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: Plant City's Castro making a name for himself

LAKE BUENA VISTA –As he took to the field last month at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, there were definitely some butterflies in Omar Castro’s stomach.

After all, the 13-year-old Plant City native had never appeared in a game similar to the one he was about to play in, representing the Region III Olympic Development Program in the Thanksgiving Interregional Tournament against other regional sides, and two U.S. Under-13 national teams.

In a surprise to none who knew him, though, Castro’s inner nerves didn’t surface as he continued to show why he is the latest young player from Hillsborough County to draw impressive reviews in a big setting. Former University of South Florida and University of Tampa coach Jay Miller, who led the Spartans to a NCAA Division II national championship in 1981, was Castro’s head coach for the weekend, and was impressed with the calmness Castro brought to the game.

“He’s just a solid kid, he does his work, he doesn’t get overly excited, but he’s such a steady, steady player,” Miller said. “He’s in a position where you have to be calm, you have to have ice in your veins, and two games straight here I’m looking for a mistake, and I can hardly find one.”

A center back, Castro has grown up around the game of soccer. His parents moved to Plant City from Mexico 18 years ago, his father and three older brothers all having grown up playing the sport and his older cousin currently a part of the youth academy at Mexican First Division side Indios. With that upbringing surrounding him, it’s hardly a surprise his natural talent emerged at an early age.

“Before my dad moved from Mexico to here, he played soccer, my brothers all played,” Castro said. “My dad started training me, and I liked it.”

Miller said the upbringing Castro had is typical for players who have reached the level he has.

“We find that is the M.O. of most all of these players,” Miller said. “Most all of them come from a family that is committed to soccer, and usually older siblings, they’re usually always playing up against them. It’s just a culture to be able to be that good.”

A large number of his family were there to watch him play for the Region III team at Disney, something that Castro said inspired him to play as hard as he could. The confidence he shows on the field is something he Castro has had to work on. According to his coach at the Plant City Lancers, Stephen Rossiter, Castro normally tries to deflect praise away from himself, putting the team first. Rossiter believes that as Castro has begun to believe more in his abilities, he has seen his game reach new heights.

“Since the first tryout he did with the Olympic Development Program, I just kept telling him that I had confidence in him,” Rossiter said. “There was no doubt in my mind that he would go because I’ve been around, I’ve seen a lot of soccer, I’ve been coaching for about 10 years, been all over the country. There’s other players out there similar, but he just has that natural ability that you see at this level. He’s had it since he started, he just had to believe in it, and once he started believing in it, he’s made it this far.”

Castro sees soccer being a big part of his future, with the goal of playing college soccer, and becoming the first member of his family to earn a college degree, coming before aspirations of playing professionally. With the outlook Castro has, Rossiter doesn’t see any reason why he won’t be able to accomplish anything he wants.

“He has a love for the game, soccer is his life,” Rossiter said. “It’s not just something that he does. … He’s got a lot of goals set in his life, and I think he’s definitely going to achieve them.”

Youth: Flames move into second after victory against Space Coast

SAINT LEO – The Brandon Flames girls under-15’s got a first half goal by Kourtney Rea, and another after the break by Nicole Naclerio to earn a 2-0 victory against Space Coast and move into second place in the Region III Premier League on Saturday afternoon at Saint Leo’s University Field.

The Flames dominated possession throughout the game, weathering the oppressive heat with good ball movement that had Space Coast chasing for possession. Taylor Decaire had an opportunity saved in the ninth minute, and Rea put a rebound into the side-netting in the 17th minute after a shot by Nacleiro was spilled.

The Flames finally took the lead in the 32nd minute. After Shea Rhoney won possession on the right, her pass found Decaire inside the penalty area, and Decaire fired a low ball across the six-yard box for Rea to finish from close range.

“It felt really good to get that first goal,” Flames midfielder Jackie Simpson said. “It calmed us down a lot. When we get a goal, it’s like a sigh of relief.”

Simpson was excellent in the center of midfield, winning possession and holding Space Coast’s Jackie Stengel in check. She was aided in that by center back Amber Coca, who continually read the game well and came up with key interceptions to prevent Space Coast from attacking cohesively and limiting the number of shots goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby had to face.

“They’re two special players,” Flames coach Randy Belli said of Simpson and Coca. “Amber Coca herself is not a fast player. If you put her on the line with any other player on the team, she’s probably going to lose, but she reads the game on a different level. She’s a very intelligent player, she’s always in good position.

“Jackie is probably the best one-on-one defender I’ve ever coached, including the college level. I think her ability to track players back and win balls off them even though they’re in front of her, I’ve never seen anybody like that, so those two have listened, gotten better and improved, and their thought process is just on a different level.”

