Champions crowned at Disney Boys Showcase
Published 1/5/2007 11:47:16 AM by Robert Ziegler & Jeff Capon from WALT DISNEY WORLD, FLORIDA
WALT DISNEY WORLD, FLORIDA - Championship matches were played Saturday at the Disney Soccer Showcase for Boys. Winners in the Showcase Divisions included Bethesda Roadrunners (U15), Michigan Wolves (U16), Concorde Fire (U17) and Sereno SC (U18).
U18 Showcase Final: Sereno SC 1, Chicago Magic 0
Sereno's Patrick Gunowski scored the winner, heading home a long serve from team captain Matt Armstrong to give the Arizona side a famous win over former Region II champions Chicago Magic.
Sereno coach Luciano Reis said his team makes a priority of playing attacking soccer. "I'm from Brazil so we try to keep that style, the ball on the ground and passing the ball a lot," Reis said. "The players support each other and they deserved to win. Everybody was good, but Matt Armstrong was a very good influence in the game and did a good job all week."
Armstrong said commitment was key to the win, and that success h ere reminds the team of its potential. "Ir's a hot of hard work. You have to make sure you're fit to play all of these games. We had a lot of composure and I don't see any of our players who don't look like they've been through hell," Armstrong said. "In all honesty we could've won nationals before but we've stumbled at a few hurdles. We've beaten Solar (national runnerup) and Magic now to win this, so hopefully we can take confidence into the regionals and nationals."
U17 Showcase Final: Concorde Fire Black 2, Dallas Texans Red 1
Concorde started fast and Dallas appeared to looking for their legs following a hard-fought semifinal win over Reston FC. Nick Burton scored a lovely goal, chipping the keeper from 25 yards in the 23rd minute to put the Georgians up 1-0.
In the 2nd half, Texans looked more lively and Kelly Gill equalized for David Hudgell's squad with a long-range strike. Connor Barbaree came up with a winner for Concorde however, bending a fre e kick in from the corner of the penalty area. Cameron Cooksey was good for Concorde, both in holding the ball and with a very dangerous long throw. James Still kept Texans in the match with a solid defensive performance from his center back position.
Concorde head coach Gregg Blasingame said his team, national runnerup last season, are continuing to progress, as evidenced by another good result. "These tournaments are a test of character. By winning or finishing in the top positions, it just reiterates the training and commitment the kids are putting into it," he said. "Everybody's played pretty well. Nicky Burton had critical goals at critical elements. Connor was very good and Chris Peacos really anchored the defense."
Peacos said the team had hoped to exceed past performances at this event, and added that the squad has overcome some injury setbacks, particularly in the back line. "This is one tournament we've never gotten out of our group in, so this is definitely a confidence boost as we go into the rest of the season," Peacos said. "We've been hurt with injuries but we've fought through it."
U16 Showcase Final: Michigan Wolves 1, De Anza SC 0
Wolves won on a nice 2nd half volley from Josh Gonyea. The team has won big tournaments before, including the CASL Shootout at U14 and Jefferson Cup at U15, along with a pair of Midwest Regional League titles, but coach Lars Richters said he hopes this win will spur the squad on to new heights.
"Hopefully we will carry this on to further successs. We've never been able to get over the regional hump to make it to the biggest competition," Richters said. "I was obviously pleased with how we played all weekend. We had depth today. We had 18 players that were healthy to a degree. It helped us have pretty good energy for the whole match. I thought we played pretty good soccer. It wasn't the most attractive but it was a solid performance."
Richters cited Tom Catalano and Brian Klemczak with having been top performers over the week for Wolves. Gonyea said the team is focusing on doing the things you need to do to win.
"We try to hit a lot of balls first time because if you don't you don't get the chance," Gonyea said. "We practice conditioning a lot and you have to credit the defense because we didn't give up a goal all week. We want to make it to the national level, but hopefully this year we can get past Chicago Magic. They keep beating us in our bracket."
U15 Showcase Final: Bethesda Roadrunners 2, Solar SC 1
Solar took a 1st half lead on a header from Ryan Costen off of Chris Nieto's cross. The Dallas-area side seemed to have the Marylanders flustered, but the defending Region I champions rallied in the 2nd half with a pair of goals in quick succession.
Mourehan "Peabo" Doue started the rally by stealing the ball deep in the Solar end and then feeding Desean Ragland with a pass that Ragland converted in to a goal, driving the ball into the back of the net from the area. The Internationals smelled blood and went ahead a few minutes later. Bradley's volley from the 6-yard box was denied by Solar goalkeeper Sean Cote, but Fabio Cardenas met the rebound with a deft volley and put Bethesda up 2-1.
