"Only Harvey Araton could reach this deeply into the souls of a struggling family and a mid-grade travel team to find the power of the beautiful game to hurt and to heal. Before you play or coach or cheer youth soccer, you need to find the goal of the game."-Robert Lipsyte, author of The Contender

"The story of Z and his travel team is one that we can all relate to in our commodified, rankings-obsessed culture that has infected every activity that kids once did for fun. Z reminds us that the decisions we make on the field mirror the ones we make off the field and that the things we all long for-friendship, community, a sense of purpose-happen when we find our joy and stop caring too much about the score."-Miya T. Beck, author of The Pearl Hunter and Through a Clouded Mirror

"Harvey Araton nails all the angles of what it's like in the high-stakes world of elite young athletes, and readers of all ages will recognize themselves somewhere in these pages. It's impossible not to root for Z as he grapples with the question that, if we're being honest, we all should ask ourselves a little more: Why do we play?"-Sam Borden, ESPN World Cup reporter

"The goal of the writer is to create a story, a message, and a world into which the reader can sink. In The Goal of the Game, Harvey Araton scores big-time, chronicling Z's journey to a better understanding of the game and life. A cool story, well-told, and with heart."-Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, author of Bounces

"For Z, life is about soccer, and soccer is about life. When tragedy strikes and circumstances change, soccer may be the only constant to help move him forward. The Goal of the Game is a moving story that will have any soccer enthusiast turning the page."-Michael Swartz author of SPLIT

"Harvey Araton has long been an elegant and eloquent writer of athletes and athletics of all stripes and sports, and now he brings his storytelling gifts to The Goal of the Game, a beautiful tale about the beautiful game and so much more. Let us hope this is not the last we'll hear from young Z or any of the other richly told characters in his life."-Mike Vaccaro, New York Post sports columnist, author of Bosses of the Bronx

"The Goal of the Game is not mandatory reading merely because one of America's great sportswriters authored it. This is an essential story about a nation of parents who forgot the core reasons why their children play sports, along with a road map back to the joyful, innocent, and lifelong bonds established among families by the games our boys and girls play."-Ian O'Connor, The Athletic sports columnist, author of The Captain

"The Goal of the Game reminds us that the ultimate goal of sports at any level should indeed be to have fun. An enchanting book that filled me with nostalgia, made me laugh as well as cry, and followed me around for weeks after I put it down."-Gary Simonds, author of One Happy Accident