When Stars Align

Liam Mavrantzas (JFC 2007) traveled to Argos Orestiko, Greece with his Dad, George Mavrantzas, last month during the holiday season to visit family and to experience his Grandfather’s, Christos George Mavrantzas, homeland. Argos Orestiko is in the state of Kastoria within the region of West Macedonia in Northern Greece with a population of around 8,000 people.

While abroad, to stay sharp in between the fall and spring JFC season, Liam’s Dad contacted the hometown club, A.S. Panargiakos, in regards to any potential training opportunities for Liam while in Greece. A.S. Panargiakos competes in the 4th tier of Greek football and is similar to our UPSL league (amateur/pre-professional) here in the United States. A.S. Panargiakos was more than excited to welcome Liam and quickly invited him to come train.

The initial invite was to simply train and experience the facilities, the players, and coaching staff. 

But the stars aligned…

After just one training, Coach Baggelis Siomos of A.S. Panargiakos liked Liam and was impressed with his abilities and soccer IQ. It just happened to be the same time the team was dealing with 4 regular players being out due to injury and/or sickness. The Coach requested Liam to suit up and play the next night away against Mavrobo FC. The A.S. Panargiakos has players as young as Liam and as old as their late 20’s and early 30’s. Last year they won the local cup final against Astrapi Mesopotamias and as a result participated in the official National Greek Cup. They placed second in the Championship and missed out on promotion to the 3rd division.  

Training sessions were closed to everyone but players and staff. Liam was able to communicate to the coaches and fellow players with his soccer abilities since his Greek was limited, which just goes to show that soccer is it’s own language no matter where you are in the world.

Liam ended up playing in 3 matches and was able to represent his family and club, but most importantly, of one of the most ardent fans of A.S. Panargiakos, his Grandfather.

Liam, with the help of his new Greek teammates, integrated easily into the team's style of play and showed his skill and abilities playing as the 6 and the 10 in the games. Coach Siomos complimented his overall abilities and credited Jacksonville FC with being very organized and a quality club that produces good smart players. Liam was particularly mobile during the matches and at the same time showed great discipline on the field leaving positive impressions of his JFC training and development as a player.

Liam’s A.S. Panargiakos Performances:

Game 1: 5-0 Win vs Grammos-Mavrochorio = 45 minutes w/ 1 assist

Game 2: 2-0 Loss vs Doxa Korissos = 90 minutes

Game 3: 3-0 Win vs Grammos-Mavrochorio = 90 minutes

Jacksonville FC is extremely proud of Liam and how he not only represented his family proudly but also how he exemplifies what it means to be a JFC Player. To receive such praise from other coaches and clubs in regards to any of our players and their overall development is one of the highest compliments you can recieve from anywhere in the world.

Liam’s hard work and dedication served him well and we are excited to watch him continue to develop and grow into an even better player while at JFC. We all know that his Grandfather, is looking down on Liam and his son, George, with great pride.

On behalf of JFC Executive Director Pat Cannon & JFC President Chris Herb, Jacksonville FC would like share their gratitude to President Christos Basilakis, Coach Baggelis Siomos, Thanassi Tzimas, Katherine Ziogas & the entire A.S. Panargiakos organization for welcoming Liam and wish them continued success this season.