Youth: Lombard, Zwetsch, Carter lift RSL to Disney title

LAKE BUENA VISTA – RSL Florida’s girls under-18 team got a pair of goals in the opening seven minutes from Zoe Lombard and a pair of excellent finishes from Connor Zwetsch in the second half as it rolled to a 5-0 victory against the Clearwater Chargers in the final of the Disney Soccer Showcase on Sunday afternoon at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

Lombard gave RSL the lead in the second minute, capitalizing on an excellent pass by Niki Carter to fire home. Lombard then latched onto a through ball into the right channel in the seventh minute, rifling her shot home from just inside the penalty area.

While Lombard scored the goals, the manner of Carter’s assists drew praise from RSL coach Jim Cote.

“They were just incredible assists,” Cote said. “Two at the beginning if it and then one to Connor at the end.”

Clearwater coach Mike Mannino said he thought giving up the early goals was too big a hole for his side to dig out from, especially against a team of RSL's quality.

“A minute and a half you give up a goal, it’s tough to battle back from, and then they got a second one before we were able to even it up,” Mannino said. “Going down 2-0 to a good team like that, they beat us today, and they were the better team. They deserved it.”

RSL could have added to its lead just before halftime, Arielle Anahory having her shot well saved, but in the 56th minute it became 3-0 as center back Amy Werdine sent a long ball over the top of the Chargers defense that allowed Zwetsch to beat the offside trap. Zwetsch then touched the ball around the advancing goalkeeper before finishing into the empty net.

Carter then set up Zwetsch’s second nine minutes later, an angled ball into the top of the penalty area again putting Zwetsch in behind the Chargers defense before she deftly volleyed into the right corner of the net.

Anahory completed the scoring in the 76th minute giving her side its first Disney title, something which meant a lot to Lombard.

“Especially because this was our last Disney tournament, there’s no qualifier left, it’s good to go out with a win,” Lombard said.

The Brandon Flames girls under-15 team also brought home a title, winning a penalty shootout 5-3 to defeat the Ponte Vedra Storm after the sides had played to a 2-2 tie after regulation and overtime.

The Flames had started strongly, Shea Rhoney going close to giving her side a lead in the first 10 minutes with a shot that was well-saved at the left post. The Flames took the lead from the penalty spot in the 19th minute as a long free kick bounced into the penalty area, and Aubrey Riggins was brought down as she moved in on goal. Caroline Evers stepped up and converted from the spot, shooting low into the right corner.

Jackie Simpson then doubled the Flames advantage 10 minutes later, driving a shot from the right side of the penalty area into the left side-netting of the goal. The finish drew praise from Flames coach Randy Belli.

“She’s a super athlete, and she plays in the center of midfield because she is so strong there, wins every ball and is a good one-on-one defender,” Belli said of Simpson. “But she has the ability to smack a ball and get forward, and it was good angle and a good finish. I would like to be able to use her more up front, but she’s such a good defender.”

Ponte Vedra put a scare into the Flames late in the first half when Taylor Valentine fired a fierce shot from outside the penalty area on target, only for Flames goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby to save well diving to her right.

The shot appeared to lift the Storm, and Valentine continued to lead the charge, tying the game seven minutes after the break as her shot from just outside the penalty area dipped underneath the crossbar into the net. Brandon had a chance to restore its two-goal advantage just after the hour-mark, but Evers saw her close-range shot come back off the crossbar.

Valentine then tied the game with 10 minutes to go, striking a free kick from 25 yards sweetly over the defensive wall and into the left corner of the net. Belli said he thought the Storm’s pressure in the second half caused problems for his side, which at times lost its composure and gave the ball away in poor positions.

“Credit to them, they’re a super group of athletes, and I think they caused us problems when they went high pressure, but they kept their backs back a bit so we couldn’t relieve pressure in behind their back four,” Belli said. “Every time we were relieving pressure, it was still in front of their back four, and they were coming at us. We got to the point where we started playing like donkeys and started smacking the ball every time we got it.”

Neither side was able to break the deadlock in overtime, sending the game to a shootout. There, Evers, Kalynne Heyer, Emily Jones, Rhoney and Amber Coca all converted from the spot, while the Storm missed on their first attempt, giving the Flames the title.

“I feel bad for Ponte Vedra to have to drop a game like that,” Belli said. “They’ve won it a couple of years in a row, and it was nice of them to let us have a chance at winning it.”

Youth: RSL, Clearwater U-18s set to meet at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA – RSL Florida and the Clearwater Chargers girls under-18 teams will face each other on the final day of the Disney Soccer Showcase after both sides completed pool play with three wins out of three on Saturday afternoon at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

RSL fell behind early against the Farmingdale Freedom, but rallied to earn a 3-1 victory to win Pool B.

