‘We’ll be his friend for free’: Young soccer players welcome boy with Down syndrome into their game

Welcome back. We have a heartwarming story for you out of Putnam County. A group of young soccer players welcomed a nine-year-old boy with Down syndrome into their game. The mom of the nine-year-old was so touched by their actions that she took to social media to thank them. Fox 5's Richard Giacova saw her posts and helped reconnect the newfound friends. Me and you. For nine-year-old Luca Marrero, his best and at times only friend has always been mom. Especially when it comes to playing his favorite sport. He said, Mom, soccer, soccer. And I was like, ah, buddy, they're too old for you. Luca has Down syndrome, and so Mom Marlena always feels like her only son may be intruding on a game or a bother to other kids. Most of the time it ends badly, where they say, you know, they say, okay, two soccer goals, and then they're like, okay, buddy, all done, and he wants to keep playing. So I was preparing us for the worst because that's typically what happens. But the three boys who were kicking goals at the town of Mayapak's roller rink on this day didn't think twice. He seemed really nice, so I wanted to play with him. I wish we could have played with him more because he looked like a really nice kid. We didn't just see him as equal. He is equal. 14-year-old Anaf Aziz along with 13-year-old Chris and 12-year-old Jason Visitacion all felt the same way. Luca was instantly part of their team. So at that point, Marlena is saying to herself, you know what? I'll give it 10 minutes. I'll let Lucas shoot a few goals, get out of his system, and then we'll leave these boys alone and go home. Well, 30 minutes goes by. More than an hour goes by, and they're still playing soccer. It was the greatest thing for this mom to see. Her son was actually smiling, and he made friends, something he really hasn't done before. So she asked herself, what can I do to give back? I just went and grabbed money, and I gave him, like, 20 bucks, and I said, hey. Go get some soda. For once, Marlena didn't have to tell her son it was time to leave. She just wanted to thank the boys who'd given him a reason to stay. Then they gave her one more. And then they come back and they're like, ma'am, ma'am, we can't take this. I was like, you know, really taken back. And they said, we want to be his friend for free. You don't have to pay us. And that's where, you know, I kind of just lost all words. And just said, okay. We said, no, we're just getting the money back to be really nice. Like, we will be his friend for free, no matter what. It's no price tag on friendship. Now Luca lights up when he sees his newfound friends. He tells his mom they're his first real ones. I just wish the same thing happened to the rest of the world. This world would be a better place. Proving that a little love, a little kindness, a little acceptance can not only go a long way. It can change a kid's life. In Mayapak, Richard Giakovas, Fox 5 News.