FUTSOC FUTALAN – YELLOW (2007) participated in the Miramar Cup this past weekend under head coach Diego Castillo. The boys were up against Miramar United Elite FC to kick off the tournament. FUTSOC lost to them 3-2 in the Weston Cup so this game started off at a very fast pace early on. We took a 2-0 lead early on with some great counter attacks and ended the half 2-1.

The second half was filled with very high pressure and we managed to get a third one in to get a hold of the game. The final result was 4-2 beating a very fast and technical team. The boys had to play back to back games with a scorching sun and faced Miami Strike Force in the second game. The opponent was very fast and found ways to break our defense down early on so we had to adjust and held them to a 3-1 score at half time. Early on in the second half we found our rhythm and scored quick goal to make it 3-2. We had the momentum going our way but a couple defensive breakdowns and they scored 2 more goals to make it 5-2.

Early morning Sunday we were up against Real Miami who was the leader o the bracket with 6 points. We knew the game was a must win and it had to be by 2 goals or more to have a chance at winning the bracket and going to the final. After some lineup changes and a pep talk, FUTSOC went out there hungrier than ever. Scoring the first goal 45 seconds in. Things turned when the other team started pushing our defense back and scored 2 quick goals. It was 2-1 at halftime. Coach Castillo kept telling the team to not give up and once they tie the game, it will come from there. Early in the second half and we managed to tie it 2-2 and quickly after use the momentum to go up 3-2. The opponent who was very talented could not break our defense and midfield which was the plan all along. With 2 minutes to play, a beautiful passing sequence on the left side ended up in a penalty which we converted to make it 4-2! At that moment, we knew we were top of our bracket and just needed the team ‘River Plate’ to beat Miami Strike Force, which they did – giving us the ticket to the final against River Plate who won all 3 games in their group.

We went into this final with the same game plan and the game was tight for the first 3 quarters, with FUTSOC dominating with more shots on goal. With 3 minutes to go, we brought the pressure to them and got a corner, who our captain Findlay Sage took and managed to get the ball in the net for the 1-0. This is where our team showed great character, holding down their territory and shutting down the team with the most goals all tournament to be MIRAMAR CUP CHAMPIONS! We are extremely proud of our players and this was very well deserved after 4 intense games.

First of many more.