With the 2026 World Cup wrapping up last summer, soccer’s growing popularity in North America has reinvigorated momentum, spreading into local levels as well. Malden Boys’ Soccer team carried that momentum into its season opener on September 7, defeating the Malden Catholic Lancers 4-1 in an intense start to the season.
Last season, the team finished with a record of 6-7-5—a record that the team hopes to improve this season. Coach of 25 years, Jeremiah Smith, recalled that last season, the team had trouble maintaining their drive, resulting in games where they played excellently and games where they “really struggled.”
Unfortunately, the team only started to gain momentum in the last month of the previous season, causing them to finish “a half game short of qualifying for the state tournament,” explained Smith. Alongside the goal to improve their record this season, which has already been ignited, the team also aims to make it to the MIAA state championship.
Notably, the Malden Boys’ Soccer team has caught media attention with their current 4-0 winning streak. Massachusetts Sports storyteller and photographer Matt Noonan, who carries more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, has named the Malden Boys’ soccer team as one of the top ten MIAA Boys’ Soccer teams to watch. In his caption, Noonan urged others not to overlook them.
Led by Senior Captains Juan Caballero, Abdul Kalefa, and Junior Captain Adam Namir, the team expressed their mindset, with senior Iyad Doukkali acknowledging their good start to the season but reminding himself that “the job’s not finished, and we have to keep pushing.”
“We want to be undefeated, so we’re going to keep winning,” senior Hassan Freeman expressed with adamancy.
For Caballero, being captain has changed his mindset tremendously. “Being captain has made me more mature. I used to argue with the other teams, but now I can’t since I’m supposed to be leading the team through good examples,” he explained.
Caballero’s hard work has also been showcased in the Boston Globe, with him being named one of the Players of the Week for September 7-13.
In a scrimmage against Northeast Metro Tech, the Malden Boys’ soccer team demonstrated their determination with a 3-1 win, and continued the effort with their first official win of the season against Malden Catholic.
This year was also marked by the first time in eight years the Malden Boys’ soccer team has played the Lancers. This was the result of both the girls’ and boys’ soccer leagues shifting to only playing one match against each team for league standings. This shift “allows us to get more non-league games on our schedule,” Smith detailed, as he added that the team’s upcoming match was against Woburn, a team they have never played before.
As soon as the match against the Lancers began, onlookers could quickly recognize how intense this match would be. Various players on both teams demonstrated their physicality—not afraid of using their bodies to their advantage. Luckily for Malden, they were able to control possession of the ball, allowing them to get two goals early on in the first half: one by Caballero and the other by Kalefa.
Smith explained that these early goals “made it easier to control the game as it went on.” Yet, the Lancers showed no signs of slowing down as they continued their attempts to get a goal; however, Malden’s goalie Wender De Abreu Moura was not afraid to throw himself to catch the ball. Malden displayed their organized defense several times as junior Carlos Coimbra caused a player to kick the ball out of bounds, Caballero intercepted multiple Lancer passes, and senior Mogos Ghile blocked a Lancer pass.
As the first half neared its end, the physicality did not. The referee’s whistles were often blown as players began to pull one another’s shirts, and sliding for the ball became more frequent. It was quite clear that both teams had become much more aggressive as the crowd of both Malden High students and Malden Catholic parents became immersed in the match.
The intensity carried on to the second half as the Lancers fouled and drew a yellow card due to their reaction to the foul card—increasing the intensity and tension even more. Despite the pressure, the Lancers managed to stay determined, scoring their first goal, causing the score to be 2-1 in favor of the Tornados.
Kalefa expressed that his only regret of the match was that they allowed the Lancers to score. The Lancers’ scoring ignited the Tornados as Freeman stole the ball, leading to two attempts at a goal from the Tornados. The match continued to get more aggressive as players from both teams continued to foul by grabbing shirts and pushing. In the midst of the aggressiveness, junior Giuseppe Vargas was able to swiftly score a goal through the Malden Catholic defense, bringing the score to 3-1.
The goal made by Vargas only set the Lancers further ablaze. The Lancers attempted three goals, two of which were back-to-back, and one of which was very close. Yet, Moura was not distracted in the slightest, saving the ball all three times. This allowed the Tornados to advance the ball up, allowing Caballero to score the fourth goal, ending the match 4-1.
This win displayed the Tornados amazing teamwork and communication as they gained praise from many for their smooth passes.
With a current season record of 4-0-1, the Malden Boys’ soccer team looks forward to facing some of their known rivals such as Everett while continuing to demonstrate their improvement as the season advances.
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