Results-Northeast Regional Tournament-US Futsal Regionals

Here are the results of the 2012 Northeast Regional Tournament-US Futsal Regionals that was held this past weekend in the Boston Area.  Congratulations to all the winners.  Champions and Finalist automatically qualify for the 2012 United States Futsal Nationals that will be held in Overland Park, Kansas next month.  Congratulations to all the winners

Division	Champions	Finalist
U10 Boys	AUFC-Belmont Cosmos U10	Explosion FC Medeiros
U11 Boys	AUFC-Belmont Cosmos U11	Massachusetts U11 boys
U12 Boys	AUFC-Belmont Cosmos U12	Brazilian United FC U12
U13 Boys	Revere FC U13	Victoria FC
U14 Boys	Extreme Heat	Massachusetts U14 boys
U15 Boys	Revere FC	Koji United
U16 Boys	Explosion FC - Gomez	Celtic United
U10 Girls	Newton Storm	Fuller Hamlets Wildkatz Brazil
U11 Girls	Explosion FC Black	Explosion FC Orange
U12 Girls	PASA FC U12	Brookline Flyers
U13 Girls	Dream Team FC	Futbolistas United
U14 Girls	Samba Black	Explosion FC Force
U16 Girls	PASA FC U15	Explosion FC Elite Orange
U18 Girls	Explosion FC Orange Crush	Explosion FC Summerville

Midwest Regional Tournament Results (US Futsal Regionals)

Here are the results of this past weekends 2012 Midwest Regional Tournament (US Futsal Regionals) that was held in St. Louis MO.  Congratulations to all the winners.   Champions and Finalist automatically qualify for the 2012 United States Futsal Nationals that will be held in Overland Park, KS.

Division	Champion	Finalist
U10 Boys	Total Demize 01/02	Panathinaikos U10B Green
U11 Boys	Caleca/Geerling	STL Hooligans
U12 Boys	SL SG-Celtic	Barcelona
U13 Boys	99 SportsTutor Ligers	Lou Fusz Butz
U15 Boys	Celtic FD	Avalon 97
U16 Boys	Lou Fusz Poupard	Premier Red
High School Boys Blue	Lou Fusz Geerling	Metro Strikers Red
U9 Girls	Panathinaikos U9G-Academy	Viva La France
U10 Girls	Rockers Premier	02 Sports Tutor
U11 Girls	Lou Fusz Elam-Red	01 SportsTutor Yellow
U12 Girls	United Elite	00 Sports Tutor
High School Girls Blue	ReUnited	Total Demize 93/94

www.usfutsalregionals.com

Peter Vermes, one of the founders of US Youth Futsal and manager of MLS's Sporting Kansas City, was a member of U.S. Futsal National Team that won a bronze medal in 1989

Peter Vermes, left, above, a founder of US Youth Futsal, scored six goals in 1989 as the U.S. National Futsal Team placed third in the forerunner of what is now the Futsal World Cup. Vermes played for the U.S. in the outdoor World Cup in Italy in 1990 and went on to become an all-star defender for the Kansas City Wizards (below, left). He's currently a successful manager in Major League Soccer (right). (Photos courtesy www.concacaf.com, Kansas City Wizards and Sporting Kansas City.)

     Editor's Note: This article appeared on www.concacaf.com, the Web site of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football. One of the central figures of the 1989 U.S. team that placed third in the forerunner of the Futsal World Cup was Peter Vermes. Vermes, now a successful coach/technical director in Major League Soccer, is a member of the small group of Kansas City-area futsal enthusiasts that developed the national organization that's now called U.S. Youth and Adult Futsal. Sporting Juniors, the youth academy teams in Vermes' MLS franchise, play futsal each winter in the USYF Kansas City league. In 1989, Vermes played professionally outdoors for a Hungarian club. He finished his outdoor career with Sporting Kansas City's forerunner, the Wizards, where he was an all-star defender and MLS Cup winner in 2000.

U.S. captures bronze at FIFA Five-A-Side World Championship

After appearances in three invitational international indoor soccer tournaments (Hungary, Spain and Brazil), the United States competed and finished third at the first-ever FIFA Five-A-Side World Championship (now Futsal World Cup) in the Netherlands from January 6-15, 1989.

Under the direction of head coach John Kowalski, the Stars & Stripes won six of eight matches at the 16-team event on their way to the bronze medal. Additionally, it marked the first time since the 1930 World Cup that a men's national team from the U.S. finished third at a FIFA event.

