The fifth annual Play For Peace soccer tournament was held at Medford’s Patchogue-Medford Youth Soccer Complex on August 10.
This community-building soccer tournament began as a tribute to the memory of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant who was killed in Patchogue in 2008. It has since grown into an annual event that brings people together through their mutual love of soccer.
“What you usually find is that when people have the tendency to meet each other, interact a little bit, talk to each other, they end up finding that we’re all more alike then we are different”, said Suffolk County Legislator Rob Calarco, whose office represents the Patchogue area and organized the tournament.
Throughout the day, teams that represented the diversity that exists in the Patchogue area played multiple games, and were treated to a lunch afterwards where players from opposing teams sat together and celebrated the day.
Welcoming Long Island is proud to have been a sponsor for the Play for Peace tournament, and we are looking forward to being a part of it again next year!
