And, legal or not, he was probably on the team because (a) he liked to play, (b) he played well, and (c) the team wanted to win.
He's probably been playing soccer longer than most Americans on the team.
Now, he might be illegal. But I'm not sure how the school would know about that. It's not really part of their their purview to check for legal residency status.
Don't get me wrong. I think SOMEBODY should be checking for legality, but I don't know if it should be the schools. They have a tough enough time just teaching effectively.
I think legal residence status should be verified by every employer, but that's a separate thread...
In Germany, we have the state authorities checking the legal status of those who live here. I´m all for sending illegals back - be it here or in the US. But it´s certainly not right to punish the kids for the faults of their parents. As long as they live in the US, they shall be allowed to play in the school teams. Plus, there is no indication that this kid was an illegal alien. It is beyond me to call for a "US only"-policy for sports teams on HS, and especially on such a sad thread.