This past week, the MNUFC Development Academy hosted its first ever Elite Development Camp. Youth Program Technical Coordinator Joe Burger and other talented coaches led four days of intense training for kids ages 9–18 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. The camp included instruction on defensive principles, a focus on sharpening attacking skills and collaboration with teammates in small- and large-sided games.

When asked about his purpose for this camp, Burger said, “We are trying to give [the campers] ideas and techniques that will allow them to excel and take their game back to their club or help them in whatever their ambitions are.” Burger’s hope for the future is to create a consistently competitive environment to help young players grow and get better.

This camp provided an incredible opportunity for players across the state to test their skills, but one special player born thousands of miles away had a unique experience. Juan Stiven was born and raised in Colombia. He made his way to Minnesota through a program called KidSave, which pairs families with children that have been living in orphanages or foster care in their home country. KidSave focuses on finding homes for older children who are often overlooked for adoption. KidSave’s Summer Miracle program brought Juan Stiven into the loving home of Scott Muellner and Connie Lindor with the hope of possible adoption.

“My wife and I have been considering adoption, but don’t have children of our own,” said Muellner. “Hosting for the Kid Save Summer Miracle program seemed like a great way to advocate for a child who needs a home while giving them a chance to experience a different culture.”

Upon meeting Juan, Muellner was a bit worried about the language barrier. Juan Stiven and his younger sister were brought here together, and although the communication between Muellner’s family and the kids could be challenging, that did not stop Muellner from giving Juan Stiven the experience he deserved. While providing a new cultural experience to Juan Stiven, Muellner has also been exposed to the joys of a different culture himself.

“We have learned more about Colombia and met more Colombians in the past two months than we have previously in our entire life. It has been a rich cultural experience for us in terms of food, language, music and, of course, soccer,” Muellner said.

Muellner quickly found out how much Juan loved soccer and he knew he had to find a way for him to play as much as possible while here. Muellner shared that Juan had never played in an organized game back in Colombia and rarely played in a pair of cleats. His shifty movements and mature ball control, though, showed that the fields he played his barefoot pickup games on were critical to honing his skills.

On Wednesday, the first team concluded their training session just a few hundred yards from where Juan Stiven and the rest of the Elite Development campers were also training. Juan Stiven was pleasantly surprised by a special visit from MNUFC forward Christian Ramirez. It gave Juan a great chance to meet a role model and converse in his native Spanish, a language in which Ramirez is fluent.

The game of soccer has the power to transcend differences in culture and language — a power that Burger has witnessed firsthand. “That is one of those fantastic things about soccer,” he said. “We saw a good mix of different types of people from all backgrounds.”

The diverse group of kids all shared the same work ethic and intensity that Burger hoped for. It was important for Burger and his staff to continuously set the bar high in order to push kids out of their comfort zones. Burger said, “We want them to continue to grow and part of that is pushing them beyond their own boundaries and making them think that they can do things that they don’t think they can do.”

Juan Stiven, a young man that has been out of his comfort zone since arriving to the U.S., experienced that growth Burger was aiming for. He’s also been a catalyst for growth for Muellner and his family through their experience with Juan, his sister, and their culture.