"Despite not being so successful in the previous (invitational) tournaments, we (the team) still had the attitude that we knew we were going to do well in this inaugural FIFA Five-A-Side World Championship," said Kowalski, who is currently coaching the women's soccer team at Robert Morris College in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. "Our goal was to not leave the Netherlands without a medal."

The Stars & Stripes achieved that objective with a roster composed of professional indoor players from the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and nine members of the full U.S. Men's National Team, which was in the process of qualifying for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

"The outdoor soccer members (including Vermes, then a forward) had also previously played in the MISL, so we developed a system that enabled us to cross over into FIFA's Five-A-Side (now Futsal) in order to play a style formation that proved to be very effective for us in the tournament."

Effective, indeed, as the Stars & Stripes opened the competition with a six-game unbeaten streak, starting with a 1-1 draw against Australia in Group D on Jan. 6 at Amsterdam's Sporthallen Zuid. Midfielder Eric Eichmann, who netted the first goal in the program's history three years earlier, scored the first U.S. goal at the world championships before Australia equalized.

One day later, Kowalski's side got on the winning track with a 5-1 victory over Zimbabwe in Arnhem's Rijnal Arena. Forward Peter Vermes scored twice, while midfielders Bruce Murray, Tab Ramos and defender Mike Windischmann each added a goal.

The U.S. concluded the first round with a 4-1 win over Italy on Jan. 8, also at Rijnal Arena. The encounter was highlighted by A.J. Lachowecki becoming the first-ever (CONCACAF & USA) goalkeeper to score a goal at a FIFA tournament.

"He (Lachowecki) scored when the ball was passed back to him and he was under pressure," recalled Kowalski, "so he fired a shot that went over the head of the Italian goalkeeper in the opening 12 minutes of the match."

Midfielder Jim Gabarra added two more goals, while forward Brent Goulet closed out the scoring for the Americans, who secured first place in Group D and advanced to the next round.

The U.S. opened the Second Round - Group E with a 3-1 win over Argentina at Rotterdam's Sportpaleis Ahoy on Jan. 10. After trailing in the first half, Vermes, Ramos and forward Juli Veee scored three unanswered goals in the second stanza for the victory.

The next day, the Stars & Stripes earned their first-ever shutout victory in the program's history after topping Paraguay, 2-0, at Rijnal Arena; Vermes and Gabarra had the goals.

With a semifinal berth assured, the U.S. completed the second round with a 5-3 triumph over Brazil on Jan. 12 at the Sportpaleis Ahoy. Eichmann, Gabarra, Goulet, Ramos and defender Doc Lawson all scored in a winning effort. That result proved to be the last time a team from CONCACAF would defeat the Samba Kings at the FIFA Five-A-Side Tournament.

The unbeaten streak came to an end in the semifinals as the U.S. dropped a 2-1 decision to the host on Jan. 14 at the Sportpalei Ahoy with Gabarra scoring the only goal in the loss.

The Stars & Stripes recovered quickly for the next day's third-place match, posting a dramatic 3-2 victory over Belgium after extra time at the Sportpaleis Ahoy. A Windischmann tally, accompanied by two goals from Vermes, sparked the U.S. comeback after falling behind 2-1.

"It (the bronze medal) was a tribute to everyone on this team," said Kowalski. "This was an all-out effort and the players deserve every credit for beating some of the best soccer nations in the world."

Along with the bronze medal, the U.S. was also presented with the FIFA Tournament's first Fair Play Award, while Vermes finished tied for third in the scoring table with six goals.

USA Roster - 1989 FIFA Five-A-Side World Championship

GOALKEEPERS:A.J. Lachowecki (Los Angeles Lazers-MISL), David Vanole (Los Angeles Heat)

DEFENDERS: Doc Lawson (Dallas Sidekicks-MISL), Steve Trittschuh (St. Louis Busch Seniors AC), Michael Windischmann (Brooklyn Italians SC)

MIDFIELDERS: Eric Eichmann (Fort Lauderdale Strikers), Jim Gabarra (Los Angeles Lazers-MISL), Tab Ramos (Brooklyn Italians SC), Bruce Murray (FC Luzern/SUI), Peter Smith (no club)

ATTACKERS: Brent Goulet (AFC Bournemouth/ENG), Juli Veee (San Diego Sockers-MISL), Peter Vermes (Raba ETO/HUN)

Here, There and Everywhere ... A quick look at futsal news in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere

Tozer leads two-clinic for USYF participants in the Boston area

US Men's National Futsal Team Head Coach Keith Tozer was in the Boston area Jan. 7-8 to lead futsal clinics and training sessions.

