By Adam Swift
Bryan Josue Pineda Perez.
This summer, Chelsea High School student Bryan Josue Pineda Perez will be taking to the pitch, just like his hero – Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bryan was one of 18 regional Special Olympics Athletes signed to the 2026 New England Revolution Unified Team. Bryan was suited up for a special signing day at the Revolution’s home, Gillette Stadium, with his fellow teammates and the Revolution’s head coach on May 6 for a special signing day.
The players signed their paperwork, received their new Revolution uniforms, and enjoyed a professional “Media Day” photo shoot in the Sports Illustrated Pavilion at Patriot Place.
Now in its 12th season, the Revolution’s Special Olympics Unified Team is a core tenet of the club’s “Soccer for All” platform, reinforcing that Major League Soccer is a welcoming environment for all players, fans, and partners regardless of disability, race, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. The team is comprised of athletes both with and without intellectual disabilities, most from Massachusetts and one from Rhode Island.
For 17-year-old Bryan, who speaks with the help of an assistive communication device, the honor has been the culmination of a decade-long journey on the pitch.
And while the signing day created its own memories, there are still bigger and better moments on the way.
This year’s Play Unified season will consist of a home-and-away series against Toronto FC’s Unified team, an international matchup between teams from two of the three unified hosts of this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Both games will coincide with MLS matchdays between their first team counterparts. The Revolution Unified Team will host Toronto at Gillette Stadium on July 22, before traveling north of the border on August 15.
Bryan said he began playing soccer at the age of 7 and that he became interested in the sport because of Ronaldo, the Portuguese national star widely considered one of the best to ever play the game. Like Ronaldo, Bryan plays forward.
“That’s his idol,” said Bryan’s mom, Iris Perez Flores.
Unsurprisingly, Bryan said he will be pulling for Portugal to pull off an elusive World Cup victory this summer.
Asked what his favorite thing is about playing soccer, Bryan said it’s building his “muscles” from all the activity on the field.
Bryan said the best thing about signing day was the excellent, cool, and happy people he met who will be his coaches and teammates. He also said he is excited to spend more time with teammates, and that playing both on the Unified team and at school is a good way to make friends.
“I am so proud of him, and thanks to God and the Special Olympics organization, Bryan has achieved these blessings,” said his mom. “I, his mother, will always be ready to support him in everything that makes him happy. I see no limitations; we will continue fighting. The sky is the limit! With a lot of effort, we can achieve everything we set our minds to. I encourage all single mothers to keep fighting to see their children happy and fulfill their dreams.”
When he is playing soccer, Bryan said he is happy and loves the sport.
“Bryan has always been a confident kid, he has always worked really hard, but I think he has blossomed playing soccer in unified sports,” said his teacher at CHS, Lexi Mazza.
For his part, Bryan said Mazza is his favorite teacher, putting her in good company with his favorite athlete, Ronaldo, and his favorite performer, Bad Bunny.