One week before one of the crowning moments of his soccer career — the MLS draft in January — Lucas Meek of the University of Washington was working out with friends. He sprinted for a ball, made a cut — “and my knee just went pop,’’ he said.
It was as bad as Meek feared. He had a torn meniscus that required surgery and ruined any hopes of playing professionally in 2022, even though Inter Miami CF still thought enough of Meek to take him in the second round, 37th overall.
But out of that setback has come something glorious: A heartfelt charitable endeavor that reveals an intriguing aspect of the complex new world of Name, Image and Likeness in collegiate sports.
Rehabbing at UW during winter quarter with no classes — he had already graduated from the Foster School of Business in the fall — Meek pondered what to do with his unexpected free time. When a local sports apparel and gear company called Vintage Brand approached Meek about creating a logo and brand for him, he had an epiphany.
“I thought it was really cool,’’ he said. “But I felt kind of weird selling things just about myself. I’d rather have it mean a bit more, and find another cause I can tie it to.”
With a nudge from Husky men’s soccer coach Jamie Clark, Meek decided to put on a soccer tournament. More poignantly, he knew immediately what cause to tie it to. Meek’s grandfather, Bart Amey, had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2020. Meek wanted to dedicate his efforts to fighting this cruel, relentless disease.
And thus was born Kick 4 ALS, a 64-team, 5v5 soccer tournament for a variety of age groups that will be held May 14 at the UW’s IMA Field. All proceeds will go to the ALS Association.
“I’ve watched how this disease has affected him,’’ Meek said. “I really wanted to honor him and his legacy, just because of how much he means to myself, my family and how much he inspires just about every…