U.S. National Futsal Coach Keith Tozer has worked closely with USYF.

Tozer, who has appeared at similar training programs in other US Youth Futsal cities, including Cleveland and Kansas City, presented an interactive training session Jan. 7 at Pine Manor College in Brookline. Tozer explained his coaching techniques and answered questions for players, coaches and parents involved with Missouri Futsal Association, the USYF-affiliated league in Boston.

The same league was to host the Northeast Regional Championships Jan. 13-16.

On Jan. 8, Tozer lead separate youth clinics for boys and girls 9-12 at the Park School in Brookline. He concluded his appearance that afternoon with a 90-minute classroom session for coaches at the same location.

Tozer, one of only a handful of FIFA Futsal Instructors and the dean of American futsal coaches, has worked with USYF to upgrade futsal instruction for players and coaches. He is also working on a national identification program for future national-team players.

Cleveland-area USYF league streams regional games

Games from the Great Lakes Futsal Regional Tournament were broadcast live from the Ohio Nets facility in Parma, Ohio in a cooperative arrangement with the host league's technology partner,

AtNetPlus, Inc.

Great Lakes Futsal is owned by Otto Orr, the former US National Futsal Team goalkeeper and indoor-soccer star.

Emerging Paraguayan midfielder credits futsal for close control

Marcos Pflingst, a midfielder who could eventually play international soccer for Paraguay or Germany, told an interviewer it was futsal that developed his skill, vision and decision-making for Olimpia, a profession club in Paraguya.

Pflingst, 18, was elevated to the club's first team this year.

“I moved to Olimpia’s football school when I was about 12 years old and from there I went through all the youth teams” said Pfingst, who at just 16 was called into the reserve team by former Olimpia striker Mauro Caballero.

“I was only on the bench at first” he recalls, also recounting how he was dropped back down to the U17s and U18s before joining the reserves again 18 months ago.

Pfingst plays as a central midfielder, and while comfortable in a defensive role he is blessed with wonderful close control and ability to use both feet - which he attributes to playing futsal competitively until the age of 14.

“I started playing futsal aged seven” explains Pfingst. “It helped a lot when I was younger … it makes you confident [on the ball].”

Pflingst carries a dual passport and is undecided where his outdoor future will lie in international competition. 

Futsal continues to grow recreational facilities, soccer clubs and colleges

Greg Caldwell, a reporter for the Virginia-based newspaper Web site www.delmarva.com, wrote recently about a futsal and clinic tournament at a community center in Ocean Pines.

Futsal was to begin with a clinic on Jan. 20, and continue with one-day tournaments for different age groups, with a championship at the end of the season.

Caldwell reported that the new program, operated by former soccer player and coach Adam Manning, would conclude with a futsal open house in February.

"Futsal is FIFA recognized," Manning told the newspaper. "It is what the rest of the world plays instead of indoor soccer. Players improve their skills so much by not playing the walls. It is perfect for development of all parts of the game."

Games and clinics would take place on the community center's gym floor.

"Futsal is a much harder game than traditional indoor soccer," said Manning. "Your mistakes are exposed and you will fail at it before you succeed."

Caldwell said that Manning had been using futsal to train players with the Henlopen Soccer Club. His players will be assisting him in training younger players at the winter program.

"Many local high school players already are familiar with Futsal and I hope this helps raise the awareness of the sport across the peninsula," said Manning.

The Ocean Pines tournament is one of four Manning expects to have running in 2012. The others will be in Easton, Caroline County and Queen Anne's.

For more information, visit www.burytc.com or call 443-529-4099.

Wilkes College in Pennsylvania hosts girls' futsal tournament

The women's soccer team at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., hosted a one-day futsal tournament Jan. 14 for 16 teams.

The teams played half-hour games on three courts, a total of 36 concluding with the championship.

The Futsal Frenzy Tournament, the fourth sponsored by the women's program, was a fundraiser for the team's trip to Italy.

