A West Chester soccer team is trailblazing to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, earning the title of one of the top amateur programs in the U.S, and coach and legend Blaise Santangelo is the mastermind behind all of it, writes Matt Ralph for U.S. Soccer.

“What we do is we leave a lot of this up to the on-field play and let the ball be the coach,” he said.  

Many of the players for West Chester United SC are in their 20s and 30s. The younger ones are hoping to get scouted, and the older ones see it as an opportunity to continue playing their favorite sport. 

The team provides aspiring professional soccer players with a stage to go pro. Some of the alumni, such Chris Donovan and Dane Jacomen, have turned professional. Donovan signed with the Philadelphia Union and Jacomen joined the Loudoun United of USL Championship.  

Outside of the soccer field, Santangelo is a father of five and owns a landscaping business. Growing up in Betzwood, he always loved soccer. He attended Elizabethtown College but left to play for the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals while taking classes at Montgomery County Community College. 

Eleven of the players will match up against the Ocean City Nor’easters in Wayne on March 21. The match will be at 7:30 PM and streamed on the Bleacher Report app.  

Read more about the West Chester soccer team on U.S. Soccer.