model works.

Supporting Future Champions

CFC's annual auction on November 15th directly funds the scholarship programs that make stories like this possible. "The more money we raise at the auction, the more we can provide to our community and kids, and we can keep them playing soccer for years to come," Maldonado explains.

But supporting CFC isn't just about funding travel to Florida for tournaments. As Fields emphasizes, "These kids are having scholarship opportunities to play in college. It goes beyond just what's on the field."

A Model for America

The story of CFC's championship team offers a blueprint for youth sports done right. By prioritizing access over exclusivity, development over immediate results, and community over individual achievement, they've created something sustainable and meaningful.

"Supporting CFC," Fields concludes, "you are supporting future champions, whether that's on the field or off the field. We believe in the whole player and want to develop the whole player."

In Salem, soccer has become more than a game. It's become a pathway to opportunity, a builder of community, and a source of pride for an entire region. And somewhere, a new group of 11-year-olds is just beginning their journey, looking up at their coaches with the same wide-eyed wonder that started this remarkable story.

For more information about CFC's programs or to support their mission, visit cfcsalem.com or follow them on social media.

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