Hometown support drives annual fundraiser for U.S. amputee soccer team

Aldrich Sports will rally behind Cutchogue’s Jovan Booker and the U.S. national amputee soccer team Sunday during its third annual fundraiser ahead of November’s World Cup.

The event, part of the Aldrich Sports Sunday League playoffs, will bring 11 local teams to Laurel for a series of fast-paced five-on-five games. Seven teams have already qualified for the championship bracket, while the bottom four will compete Sunday for the eighth and final spot.

Between playoff games, members of the U.S. amputee national team will take the field against an Aldrich Sports team whose players will also use crutches. Spectators and other league players will then be invited to join the match.

“It’s a big community event that showcases the sport of amputee soccer,” Aldrich Sports co-founder Francis Buonaiuto said. “We actually play a five-on-five match against the national team while we’re on crutches. Every time they score, we donate money to them.”

Amputee soccer players compete without prosthetics. Field players use crutches as extensions of their arms, while goalkeepers have an upper-limb difference.

The fundraiser will run from noon to 4 p.m. at Aldrich Fields in Laurel. Admission is free, with money raised through raffles, food sales and donations. Mr. Buonaiuto said this year’s goal is $3,000, after the event raised roughly $2,200 last year and slightly less in 2024.

Those unable to attend can donate at aldrichsports.com by selecting “Community” and then “Donate to Aldrich Sports.” Proceeds will help cover the national team’s travel, equipment and other World Cup expenses.

Mr. Booker, a Cutchogue resident and 2011 Mattituck Jr./Sr. High School graduate, has always dreamed of participating in the World Cup. Soccer was his first love thanks to his father, whom he lost when he was 14.

This will be Mr. Booker’s third World Cup appearance. The active co-captain also competed in 2018 and 2022 and has played for the national team for more than a decade. The team’s best finish during his tenure was an appearance in the Round of 16.

The United States qualified for this year’s tournament with a 3-2 victory over El Salvador during the 2025 Gold Cup in San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico. Booker scored the tying goal before Musabwa Nzirimwo delivered the winner on a free kick.

Three months before his next World Cup appearance, Mr. Booker said the current squad is the most talented of his national team career.

“We believe we can go as far as we want to go,” Mr. Booker told the Suffolk Times. “We want to win, compete and show the world we’re a top-10 team. We’re the United States. Even though people may not think of us as a soccer powerhouse, we believe we can outwork, out-physical and out-skill some of the best teams in the world. That’s what makes us different.”

Mr. Booker is the only North Fork resident on the national team. The World Cup, originally scheduled for Costa Rica, will be held Nov. 13-22 in San Juan de los Lagos.

“As a kid growing up with a limb difference, I didn’t know what my path to becoming a professional athlete would look like, but I always believed I had a gift,” he said. “I’ve been blessed to represent my country and my community. The North Fork is a small place, and many athletes never get another chance to compete after high school. I’ve been fortunate enough to continue doing it for more than a decade, and I never take that for granted.”

Mr. Booker also praised Mr. Buonaiuto and fellow Aldrich Sports co-founder Joe Aiello for raising the sport’s profile on the East End and creating more opportunities for local athletes.

“The impact has been tremendous,” Mr. Booker said. “The fundraiser has given my hometown the opportunity to see what it’s meant for me to represent the United States in a sport I’ve loved my whole life. The work Francis and Joe have done extends far beyond amputee soccer.”