As MLS Teams Battle for Supremacy, Two Top Defenders Take a Moment To Change Lives

Just before the second leg of the MLS Eastern and Western Conference finals — Matt Besler and Aurélien Collin Award $5000 Scholarships from Allstate and Help Change Lives of Youth Players 

Improving the lives of youth soccer players — Allstate Partnered with Alianza U Foundation,  Red Bull’s Aurélien Collin and Sporting Kansas City’s Mark Besler to surprise two local youth players with much-needed college scholarships for Academic and Athletic Excellence. 

What happened this week?

While the best MLS teams battle on for the Championship, two of the games’ top pros – Sporting KC defender Matt Besler and New York Red Bulls defender Aurélien Collin – took time out to make a difference and surprise unsuspecting youth players: Kansas City’s Derek Colato and New York City’s Giovanni Calderὀn with scholarships.

At Sporting Kansas City:

College-bound Derek Colato, a Kansas City high school soccer player, thought he was going to watch Sporting KC and was surprised with a $5,000 college scholarship. Colato has lived in Kansas City for most of his life and was inspired to play soccer by his father, Pedro, who immigrated from San Miguel, El Salvador.

As a single parent, Pedro has made financial and personal sacrifices to support Derek’s dreams of playing soccer. These sacrifices not only motivate Derek’s performance on the field, but they have also driven his passion for education. The senior midfielder will attend Baker University next year, making him the first in his family to attend college.

Matt Besler, captain of Sporting KC, was excited to surprise Colato with the scholarship which was awarded at Pinnacle, the Sporting KC Training Facility. Besler, who is from Kansas City, was very proud to be invovled in this award.

At NY Red Bulls:

College-bound Giovanni Calderὀn, an NYC high school soccer player also thought he was just going off to watch the NY Red Bulls take on the conference finals, and had no idea that he would receive a $5,000 college scholarship.

Calderὀn has been playing soccer his entire life, following in the footsteps of his two older brothers. Despite financial hardship, he’s always prioritized soccer and his pursuit of education.

Only a junior, Calderὀn already has big dreams of college and feels that education is just as important as soccer. With a 3.3 GPA and a scholarship position playing with the NYCFC Academy, Calderὀn is on track to pursue his dreams.

Aurélien Collin, currently a defender with the New York Red Bulls gave Calderon the scholarship. Collin, who is originally from France, played in Europe before joining the MLS, spending time playing for Sporting KC and Orlando City was thrilled to participate.

More than just words and slogans, Allstate’s committed to making a difference in the lives of youth soccer players and helping provide the resources they need to grow their love of the game & change lives.

Allstate has been active in the soccer community for more than a decade, always with the goal of protecting fans and the sport they love. As a long-time advocate of soccer, Allstate helps grow the game of soccer around America through strong philanthropic efforts.

Allstate has renovated fields in underserved communities, donated uniform kits, equipment and brought famous pro players out to train youths, and now is also providing scholarships. Through providing scholarships to young players, Allstate continues the work they have been doing in communities around the country to protect the future of youth soccer.