Darlington Nagbe and Freddie Braun visit Big Brothers Big Sisters at adidas Village

On Friday, August 24, Big Brothers Big Sisters Columbia Northwest had the special opportunity to send ten kids to the adidas Village to participate in a soccer clinic with Timbers forward Darlington Nagbe and midfielder Freddie Braun.

Although not paired with his own “Big” yet, a “Little for the Day" named Mude had the opportunity to hang out with Nagbe. Mude, originally from the Sudan, grew up in a refugee camp in Kenya. He first started playing soccer when he moved to Portland at eight years old. Now he plays for the Eastside Timbers and plays varsity soccer at Cleveland High School. Throughout the clinic, Nagbe continued to encourage Mude through drills and games saying, “Keep your head up.”

Nagbe was happy to get the chance to meet Mude at the event.

“When somebody looks up to you that much, getting the chance to make an impact in their life means a lot," said Nagbe.

On the field the day ended with a friendly scrimmage between the “Littles,” coached by Nagbe, and the "Bigs" coached by  Braun. The "Littles" pulled off the 3-2 win. But off the field, the memory will last a lifetime.

And who knows? The match could mark the start of another soccer career. As Mude said, “I want to be a professional soccer player when I grow up.”