Guest Blog: Richard Carranza of @Gossamr

It’s a tuesday evening in Koreatown, Los Angeles and I am meeting up Alex and Steven from AFJA (Academia de Futbol Juvenil Amatense) for the first time. In many ways I knew what to expect, just like Alex and Steven, I grew up in Los Angeles the product of parent(s) who fled the civil war torn country of El Salvador in the early 80s. I was certain we would connect over our love of futbol, familia and pupusas. Beyond having experiences which resonated including attending the same college, the University of Southern California, I was excited to meet up with the pair who just one year ago and on a whim decided they wanted to have a greater impact on the communities their families originated from and I am glad I did.

“Si ya no lo usas, mandalo a El Salvador…”
For the minority of people who may not know, (and if you know you know) sending back resources whether that’s monetary, second hand clothing and toiletries, is commonplace when you grow up within a family who emigrated to the United States. When I was younger, the announcement that a friend or relative was visiting El Salvador meant my family’s network, keep in mind this is way before the days of go fund me or kickstarter, would come together and make sure everyone back in my family’s home town would get something they needed. The collection process was exhaustive, lasting months and reaching family friends we never heard of but the result was los abuelos heading to El Salvador with luggage stuffed full of essentials. As a kid, I always found this process somewhat amusing and it’s never been captured better than in this skit by instagram comedian El Sin Gracia and I never knew how big of an impact this had on the children and families in El Salvador until our father took my brother’s and I on a trip to El Salvador when we were kids. At the time leaving some of our favorite things, including my favorite LA Galaxy jersey, behind hurt a little but as I grew I came to realize how much more these type of gestures meant to our humble new friends.

A Third Language
Writing about the game is the hardest thing for me to do. It means so much to me and I find it impossible to reflect that through words. Here is my latest futile attempt. Through futbol, I have made my best friends, they also so happen to be my brothers, maintained a tight bond with generations of family members and have been able to travel to places I couldn’t have imagined as a kid. I am most comfortable whenever I am watching, talking about or even playing the game. When I meet someone new, all I need to know is do they also share a passion or even casual interest in the game and that alone can make or break my impression of them (I am sort of kidding). Futbol is the source of some of my greatest joys and most cruel disappointments. Simply put the lessons futbol taught me were the best compliment to my upbringing and have made me who I am.

Impact
The above and even more are encompassed by what Steven and Alex are doing in Los Amates E.S. and in Ateos, E.S. where the community has come together to turn the resources and efforts of LA2LA.org into a self sustainable futbol academy for youths that will change their lives. A ball, some (football) boots and a place to play means the world to kids who find joy through the game and also from knowing people from romanized countries have taken an interest in their well being. For Alex and Steven to dedicate a second job’s worth of time to this effort is remarkable and inspiring. It inspired me to volunteer some time and resources to their cause and I hope it can motivate you to take some time out of your day to share their story or even better save those extra $10-$20 you’ll spend on coffee this week or drinks on a weekend to donate to their cause.

Thank you for reading.

-Rich
@Hologramrichie