The Freedom started well, putting good passing sequences together, and capitalized on a moment of hesitant defending to take the lead in the 11th minute, a low first-time shot finding the bottom left corner of the net.

RSL responded well, though, and in the 26th minute Zoe Lombard worked a good give-and-go with Thea Linkfield, breaking through the Farmingdale back four before firing into the left corner of the net. RSL almost took the lead a few moments later as the Freedom only half-cleared a cross from the left, and Jordan Johnson drove a shot off the bottom of the left post.

RSL controlled the bulk of the game from that point on, with Johnson and Colleen Lynch holding sway in midfield to allow RSL to create scoring opportunities. Niki Carter gave her side the lead in the 57th minute, heading home from close range after a good cross from the left by Ellen Moore, and then Lynch added a third in the 73rd minute on a brilliant shot from over 25 yards out into the top right corner of the net.

“We know she can do that,” Cote said. “She doesn’t think she can do that, but we know she can do that a lot. She has the ability to really hammer a ball and so it was nice to see her get that.”

The Chargers closed out their group play with a 2-0 victory against the Concorde Fire, setting up a rematch from the Showcase Qualifier in September. Then RSL won 2-0 in the tournament semifinals.

“We wanted to get the game against Clearwater again,” Cote said. “It was how it turned out in the qualifier, and it’ll come down to the two of us again tomorrow, so it’s exciting.”

The Chargers girls under-17 team wasn’t able to move on as it fell 4-2 to the Michigan Hawks. The Chargers needed a win to have a chance of winning its group, having drawn their first two games of the event.

The Brandon Flames girls under-15s had already won their group, and closed out pool play with a 0-0 draw against the Dynamo FC from Indiana. The Flames will face the Ponte Vedra Storm on Sunday afternoon to complete the tournament.

Youth: RSL earns second Disney victory

RSL Florida’s girls under-18 coach Jim Cote wasn’t particularly happy with his side’s intensity on Thursday night, even though they came away with victory in its opening game of the Disney Soccer Showcase.

Apparently, his side got the message. On Friday night, RSL’s pace down the wings was the key as it defeated West Virginia United 4-0, setting up a game on Saturday against the Farmingdale Freedom from New York that will determine which side advances as the group winner.

“They knew that I wasn’t happy last night,” Cote said. “The captains got them going without me saying anything tonight, so they were ready to go.”

Thea Linkfield and Niki Carter both had strong performances, and were each rewarded with a goal for their efforts down the flanks. Cote said Linkfield, Carter and Jordan Johnson, who moved from her normal central midfield spot to play out wide at times, were pivotal in getting behind the current West Virginia state champions defense, creating numerous chances.

“They’re a quality team,” Cote said. “I think the pace and field was too big for them. Thea and Niki and Jordan Johnson, they just couldn’t handle the pace of those kids.”

Should RSL win, it could face the Clearwater Chargers, who earned their second win in as many games with a 3-2 victory against Laroca FC from Utah.

Also picking up its second win in as many games was the Brandon Flames girls under-15 side, which used a strong first half to defeat the Greensboro Twisters 5-2, winning its group in the process.

Brandon took a 3-0 halftime lead, but the Twisters rallies to cut the lead to 3-2 early in the second half. The Flames were able to retain their composure, though, and added another pair of goals to put the game away.

“(Greensboro) was good,” Flames coach Randy Belli said. “I don’t think the score was indicative of how good that team is.”

The Flames have now scored nine goals in their opening two games, something that Belli credits to the way the side is executing when faced with good opponents.

“I think a lot of players are stepping up and performing well,” Belli said. “It’s been a solid team effort. We’re getting a lot of goals scored from a lot of different players, and they’re playing well within the system. I think they believe in each other, and they’re pushing hard to be in the right places, make the right decisions and do the right things, and that’s what’s generating all the goal scoring.”

The Clearwater Chargers girls under-17 team was the only local side not to win on Friday, as it earned a second straight tie, 2-2 against the Scorpions SC. That leaves the Chargers in third place in its group, but a win on Saturday against the Michigan Hawks would put them at least into second place in the group and a fourth game on Sunday.

The Chargers could even win them the group should they get the right result in the other game in the group on Saturday.

Youth: Chargers girls can't find winner in Disney opener

LAKE BUENA VISTA – The Clearwater Chargers girls under-17 team earned a tie in its opening game at the Disney Soccer Showcase on Thursday afternoon, but was unfortunate not to come away with a win as it controlled the flow of the game, and the majority of possession, in the second half of its 1-1 tie with the Hibernian FC Express from New Jersey.

“In the second half, we did a much better job of playing the way we normally play,” Chargers coach Sergei Stopak said. “A team that passes, supporting each other, trying to find our rhythm. I thought that was missing in the first half, but in the second half it was there. We were a little unfortunate not to find that final finish, but when you come to Disney, that’s what you expect from the competition.”

