Team Sergio was founded to help alleviate the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Sergio Rayas' injury. We are committed to raising $8,000 for his much needed ACL surgery. Sergio is a great young man; hardworking, friendly and full of ambition. His injury makes it difficult to walk, work and impossible to enjoy sports.  He has endured far too much physical and emotional pain. Following is his story, written in his own words. Please contribute at the link below and share his story with your friends and family. The surgery goal date is June. Hello, my name is Sergio Rayas and I am a former AYSO soccer player. Soccer has been in my life as long as I can remember and has always been more than a hobby to me. Throughout my life it has been a way to express myself and to form bonds with friends and family, as well as a way to maintain my mental and physical health. When I lived in North Carolina, I played soccer as a part of organized teams throughout middle school and high school and was able to make the high school varsity team every year, even as a freshman. When I moved to Jefferson County, WV, my cousin introduced me to AYSO and I was thrilled to find an organization that allowed me to continue doing the thing that I loved most. I was able to play two great seasons with AYSO and met many kind people. ​ On June 11, 2017, the amazing team that I got to play with won the Antietam finals, a great triumph for my team during my last season in the league. Unfortunately for me, the season didn’t end as perfectly as I had hoped. Shortly before the end of the game a player from the other team collided with me just as I was kicking the ball and my knee popped out of place. At first the injury did not seem serious. However, I soon found out that my ACL was torn completely. It has been nearly two years since then and I struggle every day with my torn ACL. ​An ACL injury/tear is very serious. For those unacquainted with this type of injury, the ACL is a ligament in the knee that holds the thigh and shin bones together. After tearing my ACL I had several appointments and underwent therapy for several weeks. I even scheduled my surgery. However, it was postponed due to financial reasons. My insurance requires 20% of the $40K cost ($8,000) upfront. ​To date I have not been able to afford ACL reconstruction surgery. For a time I was unable to work due to my injury. In addition, my Mom’s cancer treatments made money even tighter. I’m now 21 years old. I  have been working hard at my parents restaurant ever since my injury to save up for the surgery, but it is very difficult due to my circumstances. My family has been trying their best to help me out as well, but it is a very large sum of money to raise. I am reaching out to others in the community for help in reaching my goal of getting this surgery and living without pain. Even the smallest contribution would mean so much and put me that much closer to my goal. I would very much appreciate any and all contributions. Thank you all for your help.