The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) salutes the United States Women’s National Team on winning their second consecutive and fourth overall women’s World Cup.
They have won half of the eight Women’s World Cups played.
Eastern New York would like to particularly salute our own Crystal Dunn and Allie Long.
Crystal grew up a short corner kick from the Eastern New York office in Rockville Centre in the Town of Hempstead. She developed her wonderful skills in Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) for six years, and also played for the Rockville Centre Power, Rockville Centre Tornadoes and Albertson Fury ’93 in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), winning a State Cup title with the Power.
The USA team that Crystal was on won the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup and she duplicated that success in France. She also received the 2012 Hermann Award as college soccer’s best player, was the first selection in the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft and the 2015 NWSL Most Valuable Player.
In the NWSL, Crystal plays for defending champion NC Courage.
The 27-
“Throughout the World Cup, I do feel like people were kind of doubting my ability to play that role,” she told Michael Lewis of Newsday. “I never really doubted myself. I came up against world-class forwards. Outside back is not my primary position, but I’m walking away from this World Cup with my head held high. I think I’ve proven to myself and everybody out there who ever thought I wasn’t fit for the job, I’m a world champion because I am fit for the job.”
Her USA teammate, Allie Long, grew up in East Northport in the Town of Huntington and started playing soccer for the Northport/Cow Harbor Mustangs of the LIJSL.
She completed her youth career playing for LIJSL teams Oceanside Express and the Albertson Express, winning four consecutive State Open Cup titles with the Express. Allie used being a member of ODP for five years as a springboard to representing the United States internationally with the US Women’s National Team and Under-23 Team.
In the NWSL, she plays for Reign FC in Washington State. Allie, 31, played in midfield in the USA’s 3-0 win over Chile in group play.
The champs will be celebrated in a
