Palestinian-American kids find inspiration, and escape, on the soccer pitch

Omar Almashni during an evening practice with the Palestino Soccer Academy at Frank D Zaccaria Memorial Park in Woodland Park, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 6, 2026. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

PATERSON, NJ– It was a sweltering Saturday evening in Passaic County, in Northern New Jersey, when a team of about 60 kids took to the soccer field, flushed and dripping sweat. For these young athletes training just a short commute from the FIFA NY/NJ Stadium, the sport is an outlet for big dreams and big emotions.

"I'm telling you, without soccer the world has no meaning," said Taim Nadin, during a quick water break.

"Without soccer in life there's nothing. If I didn't play soccer, I'd be nothing, right?"

Taim Nadin participates in an evening practice at Frank D Zaccaria Memorial Park in Woodland Park, NJ, on June 6, 2026. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

"All I care about is God and soccer," says Taim Nadin. The 13-year-old, originally from Qatar, practices with the club, which serves kids of all backgrounds but is anchored around New Jersey's Palestinian-American community. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

It's a heavy sentiment for a 13-year-old, but one shared by many of the players here, who train as Palestino Soccer Academy, a youth club built around Northern New Jersey's large Palestinian-American community.

Coach Omar Abdulaziz said the club, which now serves children of all backgrounds, began three years ago as a way to teach about soccer in Palestinian culture and address the impact the conflict in Gaza was having on some of the kids.

Coach Omar Abdulaziz leads a practice with the Palestino Soccer Academy. He says the sport gives kids a moment to detach from the realities of suffering and conflict. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

Noah Abdo holds a Palestine pendent during an evening practice with the Palestino Soccer Academy at Frank D Zaccaria Memorial Park in Woodland Park, NJ, on June 6, 2026. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

"We could hear their frustrations, they were emotionally unwell," said Abdulaziz in Spanish. He could relate, having moved from the West Bank to Puerto Rico as a teenager in the 1980s.

"Soccer, to us, is a moment to disconnect, a moment of tranquility, a moment to detach from the suffering of reality," he explained.

The Palestinian national soccer team did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup. In Gaza, training and playing has been made impossible. Palestinian officials told NPR that 90% of the sports infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed, and 450 people involved in the sport, including athletes, coaches, referees, and soccer officials, have been killed in Israeli attacks.

The boys in New Jersey have found other teams and star players to root for, especially Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old striker for Spain.

A mural of Lamine Yamal on a destroyed building in Gaza on June 15, 2026. Anas Baba/NPR hide caption

"When he gets on the pitch he forgets about everything and just focuses on the game, on the players, on how they play," rhapsodized 14-year-old Obaida Al Amleh.

It's not just Yamal's sportsmanship that these kids admire. Yamal, the child of immigrants to Spain, recently took a vocal stance about anti-Muslim chants at Spanish soccer games, and when his club, FC Barcelona, won Spain's La Liga championship in Spain last month, the star player waved a Palestinian flag during the celebratory parade. The video went viral, and photos of the moment live on as wallpaper on many of the New Jersey boys' cellphones.

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"I thought it was very special for the people who are going through the worst right now," said Obaida, who was born in the West Bank and spent part of his childhood there. He says five of his close family friends were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The day he got the news, Obaida remembers, there was no official soccer practice scheduled, but he needed to work out his emotions on the field.

Obaida Al Amleh stands for a portrait during an evening practice with the Palestino Soccer Academy in Woodland Park, NJ on June 6, 2026. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

Members of the Palestino Soccer Academy participate in an evening practice at Frank D Zaccaria Memorial Park in Woodland Park, NJ, on June 6, 2026. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

"You can ball in the pitch, or you can bawl at home, I guess," he said.

So he called up some teammates and "we just came here, and balled out. We just kept playing and playing for hours straight."

It's always on his mind, he said, but soccer helps him process.

NPR's Anas Baba contributed to this report from Gaza.