Locals excited for UK adventure

Ten-year-old Jacob Muchnick can't wait to fulfill his dream of watching his favorite English Premier League soccer star Carlos Tevez play at the Manchester City stadium and then stopping by for autographs after the game.

His 12-year old brother Justin looks forward to competing against some of the toughest youth soccer teams in England. Both boys will get their wish when their team, HOGO FC, travels to England next month on a 10-day soccer excursion.

The team is comprised of some very talented local soccer players most of whom had high level club soccer experience but appeared frustrated with strict dedication required by most club soccer coaches. So their father Adam Muchnick, a former soccer player at Stanford, started his own team to give his sons Jacob and Justin as well as some of their soccer playing friends the chance to play high caliber soccer while still playing other sports. The name HOGO FC is an acronym for "Hustle Our Guts Out" which is the team's motto and guiding principle.

"I wanted to rekindle the love for the game that I felt was starting to get lost on some of the boys in the competitive grind of club soccer," Muchnick said.

It seems like his plan paid big dividends as the team has compiled a 45-3-5 record over the past two years while winning two AYSO Plus championships, three club soccer championships (Newport Mesa Cup, Canyon PSA Holiday Tourney, and Tustin United Winter Cup), and a Santa Ana Mexican League championship. But more importantly, the team's chemistry has been remarkable as the boys have a fondness for each other and their coach that is truly unique.

Most of the players are local to the Newport-Mesa area. Shane Gooding, Karl Donovan, Jason Simaan, Liam Somekh, Oliver Kim, George Wells and Spencer Lamoure are all seventh-graders at Corona del Mar Middle School, Jacob and Justin Muchnick attend Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, Travis and Dylan Campos attend Mariners' Elementary School in Newport Beach, Chase Dugan attends Carden Hall in Costa Mesa, Alex Young attends Lakeside Middle School in Irvine, Gabriel Gamboa attends The Waldorf School in Costa Mesa, and Kevin Rengifo attends Don Juan de Avila Middle School (Aliso Viejo).

These boys have played kids throughout Southern California most of their young lives, but it's now time to test their mettle against competition from across the Pond. Coach Muchnick has connections with several EPL teams and has coordinated games against some of the top youth academy teams in the UK.