With personal guidance and a detailed owner's manual, forming a futsal league with USYF involves less trial and error, a greater certainty of success

By David Knopf

USYF Newsletter Editor

When United States Youth and Adult Futsal was formed -- we used to be called Super F League -- one of the goals was to provide league owner-operators with more guidance than they were receiving from what was then the principal futsal organization in the U.S.

We knew from personal experience with the established league, that league owners would come on board, pay their fees (largely for insuring players) and then be left to sink or swim on their own. 

There was little personal contact after the initial sales pitch and owners were left to find a facility, purchase goals and balls, educate and recruit outdoor teams and find qualified referees to be part of the new league. Phone calls and e-mailed questions were answered weeks later, if at all.

It's not the way we wanted to do business.

Our philosophy has been that we all succeed if, with guidance from an experienced league owner, the process of a league start-up becomes as efficient and focused as possible. The less time devoted to wandering in the futsal wilderness, the more there is left to operate a successful, profitable league and turn more people on to our great game.

Development Director John Sciore

New owners find the direction they need through John Sciore, USYF's director of development. Based in St. Louis, where he operates the highly successful Gateway Futsal, John walks prospective new owners through all the steps of becoming affiliated with our organization. From phone calls, follow-up questions and answers by e-mail to detailed step-by-step affiliation kits and owner's manuals, he takes the mystery out of the process of league ownership and provides the tools for success.

The benefits are all laid out for you on our Web site: http://www.usyouthfutsal.com/startaleague/benefitsofaffiliation/index_E.html

We provide player/coach insurance -- a must when renting a facility -- but that's really a bare minimum, a benefit our chief competitor provides before offering little else. If you check the Starting a League page at the link above, you'll learn that USYF furnishes league owners with much more -- an updated, easy-to-use Web site for member leagues; a simple Online registration process; the Zero to 100 Marketing Plan™ that John developed to help leagues quickly grow from zero teams to 100 (his own league annually registers 200 to 250 teams); a brochure template and much more.

All of these benefits are designed to get you up and running -- and reaching a successful, profitable operating pace faster than you would on your own or through another organization.

And remember, US Youth Futsal is the only National Futsal League affiliated with US Soccer. The prestige and marketing potential of this alliance is almost limitless.

The link above will get you started. If you have questions about league ownership, you'll be put in contact with John Sciore. Simply complete the information request form that's provided at the link. You'll receive an 18-page affiliation kit and can begin asking questions and getting prompt replies from a development director who knows the territory.

For visual learners and lovers ... this month's Futsal Picks

Now Futsal lovers, let’s review …

From Ireland, an excellent introduction and overview of the game of futsal and its value to outdoor players. “Futsal is football in its purest form … pace, skill, teamwork and high drama …”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS1vpCeWsUk&list=PL242DE9F408678456&index=1&feature=plpp_video

It’s not a newsletter without Falcao …

This month’s jaw-dropping Falcao highlights … Perhaps the best sequence is early, when the Brazilian master cuts through what seems like a dozen  players … but misses the shot. The strictly results-oriented person may not see the value of his foray if a player doesn’t score, but those who appreciate skill, cunning and determination will excuse the miss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAm1IZiVSQw&feature=related

For coaches, a You Tube channel devoted to coaching instruction …

Tim Morley, a futsal enthusiast, coach and father of two players who’s featured in a first-person testimonial elsewhere this month, compiled a You Tube channel of futsal coaching videos.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFCC8ED39B03CEBE4

From Spain, we imagine there’s more than five top goals …

Five best goals from the 2011 season in Spain’s Liga de fύtbol sala. With the quality of the league, we’d think it wasn’t easy whittling this down to just five.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV1qlS4YS3c&feature=relmfu

U.S. and Guatemala face off in 2008 …

Highlights of the semifinals of the 2008 CONCACAF Futsal Championships between U.S. and Guatemala. Guatemala, which has a national futsal league, won 4-0 against a U.S. team that was pulled together less than a month before the tournament. Two things we noticed: the size and enthusiasm of the crowd, and Guatemala scoring on a goalkeeper’s punt late in the game when the U.S. was using its goalie as a fifth attacker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzyGEwtzF1k&feature=related

Guatemala handles the U.S. with relative ease, but stumbles against Argentina …

Guatemala is defeated 2-1 by Argentina at the 2008 El Mundial de Futsal. Of note: Textbook give-and-go by Argentina for the first goal; Guatemala a little unlucky not to score on sliding shot off the far post; as is the custom in South America, Argentina’s goalie becomes part of the attack and dishes off for an assist on a goal Guatemala’s goalkeeper should’ve stopped; the Argentines don’t score, but there’s nothing plain-Jane about their set piece free kick; not to be outdone, Guatemala’s goalie helps set up his team’s only goal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEf-fxBIm3Q&feature=related