Jen Casey gave the Chargers the lead in the first half, but Hibernian tied the game just before halftime. From then on, the Chargers were in control, and scored early in the second half, only to see the goal taken away for offside.

Sierra Lelii was effective leading the Chargers attack, and Stopak thought she had done well in leading the line.

“I really thought she was going to beat that final defender and get that opportunity,” Stopak said. “In fact, we did, but we got too greedy to put it in the net, and we got caught offside for it, but she made a difference out there.”

The Chargers will face the Scorpions SC from Massachusetts in their second game the Scorpions routing the Michigan Hawks 5-1 in their opener.

The Chargers under-18s earned victory in their opening game of the event, taking a 1-0 win against the Ohio Elite Academy.

Elsewhere, the Brandon Flames girls under-15 team trailed at halftime, but after some adjustments were able to earn a 4-1 victory against Albertson SC from New York, Shea Rhoney scoring a hat trick for the Flames.

“(She had) brilliant composure,” Flames coach Randy Belli said of Rhoney. “Just going after the outside back and creating problems for the other team.”

Albertson’s three forwards caused problems for the Flames in the first half, pressuring the defenders and midfielders as they tried to find their passing rhythm, but in the second half the Flames started playing longer, angled passes to stretch the defense and create openings.

“They did a really good job pressuring us in the first half,” Belli said. “We just adjusted our tactics a little bit, started playing some longer diagonal balls because they were really leaving the opposite wide player or forward open, so once we started finding that player, and then settling down and playing a little bit I think the rust came off, and we created a lot of chances.”

RSL Florida’s girls under-18s also won, but the victory wasn’t as easy as the 5-1 score against KUFC from Illinois might make it seem.

“It was a quality team,” RSL coach Jim Cote said. “It was 2-0 at halftime, but they were all over us to start the second half, we just got one ball in behind them and three passes, boom, it was in the goal, then we got another on quickly after that. They were a very good team, we just got the breaks with the goals. I don’t think 5-1 was indicative of the game.”

Cote said he wanted to see better intensity from his side when they face West Virginia United, the defending West Virginia state champions, on Friday evening.

“It’s a big game tomorrow night,” Cote said. “At times we looked very, very good today. The issue with the team is that sometimes we think we’re better than we are, and we don’t play with that level of intensity.”

Youth: Chargers under-16s beat HCU, under-18s fall in overtime

LAKE BUENA VISTA – The Clearwater Chargers boys under-16 team completed a strong week of performances in the Disney Soccer Showcase under-17 Copa Division, as three goals in a little under 10 minutes gave them a fourth victory for the event with a 3-0 win against Hillsborough County United’s under-17 team on Wednesday afternoon.

“We have been trying to learn how to win games,” Chargers coach Garth Pollonais said. “Now this weekend really put a positive spin on the things we have been trying to do.”

HCU started well, but once Clearwater found its stride it was able to control the pace and the rhythm of the game well, passing the ball sharply and making HCU chase. The Chargers took the lead in the 22nd minute after a good moment of awareness by Zack Shriver, who when lining up a free kick from close to 40 yards out spotted HCU’s goalkeeper cheating off his line in anticipation of a cross into the penalty area. Shriver fired a well-struck shot into the top left corner of the net, catching the goalkeeper off guard.

“It was originally going to be a cross,” Shriver said. “But then they came across and said have a shot, so I just went for it.”

The Chargers doubled their lead a minute later when Nikolai Hammer was brought down in the penalty area, and Shriver converted from the penalty spot. The Chargers added a third in the 29th minute, a good long ball down the right from full back Cameron Coughlin allowing Hammer to beat his marker for pace, and after he cut into the penalty area, he crossed low to the far post where Anthony Lucido was on hand to score.

Hammer was excellent leading the Chargers forward line, holding up possession when needed and making dangerous runs to put pressure on the HCU defense. Pollonais said that was something Hammer had been working on in training.

“That’s something we have been working on with him,” Pollonais said. “If he can hold the ball up, it keeps our flow of the game going better, and I thought he did a fantastic job doing that."

HCU had its opportunities to get back into the game but was unable to take advantage, particularly in the second half as numerous efforts missed the target. HCU coach Eric Sims was disappointed with the way his side had closed out what had been a good week to that point.

“Today defensively, (Hammer) was giving us a lot of problems,” Sims said. “The first goal, giving up a soft goal like that deflated us I think, and to give up a penalty and go down 2-0 is tough to come back from.”

While the Chargers under-16s appeared to take a big step forward as far as learning how to win games, the Chargers under-18s suffered a disappointing loss, losing a two-goal lead on the way to a dramatic 4-3 defeat in overtime against Alliance FC from Tennessee in their final.

