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In the summer of 2010, the Canadian men’s para soccer team held a training camp in Gloucester, partly to give the Canada Soccer staff a chance to get out of the office and meet and greet the players.

But it was during a team break when head coach Drew Ferguson walked away from the gathering and staged his own meet-and-greet because he wanted to speak to a 12-year-old kid.

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So why would the country’s men’s para soccer team leader want to introduce himself to a pre-teen soccer player, who potentially was years away from being considered for the squad?

Well, Sam Charron was that good of a player back then and, even though he met the team eligibility by having cerebral palsy, it wasn’t obvious on the field. He covered the field well, running hard, dribbling smoothly and kicking the ball with great velocity with his strong leg.

Ferguson, whose national para soccer team was for athletes with cerebral palsy or those who have had strokes or brain injuries, was so impressed with Charron’s skills he invited him to join the team the next day to take part in some drills and feel part of the team.