SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras –
The Honduran Air Force and Joint Task Force-Bravo’s soccer teams came together for a friendly game here, Feb. 10, with Honduras coming out victorious, 1-0.
The idea to have a soccer match between the Honduran Air Force and JTF-Bravo began with an invitation by Col. Kevin Mcaninch, Army Support Activity commander, and Col. Jose Santos Colindres Banegas, Honduran Air Force Academy commander, to get everyone together for a friendly competition.
"Soccer is a universal language, and through sport we were able to forge stronger ties with our Honduran hosts. From the players, to the fans, to the MWR team that put the game together, this was an incredible event," said Mcaninch.
The game drew a large crowd from the base community. The crowd, the music, the excitement of the game and liveliness of the spectators were notable.
The U.S. team’s coach, Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Pry, says this game was by far the highlight of his assignment here at Soto Cano so far.
“To represent the U.S. against the Hondurans while serving in Honduras, was something that will be impossible to forget,” said Pry, “It was an honor to coach, play, and represent all of the units here on JTF-Bravo.”
Pry says the Hondurans had a great team and could tell they have been playing together for a long time.
“We had a few weeks to prepare and we played our hearts out. A 1-0 loss was still a great victory for our team, and it was amazing to see how well the fans and base reacted to the great game,” said Pry.
The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department sponsored the U.S. team and provided custom uniform shirts for the team members to wear during the game.
“Everybody has worked really hard. The U.S. team has practiced within the intramural league to get ready for this game today,” said Steave Barness, Soto Cano MWR director.
After the trophy was handed to the Honduran team, Colindres thanked the U.S. team and fans for the opportunity to bring together the two nations who share the same land at Soto Cano, and extended an invitation to create a Joint Task Force soccer team combining the Honduran Air Force and U.S. armed forces.