High School, Friends and Hubba: The Three Things Soccer Star Edson Buddle Misses Most in Port Chester

With a warm welcome from friends, former teachers and fans in his hometown Wednesday, Edson Buddle reminisced about growing up downtown, walking to Port Chester High School -- and wolfing down chili from Hubba.

A month removed from competing in the World Cup, the American soccer superstar and Port Chester native made a local appearance at the Panera Bread Café in downtown Port Chester Wednesday afternoon, taking time out of a busy summer schedule to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Buddle, 29, was born in New Rochelle and raised in Port Chester, where he attended Port Chester High School before embarking on what has become a largely successful career in Major League Soccer.

Since 2007, after stints with the Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, and Toronto FC, Buddle has starred at the forward position for the Los Angeles Galaxy, playing alongside international stars Landon Donovan and David Beckham.

This summer, Buddle's flourishing skills and goal-scoring knack earned him a trip to the 2010 FIFA World Cup as part of the U.S. Men's National Team, where the U.S. won their group for the first time ever and advanced to the knockout stage.

Returning from South Africa, Buddle played in a number of other high profile games, including a friendly between his L.A. Galaxy side and Spanish club and world soccer power Real Madrid, and an international friendly between the U.S. National Team and five time World Cup champions Brazil.

Wednesday's event was the perfect opportunity for Buddle to take a break from what he called the busiest summer of his professional career, and look back on his days growing up not all that far from the Panera Bread Café where he was signing autographs.

"I remember walking to school and eating at Hubba's a lot," said Buddle, whose father Winston Buddle, also a professional soccer player, named him after his favorite soccer player, Edison "Pele" Arantes do Nascimento. "I just have a lot of good childhood memories from here. To be here and see all these people means a lot. It's inspiring and it has definitely pushed me throughout my career."

A number of Buddle's former teachers, coaches, and high school classmates were in attendance Wednesday afternoon, all eager to show their support for their hometown hero and favorite professional soccer play.

"He was always a great kid, on the field and off the field," said Cas Krempa, who was Buddle's first ever soccer coach as part of the Rye Brook Bandits that competed in the Westchester Youth Soccer League. "He was very easy to coach. I coached him when he was 10 years old and right away I noticed the level he was at. There was a big difference between him and the other kids. It took years and years and you can see now that he made it. You need a certain personality to make it on top and he was the right person."

Also in attendance was Mayor of Port Chester Dennis Pilla, who thanked Buddle for setting the right example of hard work and humbleness for Port Chester children, and presented him with an official proclamation from the Village of Port Chester.

"I think it's fantastic that Edson remembers where he got his soccer roots at the high school level and came back to Port Chester," said Pilla, who officially pronounced August 11 as "Edson Buddle Day" in the town of Port Chester. "His hard work and achievement really are a proud example of what everybody in Port Chester can look to and aspire to."

Of course, the true winners on Wednesday were the one hundred or so fans that lined the outside of the Panera Bread Café before getting a chance to meet and talk with Buddle, who posed for pictures and signed soccer balls, jerseys, and other soccer memorabilia. One fan, Andres Carcamo, was glad to see a fellow Port Chester native succeeding on the world stage and taken aback by how down-to-earth the L.A. Galaxy star striker was.

"He's a real cool person," said Carcamo. "I'm really glad he did well with the U.S. team. It's awesome seeing a local person from Port Chester doing great things. He's an accomplished athlete and I think he's a great role model for Port Chester kids."

Buddle will be back in the area and on the pitch on August 14th, when the L.A. Galaxy take on the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.