Shane Wixted and Wes Sever had given the Chargers a 2-0 lead, but that quickly slipped away early in the second half as Alliance took a 3-2 lead. Down to 10 men, the Chargers tried to rally, and were aided by a moment of ill-discipline by the Alliance goalkeeper, who was sent off for foul language with less than 10 minutes to play in the second half, evening the numbers to 10-on-10.

Clearwater couldn’t find a way to score from the indirect free kick given after the red card, the shot being blocked by a charging Alliance wall, but after forcing a pair of corner kicks, Bruno da Silva’s volley from a half-cleared cross was blocked by a hand, giving the Chargers a penalty. da Silva himself stepped up to slot home from the spot, appearing to give Clearwater momentum as overtime began.

Alliance’s David Geno swung momentum back to his team’s side early in the first overtime period with a brilliant first touch off a long pass and a curling left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net to give his side a 4-3 lead. Clearwater was unable to respond a second time.

Pollonais was disappointed that after a strong first half his side wasn’t able to protect its 2-0 lead better.

“The first half, we played brilliant, we controlled the game, we went two goals up,” Pollonais said. “We’ve got to learn to manage games when we are in the lead. In a game like this, where we are a better team, we’ve got to put teams away, it’s as simple as that.”

Youth: RSL boys fall short at Disney

LAKE BUENA VISTA – RSL Florida’s two representatives at the Disney Soccer Showcase saw their tournaments come to an end on Tuesday, as both the boys under-16s and under-17s failed to advance out of their respective groups.

RSL’s under-16s played well from box to box in their final game, but a failure to convert scoring opportunities in the final third led to a 1-1 tie against the Michigan Jaguars. According to Coach Steve Wolf, that had been the theme for the side’s week, as they finished with two draws and a loss.

“From box to box, we dominated the games, but in the final third, in the box, we weren’t good enough to finish teams off,” Wolf said. “We didn’t have the killer instinct, the timing wasn’t there, we just couldn’t finish in the final third.”

Wolf was pleased with the way his side played overall, with Zach Higgins having a strong tournament in the center of midfield. Wolf said he thought the way Higgins thinks about the game sets him apart from a lot of players his age.

“He’s by far our most intelligent player,” Wolf said. “He almost plays like he’s in his thirties, he sees things and then he steps into situations defensively and just reads things. A very smooth player, very calm, always in control, and he’s very important for us in midfield.

RSL’s Under-17s finished an up and down tournament with a tough defeat, 6-0 to the Baltimore Bays. Coach Alex Delgado said there were just times when the team you faced was better, but he was happy with the way the side kept their heads up and kept working hard.

“Today, we were just out-matched,” Delgado said. “Sometimes it’s ok to say the other team was better than you, and they were better. We came out fighting though, we missed a couple of opportunities early, and when you have a team like the Baltimore Bays Academy team, they’re not going to let you breathe.”

Delgado was happy with the week overall, however, a win against Campton United from Illinois, currently ranked No.14 in the nation according to gotsoccer.com a highlight.

“Hopefully we gained a little respect from teams out here,” Delgado said. “We showcased ourselves well, and I think a couple of our guys caught some people’s attention out here, they did excellent. (Robert) Menke in the middle, (Kyle) Eichoff in the middle and Tevin (Gage) out wide had another amazing showcase, it was excellent.”

Hillsborough County United’s boys under-18s also fell short of advancing after a 1-0 defeat against Commack SC in its final game dropped them to third place in the group, as did HCU’s under-15s, which managed to end the tournament on a high note with a 7-4 win against the Albertson Academy from New York.

The Clearwater Chargers under-18 and under-16 teams both advanced through, each side winning its respective group. The Under-18s played to a 0-0 draw with the Forsyth Fusion, sending them through to a game against Tennessee’s FC Alliance on Wednesday afternoon.

The under-16s, playing up in the under-17 division, completed pool play with a third victory, defeating FC Solar from Texas 2-1. The Chargers will face HCU’s under-17 side, which advanced with a pair of wins and a tie, closing with a 1-1 draw against Huntsville from Alabama.

Youth: Boost from Pena lifts HCU to key victory

LAKE BUENA VISTA – Alejandro Pena keyed a spell of three goals in three minutes as Hillsborough County United’s boys under-18 team took control of its group at the Disney Soccer Showcase with a 5-2 victory against the Potomac Soccer Academy on Monday evening at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

HCU had taken the lead in the sixth minute, Keith Sierra and T.J. East combining well to set up Sierra for a fine finish. Potomac hit back in the 30th minute, but HCU retook the lead in the 39th minute as Pena and Andrew Buckley worked a nice give and go. Buckley’s shot was blocked, but the ball rebounded to Pena who curled his shot from the left side of the penalty area into the right corner of the net.