In Brazil, women enjoy the futsal big-time, too …

For female futsal players, parents and coaches: Two inspirational videos from Brazil’s Liga Futsal Feminina, the women’s national league. There are all the elements of a big event: the crowd, trophy celebration and even a television interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyzgMu-dB54&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=sN8jYcR4Tdk

Have a video you’d like to share with our readers? E-mail the link to dknopf@kc.rr.com and let us know why you think it is special.

Question and Answer with Mark Oxer, coach of intercollegiate futsal teams at Olds College

Editor's Note: We received an e-mail from Mark Oxer, the coach at Olds College in Canada. Oxer wrote us to tell us about a unique college futsal league in Alberta and how he can offer prospective students scholarships to play the sport. We responded, and Coach Oxer was kind enough to answer several questions for the newsletter.

Hello,

My name is Mark Oxer, I coach futsal in Alberta, Canada. I am a college coach and we play futsal in the only college league in the country. I coach both the men's and women's teams and would like to let people know that I can offer players the opportunity to play futsal at a highly competitive level and get a scholarship for their education. We play futsal during the
winter months, and outdoor from August to November.

Thank you for your time, I look forward to working together,

Mark Oxer
Men's and Women's Soccer/Futsal Head Coach
Olds College Broncos

Q: Do both the Olds College men and women play futsal?

Mark Oxer, Olds College futsal coach

A: Yes both men and women play futsal in our league. The league runs during the second semester of the collegiate year with a championship weekend tournament for each gender. However we are training with futsal with our teams during first semester, and have pre-season tournaments. We play futsal as it allows our athletes to compete in collegiate sport year round, and we believe that the sport of futsal has many great things to offer both from an athlete and fan perspective.

Q: How many players do you have on your teams? All players from Canada or are there U.S. players?

A: Right now most of our players are Canadian, we do also have some Mexican players on our teams. As of now, we do not have any USA players, but I would like to change that.

We play with regular FIFA rules as such; a maximum of twelve
players may be dressed and listed on the game sheet for both home and visiting teams. As a college we can have more players, but for each game we are only able to dress 12.

Q: Which other colleges are in your league and what's the league called?
 

A league game in the ACAC.

A: The league we play in is called the Alberta Colleges Athletics
Conference (ACAC), which is part of the Canadian Collegiate Athletics Association (CCAA, similar to the NCAA). Right now the ACAC is the only conference in Canada that plays the sport. The other colleges in our conference are; Medicine Hat, Keyano, Lakeland, Lethbridge and Mount Royal (however Mount Royal is moving to a different conference next year). Other
teams in our conference such as Grande Prairie have participated in tournament games, but have not yet fully committed to league play. In addition to this there are a number of smaller schools that play the sport and have their own local leagues, and we play exhibition and pre-season tournament games against these schools as well. They are; Prairie Bible Institute, Ambrose University, and Kings University (Kings University, does have some teams at the ACAC level, and futsal will likely be another in the near future).

Q: What are some of the benefits of futsal? Why did you choose to have your teams participate in the college league?

A: I believe that futsal is a key ingredient in developing a total footballer. With limited space, an out of bounds and constant opponent pressure, improved ball control skills and technique are required. These skills and techniques are not only exciting to watch, but also translate directly into the 11v11 game. Furthermore, with limited space, constant opponent pressure and a four-second restart rule, players learn to play and think fast, which aids in teaching players to be creative and make decisions.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your training techniques, coaching philosophy etc.?

A: As part of developing creative players that are capable of making decisions and executing them under pressure, I also use "street soccer" as part of my teams' training. We also incorporate music into our training which helps to
motivate athletes as well as facilitates the idea of rhythm. Moreover, the 1v1 skills that a player develops as a street soccer player are priceless in that in their abilities not only make them unpredictable as attackers, but also through skills they are able to create time and space both of which
come at a premium on a futsal court. 

In addition to this, street soccer moves are incredibly entertaining, and exciting when executed in game situations. I work closely with Darren Laver from the International Street Soccer Association and believe that what his street soccer offers greatly enhances the game of futsal. Olds College, like many other USA and Canadian Colleges will be hosting camps, clinics, and academies. However we are different in that we will feature futsal and street soccer training as part of these.

