The Seattle Sounders made a young West Virginia resident’s dream come true on Saturday.
The club got together with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to give 18-year-old Xander Bailey the opportunity to play in the Sounders’ friendly against English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
Bailey, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, started for the Sounders and broke on goal with U.S. national team member and Seattle forward Clint Dempsey. Bailey took it in on Tottenham keeper Brad Friedel. Bailey chipped it in on goal, but Friedel made the save.
He was subbed out to the cheers of the tens of thousands of fans in attendance at CenturyLink Field for the matchup.
Cystic fibrosis is truly an awful, awful disease. A school classmate of mine died of the disease before even sixth grade, and few sufferers live to 40 years old even with advancements being made yearly.
The move by Seattle, and Tottenham, was really amazing for Bailey. I’ve always loved the Make-A-Wish Foundation because it gives kids suffering from a disease tangible relief from their daily difficulties. Obviously donating to a charitable foundation working for a cure is wonderful and important in the long run, but it doesn’t do much for kids already suffering from a disease. Make-A-Wish steps in to that gap and gives kids an experience they will never forget.
Next time, Bailey needs to take it in on goal a little harder though!
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports. He likes that Friedel didn’t let Bailey score though. He’s old enough to know it would’ve been hollow.
