Ty Konrad seems to be stockpiling championship trophies as a pastime.
After leading his Naperville North soccer team to back-to-back Class 3A state titles, Konrad and his Galaxy Soccer Club Under-17 crew earned four straight wins in the U.S. Youth Soccer Nationals in Frisco, Texas, with a 4-2 overtime win against Tampa Bay United in the title game.
Konrad, one of nine Naperville players on the Galaxy roster, walked away with the Golden Ball Award for outstanding player of the tournament. Other Naperville North players included Patrick Koenig, Colin Iverson, Cesar Recendez, Jason Barba, Nata Rojas, Ali Khorfan, Christian Romano and Zack Smith.
“I’ve known a lot of these guys for a long time,” Konrad told the Chicago Tribune. “I’ve been friends with them forever and to be able to make that run with them and win (the national title) is really cool.’”
The team was coached by Jay Konrad, Ty’s father and the former Naperville Central soccer coach.
“It was neat to see the kids be successful,” Jay Konrad said. “They fight and battle for each other and they have a lot of pride. It was a journey.”
The Galaxy emerged as champs after being the lowest seeded team in the eight-team field and having dropped their opener to Tampa Bay.
The team’s roster also featured at least nine other local players. The familiarity might have helped make a difference, Ty Konrad said.
“We have good chemistry because we’ve been playing together forever,” he said. “We just work hard for each other, never give up and keep playing until the final whistle.”
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