Mambas FC Grows to Keep New York City Soccer Dreams Alive
By Randy Robertson, NYC Regional Storyteller
New York, N.Y. – When soccer players Thierno Diop, Mouhamed Kebbeh and Elijah Collins walked off the field at the Special Olympics USA Games in Minnesota last June, two things were certain: they were gold medal champions, and their school sports careers were finished.
The three talented athletes spent years competing for the P721M City Hawks, culminating in a traditional soccer national championship. They celebrated with their teammates, then had to shift their focus to what comes next after graduation. Fortunately, there’s a popular community soccer program that welcomed the golden trio with open arms.
As the Mambas FC community soccer team prepares for its fifth season, the roster is loaded with athletes in their 20s and beyond who are thrilled to continue playing competitive soccer beyond their school years. Those players include Thierno, Mouhamed and Elijah.
“A new team and a new shirt,” Mouhamed said, grinning ear to ear last week at the NYC Inclusion Cup games at Randall’s Island. “It was a little different from the City Hawks out there, but it was fun and I scored a couple of goals. There are a lot of familiar faces that I know, and our chemistry has always been top level.”
The Mambas FC will bring that high-level chemistry to the State Fall Games at Glens Falls. Opening ceremonies will take place Friday night followed by a full day of soccer competition on Saturday, Oct. 17. The architect of the Mambas success has been coach Katelyne Maroney. She witnessed an explosion of growth and excitement around the team in just a few short years.
“I remember starting out five years ago, it was usually me and about seven players” Maroney recalled on a recent Saturday morning as the Mambas practiced on the grounds of the Gansevoort Peninsula Athletic Field on the lower west side of Manhattan. “Sometimes we couldn’t even make any substitutions, and the players would get so tired. But they played hard and the word spread around about us quickly.”
As the Mambas head into the 2026 Fall Games there are now enough players and coaches to fill three teams. While just one of those teams will compete in Glens Falls, more than 30 coed players regularly practice together for two hours every Saturday.
Mambas FC players come from various backgrounds and neighborhoods, and there’s a robust pipeline developing between the P721M City Hawks and Mambas FC.
“It’s great to be out here playing with these guys,” Elijah said. “Playing in the USA Games was such an amazing experience. To win the gold medal and all the activities they had planned for us every day out there, and now to be back here playing soccer again is great.”
With established players like defender Angel Cedano, goalie Kenny Kinsey and Michael Ayers providing experience and leadership on the field, the Mambas’ newest City Hawks graduates won’t face pressure to carry this team. In fact, they will slot right in to raise the level of the team and provide a roadmap that future graduates from schools across the city may choose to follow.
“The athletes all get really excited when they see how good the level of competition can be,” Maroney said. “They can go far with the Mambas, there’s more they can achieve playing soccer. I use that as a motivational factor at practice. You have to show up and put in the work at practice if you want to play for this team.”
Maroney certainly knows the possibilities, as she was one of the coaches who led the Manhattan Wildcats basketball team to a gold medal at those same USA Games where Thierno, Mouhamed and Elijah shined on the pitch. Michael and Kenny are among the Wildcats’ gold medal basketball players now suiting up to play soccer for the Mambas.
The rapid growth of Mambas FC may at some point require formally splitting the team into several distinct squads as the basketball program did last spring. There are no shortage of coaches to support Maroney these days, as basketball holdovers David Sehl, Nick Kerkorian, Ned Gresham and Jack O’Neill are working with the Mambas. Also supporting the team is new coach Miles Kelly, a recent graduate of Boston College who played club lacrosse with the Eagles after a strong high school soccer career.
On a recent Saturday, Maroney and Kelly were among the coaches demonstrating a passing drill. While some of the athletes around them were recent USA Games gold medal winners, they all watched intently as they knew there were additional goals to reach. Thierno was one of those eager participants.
“It’s great to be back out here playing soccer,” Thierno said. “This team is good.”
The State Fall Games soccer competition will take place Saturday at the Morse Athletic Complex in Glens Falls. Other competitions will include equestrian, softball, cycling, cross country running, golf and bocce.
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