Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois is the home field of the Chicago Fire. It has 30,000 seats. Players like Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Frank Lampard have all been on the pitch there.

On September 27, Toyota Park will host the Leyden soccer team and St. Charles North as part of Pepsico Showdown at Toyota Park Illinois. The Showdown has occurred annually since 2003.

Players and coaches are both excited about the opportunity to be playing in such a big field. With every drill, every sprint, every pass, and every shot taken during practice the team has the Showdown in mind. Both hope that this high-profile event will be just one of a number of successes this year.

Varisty head coach Mr. Mark Valintis said, “I would think that we would give our best effort being in a professional stadium on a professional field.  This will be a game that players never forget: to play on the same field as some of the best players ever such as Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, and Cuauhtémoc Blanco.”

Varsity player Christian Sosnowski had similar ideas: “I feel very excited to play at Toyota Park. It’s going to be an amazing experience to play on a professional grass field, and it’s going to be once in a lifetime experience to remember.”

In addition to this unique experience, the team has a unique composition according to Valintis. “We have a nice mix of players that each bring something positive to the overall team. Talent, personality, leadership, work ethic, and comedy all play a key role in the development of a team over time.”

Sosnowski, who joined the team only this year, added,“This year we have an amazing work ethic and we play great as a team. Our chemistry is getting better everyday and I hope we can do great stuff this year. We already won the Leyden Challenge Cup last week by beating Larking and Brookfield-Riverside and we are looking forward to the Pepsi Showdown to go far and compete for the title,as well as to win State. I decided to play Leyden Soccer because it’s my senior year, and I believe we have a great chance to go all the way down to state and compete for the championship.”