We’re mere moments away from the opening kickoff, and the officials have a problem. It’s a rapidly cooling Monday evening, and an excited Linden boys soccer team is preparing to face Kipp Academy in an exhibition game, but an equipment issue takes center stage.
Linden, midway through the school’s first soccer season in a decade, is wearing metal spikes. Kipp Academy is not. A compromise is reached — no slide tackles, please — and the game is allowed to proceed. It’s a relief for coach K.C. Brewer and his team of neophytes, who are wearing brand-new cleats provided by the Crew SC Foundation.