You can reach Coach Oxer at moxer@hotmail.com. The college's Web site and athletics site are www.oldscollege.ca and  www.gobroncos.ca. Olds College is in central Alberta, between Calgary and Edmonton.

First Impression: A relative newcomer to futsal discusses its benefits, as well as the advantages he sees for his sons over the walled game

By Tim Morley

   I took up soccer late. I was 36 before I started playing, watching, and studying the game. Were it not for my two sons I may have never been introduced to the beautiful game. When they began to play competitively, I was introduced to indoor soccer and futsal.

   For the last two years, I’ve watched my older son play futsal in the winter and my younger son play indoor with his regular team and futsal with his older brother’s team. While I have my own opinion, which I’ll explain, my younger son made his decision quickly, it’s futsal for him.

Tim Morley and sons Andrew, left, and Nate at Livestrong Park in Kansas City.

   This year, his second session of indoor was optional. He’s playing indoor, but futsal games will take precedence. He loves playing, despite him being almost three years younger than many of the players he is going up against.

   Indoor is a fast-paced game. I get why people like it and I like it, too. It’s also a dangerous game.

   My younger son is on a U13 team. At that age, boys begin to develop at different rates. You can have some very significant size differences in boys that age.

Since many of the kids are much larger than my younger son, I always worry a little when he takes the field for an indoor game. He’s been taken into the wall a few times,  which makes me quite nervous when I see the hit coming.

   I don’t worry about that with futsal. If the referees are worth their salt – follow the rules and spirit of the game – they don’t allow the shouldering off the ball game you see in outdoor and indoor. That results in players needing to learn to play defense with their feet. They must learn to slow an attacker down without being able to simply blow him off the ball. That carries over well to the outdoor game, where a defender can learn how to slow an attack and leave time for teammates to get back into a play.

   Futsal is also a superior game for developing foot skills. Indoor is fast-paced, requiring players to player faster than they do in the outdoor game. But it’s also a game where young players learn to rely on the walls too much instead of working on developing a faster pace of play and quicker movement of the ball to teammates.

   In futsal, players must learn to think, move and pass as quickly as they can while maintaining control. The court size simply doesn’t allow players to dribble for long stretches without drawing a nearby defender. Players learn to develop quick, soft touches and to do it in tight quarters. Those players with excellent footwork shine during a futsal game. And once again, these are skills that transfer outdoors and make for better players.

   Safety is another reason I prefer futsal. As I mentioned earlier, my younger son plays with his brother’s futsal team, many of whom are up to three years older. While my wife isn’t as relaxed as I am about the situation, I don’t worry about him getting hurt. I realize he could get hurt – I’ve seen a young man break his shin playing futsal – but by removing the walls players encounter in indoor soccer, you significantly reduce the potential of injury. My younger son has a teammate who could be out for up to year from a concussion he suffered while being driven into a wall.

   You only need to take a look at some of the top players to ever play soccer to see the effects of futsal on their game: Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Ronaldinho to name a few. All played futsal as young boys, and all are either world players of the year or candidates for the award.

   You can see the quick footwork and creativity they developed playing the game. Indoor seems to be ingrained in the minds of quite a few of the youth coaches I talk with. I hope that changes over time as it will only improve the quality of play of US players on the international level.

Editor’s note: In addition to being the father of two competitive players, the author is an avid player who participates in pick-up soccer, lunch-hour games, indoor soccer (where he hurt the cartilage in a knee and his son’s scrimmages, including futsal. He’s a computer programmer who works in Kansas City.

Care to share your impressions of futsal with our readers? E-mail your story to the editor, dknopf@kc.rr.com. Include a photo of yourself, and if you're a coach, your team.

Denison Cabral, former US National Futsal Team player and indoor star, bringing 10 academy teams to Kansas City

   Denison Cabral, the former U.S. National Futsal Team player and Major Indoor Soccer League star, plans to bring 10 teams to next month’s U.S. Youth Futsal National Championship in Kansas City.

   Cabral, the owner of a futsal academy in Baltimore, has been to the USYF tournament before and said he appreciates the steps organizers have taken to develop futsal in this country.

   “I think that they have a good long-term plan for futsal,” said Cabral, 37. “They’re creating a lot of good opportunities for youth and now they’re under one roof. I see a lot of potential for Super F.”

