A 14-year-old from Houston, Everardo Soto, is one of five kids from the Make-A-Wish Foundation whose unique sports-related wishes will be chronicled in the ESPN SportsCenter "My Wish" series starting Sunday, June 29. Soto's wish - to play soccer with his favorite athlete, Cuauhtémoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire - will debut Sunday in Spanish on the 11 a.m. ET edition of ESPN Deportes' SportsCenter and Wednesday, July 2, in English on ESPN SportsCenter.
His wish, along with the four other wish experiences, will be the subject of SportsCenter feature segments airing through July 3. Each story and wish experience, taped and produced by ESPN's award-winning Features Unit, will be the subject of a lengthy segment, generally debuting each day on the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter.
ESPN Deportes' SportsCenter will present special Spanish-language editions of the series on Sunday, June 29, and Sunday, July 6.
The series, a collaborative effort between the Make-A-Wish Foundation, ESPN and Disney, will feature prominent sport figures - Blanco, Cleveland Indians Baseball Team, Shaquille O'Neal, Ben Roethlisberger, and former Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones.
Emmy Award-winning reporter Chris Connelly is once again the "My Wish" reporter.
Since 2006, "My Wish" has offered an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look at the wish-granting experience and featured wish children participating in sports-related activities with athletes such as: Major League Baseball's Derek Jeter, David Ortiz and Todd Helton, the NBA's Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, figure skating star Michelle Kwan, NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, and the NFL's Tedy Bruschi, Drew Brees and Donovan McNabb. Please click here to access videos from previous "My Wish" segments.
Everardo Soto
Playing soccer with Chicago Fire's Cuauhtémoc Blanco
(Soto's wish will debut on ESPN Deportes' Spanish-language SportsCenter and Wednesday, July 2, at 6 p.m. on ESPN)
Age:
Hometown: Houston
Condition: ganglioglioma (brain tumor)
Wish: To meet MLS Chicago Fire star Cuauhtémoc Blanco (former Mexican National Team player)
• Traveled to Chicago with the Houston Dynamo on their team flight
• Joined Blanco for pre-game ceremonies on field, wearing personalized Chicago Fire gear
• Spent next morning with Blanco and Fire teammates at Toyota Park, including joining in passing and shooting drills with the Fire