That was evident in the second half, as the Flames either held possession or didn’t allow Space Coast much opportunity to break out of their own half. Having been told to try to shoot more from distance, the Flames finally added a second goal two minutes from full time as Naclerio took a quick free kick from Aubrey Riggins 25 yards out and blistered a shot in off the underside of the crossbar. The goal was Naclerio’s first in the 11-game league season.

Second place in the league doesn’t automatically advance the Flames to the Southern Regionals in Baton Rouge, La. next summer, but they would be eligible for the berth if two things went their way. First, league champion the CASL Spartan Elite from North Carolina would need to win their state title, and the GSA Phoenix, who could tie the Flames with 23 points, tie or lose one of their remaining three games to leave the Flames alone in second place.

The Flames, of course, could also reach regionals by winning the Florida State Cup in the spring. Naclerio joined the team recently, and said that since she had been with the Flames the goal had been to reach the regional tournament.

“I know everyone on this team has worked hard at every practice because we just want to go to Southern Regionals,” Naclerio said.

Youth: Flames on verge of Region III Championship berth

Brandon Flames girls under-15 coach Randy Belli’s principal goal for his team when they began play in the Region III Premier League East in August was that the competition aid the development of their play, and for the side to gain experience playing some of the best teams in the Southeast.

Now, with just one game remaining in the season, the Flames could achieve a significant secondary goal. With a win over Space Coast on Oct. 31, the Flames would put themselves in position to finish second in the 12-team league, and gain automatic entry into the Region III Championships, to be held next summer in Baton Rouge, La.

The Flames picked up a win and a draw last weekend to put themselves a point behind the CSA Predators from North Carolina. The Predators have already completed their schedule, meaning a win against Space Coast would jump the Flames into second place. The only team that could then tie the Flames on points is the GSA Phoenix Red from Georgia, which has three games remaining. Belli said the team is just concentrating on getting the result it needs, putting pressure on GSA to close out with three wins.

“I looked at it for a second and was about to evaluate what the tiebreakers and everything were,” Belli said. “But then I just realized we have to win our game, they have to win their games, and we’ll see where it lies at that point.”

The Flames could have clinched their place if they had managed to earn a win against South Carolina’s CESA Premier, but despite controlling the game we unable to finish their chances in a 0-0 tie. The result was disappointing to Belli, who felt his side should have won, but he was still pleased with the way his side played. Fulfilling the principle goal of the season, Belli said he is very happy with the development the squad has shown as the league comes to an end.

“The kids have been playing good soccer throughout, and I think that’s what’s really prevailing,” Belli said. “They’re starting to make good decisions on the ball, and the tactical side of the game has really come out. When you play tough teams that pressure you and pin you in your half for a bit, you really have to be smart to manage it, and the players have really matured over the season, and that was really the goal of us getting into the league.”

Youth: Da Silva earns Clearwater a point against Concorde

CLEARWATER – Bruno Da Silva’s stoppage time penalty kick earned the Clearwater Chargers a 3-3 draw against the Concorde Fire in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Southeast Division on Sunday afternoon at Glen Oaks Park.

Da Silva was a major influence on the game from the moment he was brought on as a second-half substitute, and with the game into its second minute of stoppage time, Da Silva knifed his was into the penalty area, where he was chopped down by a Concorde defender. Appearing slightly shaken by the challenge, Da Silva nontheless got up and fired the penalty kick low into the left corner of the net.

“He brings quality to the game, very unique,” Chargers coach Peter Mannino said of Da Silva. “In my view he’s a very technical, schemey-type of player, and when you set him in that type of environment where he can run at people, it’s going to set somebody up to score, or he’ll score himself.”

Brought on to play as an attacking midfielder to play behind strikers Wes Sever and T.J. Roehn, Da Silva had a hand in the Chargers' second goal in the 81st minute, drawing a defender with an incisive run before releasing Roehn on the left side of the penalty area. Roehn’s cross found Wes Sever at full stretch for a diving header, which tied the game 2-2.

Despite the energy he brought off the bench, Da Silva was quick to pay tribute to his teammates for providing him opportunities to create chances.

“The whole team worked hard, I just did my part,” Da Silva said. “The group worked together, it was a real team effort.”

Concorde took the lead in the 19th minute, Carlos McCrary being put through to score as the Fire capitalized on a poor Clearwater goal kick. McCrary posed a constant problem for the Chargers defense, also scoring the Fire’s second goal just before halftime.

Roehn had pulled the Chargers even in the 27th minute, but Clearwater played poorly in the final five minutes of the first half, allowing McCrary to restore the Fire’s lead. The Fire also re-took the lead in the 85th minute, McCrary turning provider as the Chargers were unable to deal with a Fire counter-attack.