The goal seemed to throw Potomac’s players, and within a minute HCU had made it 3-1, Pena flicking on a pass to Buckley, who finished beautifully, lobbing the advancing goalkeeper with a well-controlled volley. A minute later, Pena broke into the penalty area and was brought down, Sierra stepping up to convert from the penalty spot and giving HCU a 4-1 halftime lead.

Pena had only come entered the game in the 35th minute, with HCU coach Kelvin Jones wanting to make sure he could keep him as fresh as possible.

“(Ali) played 90 minutes yesterday, and I was concerned about letting him play the full 90 today,” Jones said. “T.J. was here today, so we decided to bring Ali on a little bit later, and he had an immediate impact. His pace and power was a difference right away.”

Matt Moore added a fifth in the 68th minute, turning his defender inside-out before firing a low shot into the right corner of the net. Potomac pulled a goal back late, but HCU posted an impressive win that put it top of the Group D. A win against Commack SC from New York on Tuesday would advance the side through to face the winner of Group C for a final game.

The Clearewater Chargers played a better overall game than in their opener, but needed a slice of luck to earn a 2-1 win against the TSF Academy Celtic.

TSF opened the game well, pressuring the Chargers as they tried to find a rhythm, and having a goal ruled out for offside early, one of three such instances where TSF was denied due to an assistant referee’s flag.

The Chargers took the lead in the 32nd minute, however, as Anthony Baumann mad a run in from the right flank, and delivered a beautiful through-ball to Charles Lynch who was brought down in the penalty area. Bruno da Silva stepped up and converted from the penalty spot low into the left corner.

“We got some good feeds, and we got some good movement off the ball,” Chargers coach Garth Pollonais said. “I think at the beginning, we didn’t figure out how to get behind them, but once we started to get our rhythm and movement it was a lot better.”

TSF tied the game in the 56th minute, a low curling free kick by Chris Benedict finding its way around the wall into the left side of the Chargers’ net, but the Chargers bounced back well, controlling possession and making TSF chase the game and give away possession cheaply.

That came to fruition in the 70th minute as Ben Sweat made a surging run down the left, and was found by a long ball over the top of the TSF defense by Jayson Lopaciuk. Sweat controlled the ball by the goal line and centered, and his cross went through the TSF goalkeeper’s hands, and into his own net.

“It was a great combination play coming around the outside,” Pollonais said. “Sometimes you’ve got to be lucky in this game, so we’ll take it.”

Clearwater will look to close out group play with a perfect record when it faces the Forsyth Fusion on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, HCU’s under-17s earned a second victory with a 2-1 win against Norcross, Ga., as did the Chargers under-16s, playing in the under-17 division, with a 3-1 victory against the Tennessee Rush that guaranteed them victory in their group.

Strictly Soccer’s under-15s earned their second win in as many games with a 1-0 win against Space Coast, but their under-16 counterparts fell 2-1 to Cobb FC. RSL Florida’s under-17s bounced back from an opening defeat with a 1-0 win against Campton United, while their under-16s drew 0-0 with Tulsa SC. Fusion Futbol Club’s under-17s couldn’t build on their opening victory, falling 3-1 to the Lonestar Academy from Texas, while HCU’s under-15s fell 1-0 to North Atlanta.

Youth: Chargers earn victory in Disney opener

LAKE BUENA VISTA – The Clearwater Chargers boys under-18 side didn’t find top gear too often on Sunday afternoon, but the soccer they were able to play was enough to give them a 3-0 victory against Jackson FC from Mississippi in the Disney Soccer Showcase at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

The Chargers got off to a flying start, Ben Sweat driving a shot into the top left corner of the net in the fourth minute after a strong run down the left from his full back position, and possessed the ball well to start off the game. The side’s lack of recent playing time showed at times, though, with passes going astray, allowing Jackson to find some opportunities to break into attack quickly.

“We played well in spurts,” Chargers coach Garth Pollonais said. “I didn’t think we put our game together completely the way I would have liked. We scored goals, we created chances, but I thought in the final third we could be a little more efficient in our play, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.”

Bruno da Silva scored the first of his two goals in the 25th minute, the beneficiary of some poor goalkeeping as after he cut in from the right, his shot from just outside the penalty area went underneath the dive of the Jackson goalkeeper. da Silva added his second goal of the game in the 64th minute, firing home at the far post after a low cross through the penalty area from the right reached him.

“As a team, I thought we were OK,” Pollonais said. “I thought Bruno did some good things up front, had two goals today and did some good things. Ben Sweat got the goal to start if off, I thought his goal really got us going.”

The Chargers under-16s also won their opener, playing up in the under-17 division, defeating the IPSC Force from Indiana 5-3 later on Sunday evening.

