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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Ever since he could remember, Ahmed Shareef dreamed of becoming a soccer player, until a bomb explosion in 2004 hit his hometown in Baghdad, Iraq, during the U.S. invasion of the country, leaving him without his eyesight and a right arm at 7 years old.

I lost my hope and dream to play soccer again, Shareef recalled.

Soon after, he was brought to the United States through a charity called the Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF), a non-profit organization on Staten Island that supports medical treatment, transportation, lodging and rehabilitation in the United States for children around the world who suffer from the violence of war, natural disasters, or have little or no access to medical resources.

Over the years, Shareef said he found himself going back and forth between Baghdad and Staten Island for medical treatment, seeing over 20 doctors. His third visit to Staten Island -- as a teenager --- became his last, after Elissa Montanti, founder of GMRF and a native Staten Islander, made an exception with Shareefs case and became his legal guardian in 2012.

When he came back when he was 9, he started playing a little keyboard that I had. When he came back at 15, I had a bigger keyboard, and before you know it, I hear him playing tunes. I was like Oh my God, Ahmed!, recalled Montanti, whose organization has helped more than 500 children in 56 war-torn countries over the past 25 years.

Growing close throughout Shareefs visitations to the United States, Montanti said she did not want him to have to keep going back and forth, so she asked his mother if he could stay with her, and she agreed.

Hes my hero. Hes my inspiration. Hes an incredible, incredible musician. Hes like my son, Montanti said. We have coffee together every morning, and he always has a smile on his face.

Shareef started living with Montanti in Arrochar and attended Curtis High School as a teenager, where he played the piano, trumpet and drums in the schools jazz band. Now, Shareef plays in a band with Montanti and other musicians at local venues across Staten Island.

I had no future and no life for me in Iraq, Shareef, now 25, recalled. He still lives in Arrochar and added he keeps in touch with his parents and siblings back home.

DREAMS OF PLAYING SOCCER AGAIN

After graduating from Curtis, Shareef continued playing music and doing internships, working toward becoming a music and English teacher.

That was until he read information online in 2019 about U.S. blind soccer.

He recalled wondering at the time, Is this my dream coming back to me?

Right away, he emailed Kevin Brousard, the finance director for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) and three-time world champion blind athlete, about his love of soccer and how he dreamed of playing again.

Brousard welcomed me to the sport, said Shareef.

The USABA began to build its first soccer programming in 2018.

In 2019, Shareef was flown out to San Diego, Calif., by the USABA, where he traveled solo, for his first blind soccer camp.

Ahmed first attended a USABA blind soccer camp in 2019 in San Diego, and he has shown steady improvement in his skills and field awareness since that time, Brousard said. His passion for the game is palpable, and he has served as an outstanding advocate for growing the sport, especially in the New York City area.

In summer 2021, Shareef was invited to another soccer camp in Ohio.

Most recently, in this past July, Shareef attended soccer camp in Charlotte, N.C., where he was immersed in three full days of training, with two on-field sessions each day, alongside other blind athletes and coaches.

We have to shout the word Voy to communicate with other players when we dont have the ball, so we dont run into each other, Shareef said. Its a new thing. Its different than sighted soccer, but its still soccer.

Training a mix of newcomers and experienced athletes throughout the training camps is an important step for the USABA in identifying talented athletes for the first-ever USA Blind Soccer National Team, to be named in October 2022. The first international competition for the inaugural team will be this December in Guatemala at the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Central American Championships.

BLIND SOCCER IN THE UNITED STATES

Blind soccer is an eye-opening adaptation to the worlds most popular sport, which was debuted for the first time at the Athens 2004 Paralympics. The sport is now played in over 60 countries, and it is one of the fastest-growing Paralympic sport in the world.

The USABA, a member of the the IBSA (which has governed Blind soccer since 1996), received the highest level of certification from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in 2022 to become the national governing body for the Paralympic sport of blind soccer.

USABA has provided life-changing opportunities for thousands of Americans who are blind and visually impaired, Brousard said. Not only does USABA provide events and programs to keep participants physically fit and healthy, but participants find a great sense of community and camaraderie through their experience.

The USABA will make its Paralympic debut as the host nation for Blind Soccer at the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

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At age 7 he lost eyesight in Iraq bombing. Now, at 25 and living on S.I., he is pursuing dream of playing soc - SILive.com