On a Wednesday evening, James Hilaire sits on the all-too-familiar train ride home from work talking about his soccer-playing days knowing that a luckier break would have landed him a spot on a professional team’s roster.

     Hilaire, 28, was the 2^nd ranked goalkeeper in the nation during his time playing for the University of New Haven. He attended the school on a partial scholarship after completing a two-year degree at Norwalk Community College. While still playing for UNH in 2008, he joined the Westchester Flames where he assumed the back-up goaltender position. Hilaire provided much needed goal relief on the field. Coach/Part-Owner Gus Skoufis said “James was a good player. The timing, more than anything, was unfortunate for him because we already had a goaltender at the time. He got some playing time with us but he definitely deserved more.”   

     Although he wasn’t the starting goalkeeper he knew that if he continued to show his work ethic and determination it would all pay off some day. “Every practice, I was there. Rain or shine. It wasn’t bothering me at all that I wasn’t starting… I knew that if I kept practicing hard, I would get the chance” he said. This was a chance James never got. 

     Playing in goal for the New Haven Chargers on September 28, 2004, Hilaire left the net and charged a Merrimack player for the ball like he had thousands of times before in his playing career but this attempt proved to be unlike any other. The opposing player’s knee struck Hilaire’s jaw as he dived to grab the ball, breaking it instantly but also bursting a vein in his brain, a fatal injury in most cases.

     Hilaire was airlifted to Boston Medical Center to get him the kind of treatment he desperately needed. Doctors told Head Coach Joshua Krusewski that he would not make it. After surgery for his broken jaw and eight days in a medically-induced coma, James finally regained consciousness. “I was in bad shape when I woke up. I had my wife (Lindsey Fox-Hilaire) right by my side but I needed help and I didn’t care where I got it from. I never would have asked for help before my injury.” James found himself in a fight to save his life, rather than saving a goal.

     Paralyzed on the right side of his body, James was confined to a wheelchair just to get around. After three weeks, he was finally able to start speaking again and was transferred to a rehab center in Connecticut for continued recovery.

     James thanks everybody for being there for him and the support he received. “I thank my doctors, my coach, my family, my wife and most of all God.  Me being alive is a miracle from God and I am so thankful.” 

     His soccer days aren’t over. James plans to play for the U.S. National Soccer Team in the Paralympic Games, a tournament much like the Olympics for people with physical disabilities. “When I got the call, I said ‘Absolutely, I want to do this’. My wife was supportive but my parents think I’m crazy to go play again.” Hilaire already tried out and made the team. In fact, he plans to travel to London in February for it.

     The decision to play soccer again should not surprise anybody. When asked what he would do if he had a chance to go back in time before his injury Hilaire responded that he would not hesitate play soccer again, “not even for a second.”

     These days, Hilaire is pursuing his career in Criminal Justice. James said that he works for Federal Law Enforcement but could not disclose exactly what he does. In addition, he wants to start a scholarship fund for students with disabilities to go back to school like he did a year after his injury and earned his degree with a 3.7 GPA. The name for the fund will be “Big Time Belief”.   

A poem written by Hilaire after his injury reads “My dream was taken away from me in the blink of an eye/ But til this day, I thank God that I did not die.”  His message is simple: “Always be positive, keep pushing and pray every day.”

A pair of players selected will lead their teams into battle at the 2011 PDL Championship Presented by Umbro this weekend in Bremerton, Washington. Defender Daniel Scott of the host Kitsap Pumas earned his second career all-league selection after also getting the nod in 2009. The Western Conference-champion Pumas will face the Central Conference champion Thunder Bay Chill and all-league defender Wilson Rodrigues Neto in a semifinal on Friday.

Backstopping the 2011 PDL All-League Team is Mitch Hildebrandt of the Michigan Bucks, who turned in an MVP-type season with a league-best 12 shutouts for the Great Lakes Division champions. Also representing the Bucks on the team is defender Stewart Givens, a big reason why Michigan was tied for the league low of nine goals surrendered. Givens also chipped in four goals and four assists. Rounding out the back line is Dillon Barna of the Ventura County Fusion. Barna played nearly every minute for the undefeated Fusion, who allowed 10 goals in 16 games. Joining Barna from the Fusion is midfielder Daniel Barrera, who tallied seven goals and nine assists in 13 games to rank as one of the league’s top midfield scorers.

With three goals and eight assists in 14 games, Central Florida Kraze midfielder Jonathan Mendoza earned his first PDL All-League spot and he is joined by Des Moines Menace standout John Sosa, who chipped in six goals and eight assists.

The PDL’s top three 2011 scorers make up the forward trio on the team, led by scoring and assist champion Milton Blanco of the Fresno Fuego, who tallied 12 goals and 14 assists. The goal-scoring champion, Jake Keegan of the Westchester Flames, tallied a goal per game in his rookie PDL season. Rounding out the group is Chandler Hoffman of the Orange County Blue Star, who finished second to Blanco in points with 36.

2011 PDL All-League Team

GK – Mitch Hildebrandt, Michigan Bucks

D – Dillon Barna, Ventura County Fusion

D – Stewart Givens, Michigan Bucks

D – Wilson Rodrigues Neto, Thunder Bay Chill

D – Daniel Scott, Kitsap Pumas

MF – Daniel Barrera, Ventura County Fusion

MF – Jonathan Mendoza, Central Florida Kraze

MF – John Sosa, Des Moines Menace

F – Milton Blanco, Fresno Fuego

F – Chandler Hoffman, Orange County Blue Star

F – Jake Keegan, Westchester Flames

USL News Release

Starting January of 2012, Westchester Flames has four new additions to it’s "front office."
Maria Markoulis will be doing the Public Relations for the team, while Vicky Skoufis will be the
Events Coordinator. Pablo E. Pinto will be the Director of the Sales and Marketing Department,
and Chris Papastefanou will be the official Westchester Flames Reporter. We wish them success
on their new journey along with us, and hope that together we could accomplish a lot.

Starting January of 2012, Westchester Flames has four new additions to it’s "front office."
Maria Markoulis will be doing the Public Relations for the team, while Vicky Skoufis will be the
Events Coordinator. Pablo E. Pinto will be the Director of the Sales and Marketing Department,
and Chris Papastefanou will be the official Westchester Flames Reporter. We wish them success
on their new journey along with us, and hope that together we could accomplish a lot.

Rookie of the Year - Jake Keegan, Westchester Flames

Keegan was a bright spot for the Flames, tallying 16 goals in 16 games to take the league goal-scoring crown.

Keegan accounted for 64 percent of Westchester’s goals in 2011 and also finished third in the league in points with 34.