Hillsborough County United’s under-18s needed a late goal from Kahleel Forde to earn his side a draw against TLSC/Ayses SC from Texas. HCU likely should have come out the victor, with numerous chances missed after they fell behind to an early goal, but Coach Kelvin Jones was pleased his side was able to salvage a point.

“They scored in the first two minutes, and for the rest of the game we did all the playing,” Jones said. “We were inside the six a half a dozen times, and should have converted, so I think a draw is not what we deserve, but it’s better than nothing.”

Andrew Buckley had, in his own words, a frustrating day in front of net, missing opportunities you would ordinarily expect him to put away. Others were just as wasteful, but HCU gave itself a chance to advance from the group as a free kick by Kevin Sierra from the right of the penalty area was flicked in low by Forde from close range in the 88th minute.

Potomac Soccer sits on top of HCU’s group with a victory in its opening game, with the two sides facing each other on Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. A win would put HCU in good position to advance.

HCU’s under-17s also earned victory in their opening game as they defeated FSA Soccer Plus from Connecticut 3-1, but the under-15s weren’t as fortunate as they fell 2-1 the the Greensboro Dynamo.

In other action, Fusion Futbol Club’s boys under-17 team opened play with a 4-2 win against Mockingbird Valley from Kentucky. Strictly Soccer’s boys under-16 team won 1-0 against SYA Nova from Virginia, with its under-15s winning 2-0 against Charlotte United.

Elsewhere, Strictly Soccer’s boys under-18 team fell 2-1 to the Dallas Texans while both RSL Florida’s boys under-17s and under-16s fell 2-1, the under-17s to the GSA Phoenix and the under-16s to the Penn Fusion Celtic.

Youth: Disney Showcase offers big opportunities for players, clubs

The games on the field at the Disney Soccer Showcase, beginning Sunday at the Wide World of Sports Complex, will likely be among the most competitive local players will face over the course of the club season.

The games off the field, however, likely will be far more important, as the showcase offers a chance for players to be scouted by major college programs looking for future talent. Disney now bills itself as the Nation's No.1 Recruting Event, and it has a good claim on the title with a huge number of colleges represented at the four-day boys event. Hillsborough County United boys director of coaching Kelvin Jones said because of that, getting teams into the showcase has become a major goal for each of the club's top teams at the beginning of the season.

“Because the U.S. Soccer Academy is now around, it's made it even more important that if you're not in the U.S. Soccer Academy, you get into the big tournaments,” Jones said. “It's always been vital, because you can't always give your players good exposure unless they're at the tournaments the (college) coaches are at, and if you're going to have the majority of coaches at Disney, then you've got to be at Disney. It's that simple.”

Soccer recruiting has expanded greatly in the past decade. As college programs' budgets have expanded, so have the reaches of many Division I programs to begin identifying players they want to target at a younger age. Most high school seniors going to major programs will ordinarily commit either before or early in their final year of school because they have been targeted as juniors, or even sophomores.

“I've been doing this for a long time, and what I've seen is the college recruiting is starting earlier and earlier,” Jones said. “A while ago, only the very big schools, like Virginia or North Carolina and Duke, would look at juniors and get juniors to commit.

“It's become increasingly important to be seen now as a junior, because most of the big schools are now recruiting the junior year kids, and as a junior it is huge now, bigger even than senior year. You could get lost in the shuffle here if you don't play well as a junior.”

HCU's boys under-18, under-17 and under-15 teams will all be at the event, as will teams from the Clearwater Chargers, St. Petersburg's Strictly Soccer, Fusion Futbol and RSL Florida. Steve Wolf, who will coach RSL Florida's boys under-16 team, agrees with Jones' assessment that recruiting has escalated to encompass younger players.

“It becomes like a rat race,” Wolf said. “I remember T.J. (East) last year committed to Wake Forest verbally sometime in the spring, and Sebastian Thuriere the year before committed his junior year to USF, so I agree with what Kelvin said, it's a lot more intense to get players now.”

While that is the case, Wolf said he doesn't think the players feel additional pressure as a result.

“This is a game, and it's got to be fun,” Wolf said. “The guys at Manchester United and at the highest level all over the world, it's still a game, and it's still got to be fun. I'm sure they can't wait to get out there and play at Disney, I can't wait to get out there as a coach.”

Youth: Chargers sweep to Disney title

LAKE BUENA VISTA – The Clearwater Chargers’ girls under-17 team won all five of its games, including a 4-0 victory against Kendall in the final, to win its division at the Disney Soccer Showcase Qualifier at the Wide World of Sports complex on Monday evening.

The Chargers took the lead against Kendall in the 22nd minute through Molly Ganther, and then got an outstanding solo effort by Taylor Richardson less than a minute into the second half for a 2-0 lead.

