CENTRAL FALLS – In June, the Mundialito kicked off its summer soccer tournament at the Project Goal Mini Pitch. The tournaments, which also function as public community block parties, will continue nearly every Saturday this summer.
During the games, spectators enjoy DJ performances, raffles, bouncy castles, and diverse cultural foods, from Colombian empanadas to Mexican tacos to Peruvian salchipapas.
“It’s like a festival in a sense,” said Central Falls Councilor Tatiana Baena, who founded the Mundialito, then known as the Central Falls Mundialito Soccer Tournament, in 2015. She continues to direct the organization.
“The idea was to run a soccer tournament to raise funds for scholarships for student athletes in Central Falls,” Baena added.
From the beginning, every team has represented a country, hence the name Mundialito, which translates to “little world.”
“For the most part, most of the players that are playing on, say, Team Colombia are from Colombia, or their parents are from Colombia,” said Baena. That way, when parents cheer on their kids at the Mundialito games, they can wear the jersey of their country’s national team. The tournaments become a venue for displaying cultural pride.
Baena also emphasizes the importance of intergenerational collaboration, especially within the adult league, which welcomes players in their late teens.
“The 16-year-old that’s in high school gets to play with their uncle who’s 40, with their cousin who’s in college … it’s cool in that way,” said Baena.
Nicole Bonelli says she loves that her husband and three of her four daughters play together on Team Guatemala and Team USA.
“It’s just generations of our family being together, having fun, bringing the different cultures together. It means a lot to us to be able to have that, especially where we’re living now,” Bonelli said.
In this year’s youth league, 450 children are participating across 45 teams and six age groups. Though most players are native to Central Falls and Pawtucket, players come from across the state to participate.
Each team is required to recruit at least two women and to have a woman on the field at all times.
“It’s to show that girls can play, too. The girls are here, we’re here to play,” said Baena. On July 11, the Mundialito will also host their first women’s tournament at the new mini-pitch at Jenks Middle School in Pawtucket, which opened last month.
All Mundialito profits are funneled back into the community. In its 11-year history, the Mundialito has been able to give more than $20,000 in scholarships for Rhode Island student athletes. This year, they gave out three scholarships for a total of $1,500.
William Navarro, who has been coaching and coordinating teams since the Mundialito’s inception, said, “I work as an educator as well, so I just feel like it’s very important giving back to the community that raised us.”
Though not every scholarship recipient has played in Mundialito, one student was someone Baena had coached when he was 12.
“So that was a full-circle moment, right?” Baena said. “And those are the types of things that you can’t quantify, per se. All of this impact that we’re having on the community in ways that you can’t really record somehow, document somehow in a number.”
For instance, Daniela Oviedo was recruited at a Mundialito tournament to play for Mount Saint Charles Academy, a private high school in Woonsocket. When Baena saw Oviedo’s GoFundMe for tuition assistance, she created a scholarship to help Oviedo afford her education.
“It changed my life. Going to mount was one of the best things ever—I think it really helps me in my career,” said Oviedo. She says she dreams of playing Division 1 soccer at Stanford when she graduates high school in three years. “I thank Tatiana every day,” she said.
According to Baena, children have been recruited to play in Premier Leagues because of relationships they’ve built with Mundialito coaches. The Mundialito also hosted one of the U-17 Guatemalan national players, and Rhode Island kids got to play with him on Mundialito’s Team Guatemala.
“They work so hard to make sure that they are getting the children and families unique opportunities to participate in,” said Bonelli. She described recent events where Mundialito children participated in a Providence WaterFire and practiced with Ghana’s National Team.
This year, the Mundialito will host the first Youth Leadership Day on July 10 in Pawtucket. Baena said many Mundialito children aspire to be professional soccer players. While she doesn’t discourage that path, she hopes the Leadership Day will “show them what else is available out there for them in sports.”
The Youth Leadership Day will mimic a professional conference, with breakfast, workshops, a lunch panel, and a keynote speaker, Kim Crabbe, the first African-American woman to play for the U.S. Women’s National Team. Crabb will also speak at the women’s tournament the following day.
“(The Mundialito is) a concrete example of hope and letting our children know that they can do it – they can continue to pursue their education, they can be who they want to be. Their love of the game of soccer unifies them with so many people” said Bonelli.
All tournaments are free and open to the public. The full calendar of event dates is available on the Mundialito’s website.
Those interested in sponsoring the Leadership Day, participating as a vendor at this summer’s tournaments, or volunteering with the organization should email .
