Manorville man leads North American team to Dwarf World Cup in Buenos Aires

A Manorville man with a passion for soccer is traveling to Argentina next month to compete in the first-ever Copa America Dwarf World Cup.

Johnathan Horton, 26, plays goalie on “Team North America,” a soccer team whose members live in the U.S. and Canada, representing “the best of the best” in North America.

Mostly, they got to know each other playing against each other in games organized around the Little People of America national conference.

“We know each other from playing against each other,” Horton said.

Horton, a 2011 Riverhead High School graduate, played for eight years with the N.Y. Towers, a tri-state area soccer team of little people. He also plays basketball with the N.Y. Towers.

Horton has always been athletic. He played Little League baseball as a child and, a star runner, gymnast and swimmer, was a gold medalist at the Empire State Games. Horton was also on the bowling team at Riverhead High School.

“I never thought I’d love soccer as much as I do,” Horton said in an interview. “I don’t really enjoy watching it. But I love playing soccer as much as I love to play basketball,” he said.

“Soccer is so much more competitive when we play against other little people,” Horton said. “Average height people have such an advantage. Their stride is longer. Certain balls can only be hit by them.”

Horton, who stands 4’-2” tall, is a fierce competitor. “All you have to do is give me a chance — give me the ball and I’ll show you what I can do.”

The secret to his success — on the field, on the court and in life? “Believe in yourself,” he says. “Don’t put limitations on what you can do.”

The Buenos Aires tournament runs Oct. 23-29.

Team North America has a GoFundMe page to help members defray the cost of travel. Click here to donate.