“Taylor is an exciting player to watch,” Clearwater coach Sergei Stopak said. “She’s got great pace, and it’s nice to see her evolve. She used to make runs like this, but now to start finishing them off, it’s great to see, absolutely wonderful.”

Jennifer Casey and Sierra Lelii also scored for the Chargers, who earned a berth in the Disney Soccer Showcase by reaching the final. Stopak said qualifying for the top division of December’s tournament meant a lot to the team.

“That was another big thing we wanted to do,” Stopak said. “We knew we wanted to win the showcase qualifier so we could be in the top flight of the showcase.”

RSL Florida’s under-18 team also qualified for December’s showcase by reaching its division final, but fell 4-3 in a penalty shootout against the Florida Rush after the two teams had played to a 0-0 draw after regulation and overtime.

Both sides had chances to score in regulation, RSL goalkeeper Jordan Hatton making a number of good saves and RSL having a free kick cleared off the line by a Rush defender. RSL coach Jim Cote said he was pleased the team had achieved its main objective of getting to return to December’s tournament.

RSL had accomplished that by defeating the Clearwater Chargers 2-0 in the semifinals, but it wasn’t able to continue its momentum into the final against a team it had beaten over the summer.

“We’ve beaten them the last three or four times, including a couple of thumpings this summer, so I was a little bit surprised,” Cote said. “We played a little bit cautious this afternoon, and I talked about that at half time, and I thought the second half was better.

“I thought defensively we got behind the ball well, I just didn’t think we converted well in the final third. We ended up with a lot of balls where we were 18, 20 yards from goal and making a bad decision. Going to their goal with a little bit better judgment, little bit more time together, maybe we’ll make some better decisions.”

Youth: Gage gives RSL Disney Qualifier title

LAKE BUENA VISTA – RSL Florida’s boys under-17 team got an overtime goal from Tevin Gage to win its division at the Disney Soccer Showcase Qualifier with a 1-0 win against the Jamestown Jammers from South Carolina on Monday afternoon.

“He’s been knocking on the doorstep for the past couple of months,” RSL coach Alex Delgado said. “He came through in the semis with a big goal, and then a brilliant play in today’s game. (He’s a ) big-time player.”

RSL had defeated Hillsborough County United 3-1 in the semifinals, Gage, Robert Menke and Xander Rados scoring for RSL and J.T. Thompson answering for HCU. Delgado was pleased with the resilience his side showed as it won four out of its five games over the weekend.

“They came out and performed all weekend,” Delgado said. “Five games and five good results against some very good opposition. That’s a tribute to our county, we had three teams from Hillsborough County in the semifinals.”

HCU coach Eric Sims was disappointed not to reach the qualifier final, and gain automatic entry into the full showcase in December, but believes that his sides past performance will allow it to gain a berth for the holiday-time event.

“For us winning last year, and being in the (qualifier) final four this year, I’d be kind of surprised if we didn’t get in,” Sims said. “But it’s not up to us, so if we get in great, if we don’t, we’ll go play somewhere else.”

Fusion FC was the third team to reach the under-17 division semifinals, but there it lost in overtime to Jamestown 3-2. Alex Stickley and Nathan Tellez scored the goals for Fusion.

“It’s tough, but we win as a team, lose as a team,” Fusion coach Roland Moldovan said. “It was one of those days, we dominated the game, they had three chances and scored three goals.”

RSL Florida's under-16 team wasn't as fortunate as its under-17 counterparts, as it fell 1-0 after overtime against the Jacksonville Fury.

Jacksonville scored the only goal of the game in the seventh minute of overtime, Sebastian Hardington converting from the penalty spot after Dimitri Minick had been fouled in the penalty area.

"They looked a bit fresher, played us a bit more physically, won the challenges a bit more," RSL coach Steve Wolf said. "Unfortunately we made a mental mistake and we gave up the penalty kick, and that can't happen at this level, it did, and they capitalized with the PK."

HCU did have three teams reach finals in the boys under-18, under-15 and under-14 divisions, gaining entry into the full showcase, but all three lost in their respective finals, HCU’s under-14’s falling to a West Pines squad that contained multiple U.S. under-14 national program players.

HCU’s under-18s fell behind early to Kendall, and gave up another two goals in the second half in a 3-0 defeat. Coach Kelvin Jones, though, was pleased with his team’s effort, and thought they just ran out of gas in the final.

“We achieved our goal, which was to get to the showcase,” Jones said. “We just ran out of gas. Certainly they were a good team, and they played well, but we just couldn’t get out of second gear.”

HCU’s under-15s went behind early, but goals either side of half time by Mack Rocha and Mike Bajza gave it a 2-1 lead against Team Boca five minutes into the second half. HCU was unable to hold its advantage, though, as Aryeh Ibrahimi tied the game after a quick free kick with 11 minutes to go, and Nico Ospina fired a 30-yard shot into the top right corner of the net to give Boca victory.

