RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesDavid Trunda sat among the hundreds of business people, community leaders and public officials at Mayor David Holt’s State of the City address earlier this month.
Now, what was Trunda, the president of Czech soccer and a member of FIFA’s development committee, doing in Oklahoma City? Turns out, Trunda has taken a keen interest in not only the kind of soccer club, but also the soccer infrastructure that owner Christian Kanady and sporting director Sead Karaselimovic are trying to build in the 405 through OKC United.
It was at the end of Holt’s speech that OKC United’s name, crest and colors were unveiled . The team will compete in the United Soccer League (USL) beginning in 2028, timed for the opening of the downtown MAPS 4 multi-purpose stadium .
More: Oklahoma City's new pro soccer team officially unveils its name, logo
Having already made one trip to Oklahoma City in the last month, Trunda timed his second visit for the OKC United reveal.
“I totally fell in love with all the details of the concept and the people here,” said Trunda, sitting beside Karaselimovic in the great hall of the First National Center. “Not everyone can see the potential (here), because the potential is enormous. I was traveling in many, many countries, and I have to honestly say I haven’t seen such huge support from all sides.”
While Kanady and Karaselimovic haven’t outlined their plans to the public, their ambitions to grow soccer in Oklahoma City go beyond OKC United all the way to the youth level. That’s where Trunda can be a partner — both through his development-focused role at FIFA and as president of the Czech Football Association.
“We’re lucky that somebody like David has chosen us, to come here and give us his attention and good will,” Karaselimovic said. “We can create the best possible club for us … but also at the same time learn a little more about best practices from the global level, youth development and everything that goes with that.”
Trunda said the team in Oklahoma City can learn from some of the mistakes that were made in the Czech Republic’s youth system — one that Trunda is in the middle of rebuilding.
“It’s important to not only have the A-team and the new arena, but also the ground base of the (soccer) pyramid which you are going to build,” Trunda said.
In the Czech Republic, soccer and hockey both claim to be the No. 1 sport. Coincidentally, the Czech Republic is a canoe slalom powerhouse , winning the most medals (seven) of any country at the recent world championships in Oklahoma City.
Petr Cech, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and Pavel Nedved, the 2003 Ballon d’Or winner, are Czech soccer royalty.
In addition to overseeing Czech Republic soccer on the international stage, Trunda owns FK Mlada Bloeslav, a club in the top division of Czech soccer.
Trunda and Karaselimovic, a Bosnian-born soccer exec who recently worked for Sporting Kansas City in the MLS, met through a mutual friend.
The Czech Republic national team was based out of Dallas during the World Cup, giving Trunda an opportunity to drive up I-35 to see what was happening in Oklahoma City. Trunda liked it so much that he came again, pit stopping in OKC on his way to the World Cup Final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Trunda visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum with Karaselimovic. He went on morning runs along the Oklahoma River. He toured the site of the new stadium and met with the club’s top power brokers.
“I came just to support this idea,” Trunda said, “and to maybe give a little bit of my energy to the people who stand behind it.”
More: Sead Karaselimović brings worldly connections to OKC's new soccer club
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why Czech soccer president David Trunda took interest in OKC United
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