Sylvester Cup – Tuesday, September 12!
Mark your calendars for the annual showdown between Southwest & Washburn at Washburn Stadium. Events start at 5:00.
Minneapolis Washburn’s own John “Sly” Sylvester was known as a fantastic soccer player and coach and an even better person who everyone seemed to know. John represented commitment, dedication and hard work at all levels of youth and high school soccer. A tireless ambassador for youth soccer, John was a driving force for soccer in the Minneapolis community and left a lasting impression on all who knew him.
John Sylvester was a 1991 graduate of Washburn, where he was a captain and an all-state soccer player. He went on to play for the Minnesota Thunder at a time when the team dominated the USL leagues and won a national championship. Later John returned to coach girls’ soccer here at Washburn. John was also a long-time coach, trainer and coaching director for the Minneapolis United Soccer Club and was an inspiration to a generation of soccer players in Minneapolis. He offered his love of soccer and his expertise to everyone around him, but mostly to the many girls he coached. After a long, courageous battle with ALS, John died in June 2017.
Sylvester Cup Scholarship
In 2017 the Sylvester family worked with Washburn to create the Sylvester Cup Scholarship. Each year these college scholarships are awarded to one female and one male player at Washburn during the spring of their senior year. Applicants are selected for the scholarship based on their demonstration of John Sylvester’s core values: Inclusiveness (brings everyone together), Ambassador (makes others better), Commitment (goes above and beyond), Passion (love of the game), and Hard Work (leaves it all on the field).
Join us on Tuesday at Washburn as we celebrate Minneapolis Soccer with Southwest High School and honor John Sylvester. The boys game is at 5:00, then there will be a short program followed by the girls game at 7:00.
More info about John Sylvester and this annual event to honor his life HERE.