“They made fewer mistakes than we did,” HCU coach Scott Moniz said. “Both teams were tired, and there were a couple of dead balls we should have done better on, and there’s the difference in your game.”

Strictly Soccer’s boys under-18, under-16 and under-15 teams also reached the semifinals, but all three fell in regulation. Under-18 Coach Virgil Stevens said despite falling short of automatic qualification, the weekend had been a good one for his team.

“We had a great weekend,” Stevens said. “We played Brevard County, Omni and (Lee County), who are all at the top of the state, so we had three very tough games, and our kids held up well. If I could get five minutes back (from the semifinal), it might have been a different outcome.”

Youth: Labor Day tournaments make for big start to season

TAMPA - While the new youth soccer season is barely a month old, with most teams having begun league competition in the past three weeks, in many eyes the Labor Day weekend marks the true kickoff of the club season.

That’s thanks to the number of tournaments that are held over the three-day weekend, with teams from the bay area travelling around the state, and even out-of-state.

It can be a pivotal weekend for some teams, most notably those that will compete at the Disney Soccer Showcase Qualifier at the Wide World of Sports complex. For under-15 to under-18 teams, the full Showcase tournaments held in late December and early January offer great opportunities to be seen by college coaches and scouts.

“These tournaments, particularly for the 15s and up are a showcase environment,” RSL Florida Girls Director of Coaching Jim Cote said. “You’re playing to get a shot in the actual showcase in December, and there’s big stakes ahead here. You want to be at that tournament, if you want to be recruited by the best teams in the country, you’ve pretty much guaranteed that by being at this tournament.”

RSL Florida is sending six teams to Disney, with other local clubs such as Hillsborough County United, the Brandon Flames, Fusion Futbol Club, Strictly Soccer and the Clearwater Chargers also represented. Cote adds that the squads that earn a berth in their division final, and as a result a berth in the full tournament, can also expect other doors to open.

“If you do well this weekend, you probably set yourself up for getting your teams into Raleigh, which becomes the next showcase,” Cote said. “It’s really a two or three tournament effect on this one tournament, this one weekend. You hate to say it like that, but that’s the reality of it.”

While that may be the case at Disney, other tournaments offer different levels of competition, and a chance for teams to build chemistry and understanding. Two tournaments are held locally, one by Fusion FC in the Tampa area and the other by the Clearwater Chargers at the Sarasota Polo Grounds. Brandon Flames Director of Coaching Steve Peet estimates that his club has 35 teams travelling to different tournaments around the state, and even some travelling to the Atlanta Cup in Georgia.

With almost every player in action, that leads to a growing sense of expectation as the week goes on within each club.

“There’s a buzz around the place that’s palpable,” Hillsborough County United Boys Director of Coaching Kelvin Jones said in the build-up to this weekend. “You can feel it. All the teams, we did a good job of getting them rest this summer, we almost mandated that a lot of them take time off, so this is the big kickoff for a lot of the teams.

“Whether it’s Disney, or the (Fusion) tournament, or any Labor Day tournament that you’re going to, this can set the tone for the rest of your year.”

Youth: RSL picks up point against Jacksonville in Premier League

RSL Florida’s boys under-16 team remained undefeated in the Region III Premier League, but couldn’t find a way past the Jacksonville Fury as the teams played to a 0-0 draw over the weekend.

“First half, we were pretty sluggish,” RSL coach Steve Wolf said. “They caught us in a couple of bad situations.”

Due to the heavy rain across the bay area last week, the squad had been unable to train properly, and Wolf thought that led to the team being out of sorts to open the game. As it progressed, though, RSL managed to establish itself, coming close to taking the lead in the second half on a shot that came back off the crossbar.

Jacksonville also had a player ejected with 15 minutes to play, but RSL wasn’t able to take advantage.

“We put more pressure on them, we hit the crossbar, but we couldn’t capitalize on that,” Wolf said. “But it was a good match.”

Despite the two sides being the Florida representatives in the league, Wolf said neither side was that familiar with the other, having last played before he became coach of the team.

“The boys said they hadn’t played them since they were U-13, U-14,” Wolf said. “We really didn’t know much about each other.”

RSL will travel to the Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista this weekend to compete in the Disney Soccer Showcase Qualifier. RSL has been grouped with the Wellington Wave, Florida Rush and Norcross (Ga.) Gold in its group, opening play on Saturday morning against Wellington.

Ordinarily, the winner and runner-up of the qualifier gain a berth in the Disney Soccer Showcase that begins in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

“That’s a huge tournament for these kids,” Wolf said. “Hopefully we’re prepared, and they show enough desire and the mentality is right to get the job done.”