“We managed poorly the last five minutes of the game,” Mannino said. “When you’re in a hard-fought game and you’re down to the last few minutes, you don’t play in front of your goal, you try to push the game away, but we sat back and gave them that situation for the goal, and then (it was) disappointing even on the third goal. … That was a breakdown.”

With that in mind, the Chargers were happy to add a draw to the 4-1 victory they earned against the AFC Lightning on Saturday night, giving them four points for the weekend.

“It was a great game,” Sever said. “Hopefully the next time we play this team we’ll come away with a win, and the full three points we could have had.”

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: Flames players, coaches benefit from Dutch trip

A trip overseas left some young Brandon Flames soccer players, and their coach, with a new perspective on the game.

Now they're hoping that can translate into boosting their development in the Flames' youth ranks.

Brandon's Assistant Director of Coaching John Clare took the players, all under 13, to the Frans VanBalkom Soccer School of Excellence in Sittard, Holland. There they trained and played against five different teams, each progressively more difficult as they went on.

According to Clare, by the time they got to the fourth game against German club Bayer Leverkusen's under-11 squad, it was evident how good youth soccer was in central Europe.

“They gave us a clinic,” Clare said. “They showed us how to play some soccer. We lost 2-1, but it was still the toughest of all the games we played.”

As much as the players learned, Clare said he may have learned more about coaching from the sessions at the Academy. Most, if not all, youth academy coaches in Europe are former players, all working with professional licenses after gaining certification.

“Their development is tremendous,” Clare said. “Everything was very structured, their coaches from U-11 up are professionals, and you have to have your (coaching) license. Here, we're training kids and we're giving them a lesson but we don't have professional coaches.”

Clare added that the facilities clubs used for their youth training was also leagues ahead of the U.S., with locker rooms, showers, recreation rooms all on site for players and coaches to use. That difference was not lost on player Ian McCauley.

“You get trained well, very well,” McCauley said. “You get [treated] like a professional.”

In addition to the matches and training the players experienced, they also got the opportunity to watch professional matches, travelling to watch FC Köln host Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg in the opening match of the season. The following day, the group went to watch Roda JC face NEC Nijmegen in the Dutch Eredivise.

“It was the first time the kids had seen an atmosphere, you know, one side cheering, the other side cheering teams of that caliber,” Clare said. “[In Cologne] it was 48,000 people, everything in red, the atmosphere was tremendous, and the kids, they’re eyes were just big.”

Player Chris Thatcher said walking up the steps and emerging into Cologne’s RheinEnergie Stadion was unlike anything he had experienced.

“It’s just amazing,” Thatcher said. “Everyone was loud, my eardrums were starting to burst.”

Clare believes that players and coaches could gain significantly by undergoing a similar experience.

“If [coaches and players] would go and spend some time watching what they do, how they train, looking at the different levels, it would give them a little more insight as to where they need to be to,” Clare said. “For me, I walked off the last field and I thought, ‘You know, I’m a pretty decent coach, I’ve got my ‘B’ license and I’m working on my ‘A’ license.’ I walked off the field and I felt like this big, these guys are miles ahead of us.”

Youth: Sparta Cup gives RSL players pro experience

One of the perks of being affiliated with an MLS club is the opportunities that can arise over the course of a season.

RSL Florida's boys under-16 team found that out during a recent trip to Utah, where it not only won the Sparta Cup but may have impressed some of MLS side Real Salt Lake's management in its performance.

"It was really good for us," Zach Higgins said. "We played our best soccer when we were being watched by coaches, so that was good for us to get spotted by them so we can hopefully get an opportunity to go to play for their youth team."

RSL Florida has sent players to compete on Real Salt Lake's youth team before. Earlier this summer, T.J. East, Joey Layton, Jake Peterson and Hamzi Elotari joined a squad that also contained players from RSL Arizona and RSL Utah on its roster, which won the SUM Cup in Denver. That team will compete in the Comunidad de Madrid next spring in Spain.

With Real Salt Lake assistant coach Brian Johnson at all of the team's game, and Coach Jason Kreis checking in to talk to the team, similar opportunities could be around the corner for this new crop of RSL Florida players. That acts as an incentive, according to Winston Lightbody.

"It makes us play harder," Lightbody said. "It keeps us motivated, and gets us to play consistently, knowing that people are out there watching us."

As a benefit of winning the tournament, RSL Florida's players also got to spend time with Real Salt Lake's senior side, accompanying them onto the field and being introduced to the crowd before a 1-0 victory against the Seattle Sounders,

"It was really fun going out in front of 20,000 people before the game," Higgins said.

The team is now looking to continue its recent run of success. It opened with a pair of victories in the Region III Premier League, and has also earned its berth in the United Soccer League's Super-Y North American finals, to be held in November.