Saint Louis Park, MN - In a race versus a Gazelle...you better give the Gazelle a headstart. Emmanuel Iwe was one of the first players at Joy of the People, being part of the club since its first year, and his signing with Joy SLP epitomizes the homegrown player vision of Joy Athletic. He was part of the Joy of the People youth club team that won the Youth Futsal National Championship in 2018.
Iwe went on to have trials at Philadelphia Union and FC Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga where he set the Bremen 30m record during physical tests.
Iwe signed a professional contract with Deportivo Saprissa in Costa Rica and spent the last year with the first and second teams.
Iwe and his family immigrated to the United States from Nigeria, and his inspiration to play soccer came from his three older brothers.
In addition to Iwe, Joy SLP has recently announced the signing of local homegrown players to the NPSL roster that includes, Eric Lagos, Aden Cavanaugh, Marco Corona-Duran, Bennett Koume, Noah Kantorowiz, and Mika Folstad.
Kroeten has selected well-known local coach, Arinze ‘Ace’ Ezirike, to coach the NPSL expansion team during its inaugural season with Lioul Minas acting as the assistant coach.
Joy Athletic is the umbrella organization for both the NPSL soccer team and the NFSL futsal team, and its mission is to place beauty over winning. The vision is to provide a venue for some of the talent developed in the free play youth system at Joy of the People soccer club and change the way people think about talent development.
Andrei Gotsmanov, General Manager of Joy of the People, will help manage the day-to-day operations of Joy Athletic, bringing to the players and coaching staff his unique perspective as a former MN United player and NCAA standout at St. Johns University and Creighton University.
The NPSL season is scheduled to start in May 2021 and finishes with playoffs in the middle of August 2021. Joy SLP home games will be played at the Oriole Stadium at Saint Louis Park High School.
For more information on Joy SPL visit: www.joyalthletic.com. For more information on Joy of the People, the parent organization, please visit:
Contact: Andrei Gotsmanov, General Manager @ admin@joyofthepeople.org or 651-214-7017.