The Anderson Monarchs are going global in soccer: ‘It’s just going to open their eyes’

While some of the world’s best soccer players will be coming to Philadelphia for the World Cup this summer, some of Philadelphia’s young soccer standouts will be leaving the country for an international tournament of their own.

The Anderson Monarchs’ team of 10- and 11-year-old girls punched its ticket to the Gothia Cup, which is July 12-18 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Gothia Cup is the largest youth soccer tournament in the world.

The Monarchs pulled off a 2-1 shootout win — their first-ever shootout — over North Philly United in a Montgomery County-based “Meet the World” tournament sponsored by manufacturing firm SKF on April 18. This secured the Monarchs’ position as one of the 16 teams SKF would be sponsoring for the Gothia Cup.

The Anderson Monarchs were created to provide experiences for children “that normally wouldn’t get those opportunities,” coach Steve Bandura said. He added that these opportunities allow the players to grow socially and academically, and he expects an opportunity like this to have a lasting effect on the athletes.

“This is going to be an amazing experience for our girls to get out of South Philly,” he said. “It’s just going to open their eyes and change their perspective on the world, really. And we’re meeting girls from all over on common ground, on the soccer pitch, and I think it’s going to be an incredible experience for them.”

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With the sponsorship from SKF, the Monarchs’ entire trip is taken care of. SKF has headquarters in Gothenburg and has been the main sponsor of the Gothia Cup since 2007. Over the years, SKF has brought over 5,000 players to the Gothia Cup, and the qualifying Meet the World tournaments remain their largest corporate social responsibility project, said SKF communications manager Jackie Rahmer.

“It’s more than just a sponsorship for us. It’s an opportunity to celebrate soccer and have kids come together and build friendships across borders,” Rahmer said. “We just think that’s something that’s very special.”

One of the Sweden-bound players, Rosanna Olsen, said she and her teammates are taking advantage of their opportunity by preparing as best as they can. Olsen, Mya Davis-Taylor, and some of their other teammates are using YouTube to learn basic Swedish phrases for the occasion.

And while phrases like “hello” and “goodbye” are harder to learn than Davis-Taylor, who’s a midfielder and goalkeeper, expected, all 30,000 athletes participating in the tournament share one common language, no matter whether they call it soccer or football.

Olsen, a forward, believes that interacting with some members of these 1,900 teams from 75 countries can help with her own knowledge of the game.

“I think I’ll learn new ways of playing, and how their mindset is when they’re playing, and their techniques on shooting the ball and passing the ball and other things like that,” Olsen said.

For players like Olsen, Davis-Taylor, and Aasiyah Ellison, who’s also a goalkeeper and midfielder, this will be their first time leaving the country. And while Davis-Taylor said she’s eager to be on a plane and see the view from the airport, meeting new people and playing soccer is most exciting.

“We get to stay in the same rooms [as our teammates], we get to meet new people, and then instead of just staying with our teammates, we can make new friends with the other people that are there, too,” Davis-Taylor said.

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But, she’ll also get to connect on a deeper level with her own teammates.

Bandura said there’s a natural sense of camaraderie that comes from playing three sports together year-round, but this tournament will create “bonds that are going to be pretty tough to break.”

“You’re in a strange environment, but you’re there together,” Bandura said. “I might be 100 years old when we get back from a whole week with the 13 11-year-old girls, but it’s so worth it. There’s so many benefits to this for them, and I think it’s going to draw them even tighter together as a family long-term, like lifelong.”

Cali Nichols, the Monarchs’ striker, is looking forward to seeing how her team will connect on the pitch in Sweden and has been preparing for the adrenaline rush of the tournament. But she’s also looking forward to the downtime and exploring a new place.

Femi Awodesu, a former member of the Monarchs’ program, now plays for Helsingborgs IF in Sweden, so Bandura hopes a visit with him is on the agenda.

And for Nichols, seeing all the history of the country is on her personal agenda.

“Just driving around and seeing all of the monuments that Sweden has, and all of its history, as well as the food,” Nichols said.

Bandura compared the Monarchs’ opportunity to a rabbit in its hole that looks beyond to see the rest of the world. He hopes that similarly, this opportunity will expand his team’s perception.

“I want to explore and see what the whole world looks like,” Ellison said.