Before Andrew Hauptman purchased the Chicago Fire in 2007, Long Island native Chris Armas had already occupied a spot on the MLS team's roster.The two got to talking and it didn't take long for a striking similarity to pop up between the Island boys. Hauptman hails from Smithtown and Armas, a St. Anthony's alum who now coaches there, recalled the specific soccer patches that the Smithtown Kickers youth organization have. The catch? Hauptman's mother Ellen, an artist, designed the patches while Hauptman played for the team.Years later, Hauptman credits his parents with exposing him to a level of entitlement and autonomy that had him grasping for exciting and unique opportunities. Hauptman was a long way from purchasing a professional sports franchise as a boy growing up in Smithtown, but for his hometown to be the focus of conversation some hundreds of miles away, years after he moved and garnered fame and fortune, is a testament to where his will and know-how initially developed.To read the rest of this story, visit Smithtown Patch.
