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Valley club soccer team rallying behind hospitalized teammate

13-year-old Andrew Bui came with his family to the United States for a better life.

He has been a big part of the soccer community, playing with the Madison Futbol Club.

The team is now dedicating the rest of their season to him after he was hit by two cars while riding his bike.

“I scored a point,” says Andrew Bui on cell phone video.

Andrew is a standout soccer star and known as one of the team’s main scorers, he was missing from Monday’s practice.

“Just so proud of him for hanging on right now and I just want him to continue to fight and we’ll be here when he’s ready to wake up,” says Coach Kacie Kliebert for the Blue Team, Madison Futbol Club.

Phoenix police say Andrew was riding his bike, trying to cross Missouri Avenue at 14th Street, when he was hit by a car, he was hit by a second car as well.

His family was notified several hours later.

“Severe injuries, brain injuries, spinal injuries, broken leg in multiple places,” says Brian Hendrickson, family mentor.

Brian Hendrickson has been the family’s mentor since they moved to Phoenix about four years ago.

They were refugees who fled Ethiopia, then Kenya and moved here for a better life.

“My heart goes out to this family, and I hate to see them suffer the way they are. It’s just a huge, huge loss and I can tell culturally that they don’t want to let go,” says Hendrickson.

His soccer team doesn’t want to let go either. They have supported Andrew’s family by raising funds. Kacie Kliebert has been coaching Andrew for the past three years, watching his love for the sport grow.

“Andrew is very athletic and he had a lot of street ball and soccer skills. I’m pretty sure this was the first time he was playing on an organized team. So, he was really excited to play different positions,” says Kliebert.

Kacie says Andrew had become part of her family and was good friends with her son who also plays on the team.

“I would like to tell him the thing that I last told him when he got out of my car, when I dropped him off after the tournament… which is, I am so proud of him. Every day he shows up and he shows up for himself and he shows up for the team.”

They hope he can one day be back on the field.

A family has created a fundraiser.