Ragland was explosive through much of the match, as was Julio Arjona. Bradley played well from left back and Doue was also active. Shaquille Phillips was good in the back line. For Solar, Alex Molano was dangerous on set pieces and Chris Nieto was dangerous in the attack. It was Nieto who forced a diving save in the late going from Samir Badr. Chris Figueroa also forced a good save in the closing minutes after heading a cross from Trevor Hubbard, but Bethesda weathered the exciting flurry for the match and tournament victory.
Bethesda assistant coach Julio Arjona said the team was a bit tired in the 1st half following tough bracket matches with FC DELCO, Dallas Cup champions Cob b FC and then Dallas Texans in the semifinals earlier Saturday. "We had a small roster and the kids were a little tired," he said. "At halftime we said let's just go and not worry about it. I think they had more fun in the 2nd half and showed they were hungry. They are 14-year old and sometimes lose their concentration, but this team you can measure by the way they came back today."
Saturday Results
U18 Showcase
1st Semifinal: Sereno SC 1, Solar SC 1 (Sereno wins on penalties 4-2)
2nd Semifinal: Chicago Magic 2, Colorado Rush 0
Championship Match: Sereno SC 1, Chicago Magic 0
U18 Predator
1st Semifinal: NFC Bluejays 2, Charlotte United 0
2nd Semifinal: PA Classics 1, TSC Texans 0
Championship Match: PA Classics 2, NFC Bluejays 1
U18 Copa White
1st Semifinal: Cincinnati United Premier 2, PDA Vieria 1
2nd Semifinal: USA Seventeen 3, Tupelo FC 1
Championship Match: Cincinnati Un ited Premier 2, USA Seventeen 0
U18 Copa Black
1st Semifinal: McLean Celtic 2, HC United 1
2nd Semifinal: FC Greater Boston Bolts 1, Lonestars Red 0
Championship Match: Boston Bolts 2, McLean Celtic 1
U17 Showcase
1st Semifinal: Dallas Texans 3, Reston FC 1
2nd Semifinal: Concorde Fire Black 1, Montgomery SC Dragons 0
Championship Match: Concorde Fire Black 2, Dallas Texans 1
U17 Predator
1st Semifinal: Eagles SC 3, Neusport FC 1
2nd Semifinal: Potomac Cougars 2, FC DELCO 0
Championship Match: Potomac Cougars 2, Eagles SC 1
U17 Copa White
1st Semifinal: Houstonians 1, PA Classics 0
2nd Semifinal: Knoxville FC 1, Massapequa Revolution 0
Championship Match: Houstonians 0, Knoxville FC 0 (Houstonians win on penalties, 5-3)
U17 Copa Black
1st Semifinal: Comets 2, SCSA Black 0
2nd Semifinal: Javanon 3, Oakwood SC 0
Championship Match: Comets 2, Javanon 1
U16 Showcase
1st Semifinal: Michigan Wolves 2, CASL Elite 0
2nd Semifinal: De Anza Force 3, Dallas Texans 0
Championship Match: Michigan Wolves 1, De Anza Force 0
U16 Predator
1st Semifinal: Concorde Fire Elite 2, TSC Texans 0
2nd Semifinal: Solar SC 2, Bridge FA 1
Championship Match:
U16 Copa White
1st Semifinal: East Meadow 1, Charlotte SC 0
2nd Semifinal: Andromeda 3, Cobb FC 1
Championship Match: Andromeda Titans 3, East Meadow 0
U16 Copa Black
1st Semifinal: Sockers FC 1, North Atlanta SA 0
2nd Semifinal: Massapequa Terminators 3, Real Colorado 2
Championship Match: Sockers FC 1, Massapequa Terminators 0
U15 Showcase
1st Semifinal: Bethesda Roadrunners 3, Dallas Texans 1
2nd Semifinal: Solar SC 2, Clearwater Chargers 1
Championship Match: Bethesda Roadrunners 2, Solar SC 1
U15 Predator< BR>1st Semifinal: Albertson Academy 2, North Meck Storm 0
2nd Semifinal: Texans FC 3, Washington Premier 2
Championship Match: Texans FC 1, Albertson Academy 0
U15 Copa
1st Semifinal: Houstonians 2, Colorado Rush 0
2nd Semifinal: Wellington Wave 1, Triangle United 0
Championship Match: Wellington Wave 4, Houstonians 3
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