   USYF, which rebranded this year Super F League, is holding its national event at the Overland Park (Kan.) Convention Center in suburban Kansas City Feb. 18-20. For the first time, the tournament will played over three days with six international-sized futsal courts under one roof.

   It’s the only national futsal event affiliated with U.S. Soccer.

   Cabral is one of many Brazilians who has settled in the U.S. and worked to establish futsal here. He and several other Brazilians work together as trainers for youth players at his Baltimore academy, from which he forms competitive teams.

Cabral started with six academy teams and now has 20 for players ages 9 to 19. Ten or so of those teams will travel to Kansas City for next month’s tournament.

   Cabral’s connection with his native Brazil is still strong and the country’s futsal heritage is something he shares with the players he coaches. He took one of his teams, a group of U-14 girls, to Brazil for nine days.

   “We had seven days of training and then two days of playing,” Cabral said. The team finished second in the tournament.

Another link Cabral maintains with his native country is a manager’s contract with a first-division Brazilian futsal team. His job, he said, is to recruit adult players in the U.S. to represent the club at tournaments in Asia.

   “I’m the contact in this country for the league,” he said. “I have a group of guys here in the U.S., all Brazilians.”

The team competed in April at the ESPN Tiger Street Football competition. Played 5v5 on a futsal court, the game uses a variation of standard futsal rules. Games were played in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, which will host the FIFA Futsal World Cup.

   During his futsal career, Cabral represented the U.S. at the Pan American Games in 2007 and the World Cup in 2009.

He said he has seen the U.S. National Futsal Team stand still while other countries in CONCACAF -- Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football ­– have progressed. Some, like Guatemala, have professional leagues to develop players while the U.S. depends on the efforts of youth organizations like USYF to grow the game.

   “It’s going a little too slow,” Cabral said of the pace of development on the national-team level. “So many of the countries are so much more advanced that we are.”

   But the games that will be played in Kansas City next month are a valuable grass-roots contribution to the growth of skillful American players.

   “A lot of what we need to develop better outdoor players is to keep futsal growing,” he said.

***

More on Denison Cabral from Wikipedia:

   Denison Cabral (born January 26, 1974 in Florianópolis, Brazil) is a soccer midfielder. He most recently played for the Baltimore Blast indoor soccer team, during the 2009-10 season.

   Cabral was playing futsal in his native Brazil when recruited by a Brazilian agent to do so in the U.S as an 18/19 year old. Misrepresented by the agent, he nevertheless played futsal in Florida when a tryout for Continental Indoor Soccer League outfit Washington Warthogs came along and he made the club. From there he was recruited by the USISL's Baltimore Bays to play outdoor soccer, which he did for the summers of 1995 and 1996.

   Considered to be the face of the franchise (a billboard on the 1st Mariner Arena shows him on a team advertisement), Cabral is the all-time leading point scorer in Baltimore’s franchise history with 709 points.

   In 2006, Cabral became the coach for the boys' varsity soccer team at St. Mary's High School in Annapolis, Maryland. Also in 2006, Denison started the Denison Cabral Futsal Academy currently located at the MD Sportsplex in Millersville, MD.

   In May 2006, he became a naturalized American citizen.

US Futsal Nationals Feb 18-20, 2012

United States Futsal Nationals is taking place February 18-20, 2012 in Overland Park Kansas. Join the best youth and adult futsal teams from across the country in the only US Soccer Sanctioned National Futsal Tournament. New this year is non stop high energy Futsal Action all under one roof at the Overland Park Convention Center. 6 FIFA Official size courts provided by Sports Court. US Futsal Nationals only uses experienced US Soccer Futsal Certified Referees. Premier and Super Group for boys and girls. U8-Adults. Registration deadline is January 31, 2012. For more information, website www.usfutsalnationals.com.
Link Futsal Nationals-Newsletter

2012 Great Lakes Regional-US Futsal Regionals Results

Here are the results of the 2012 Great Lakes Regional Tournament-US Futsal Regionals.

Division	Champion	Finalist
U12 Girls	Challenger Crew Jrs	The Orange Crush
U11 Boys	Barbosa	Devils FC
U14 Girls	HOS/Everest	Everest/HOS
U14 Boys	Barbarians	Orange Crush
U17 Girls	HOS Futsal	Ohio Select
U17 Boys	NEO Select	Twinsburg
U18 Boys	Barbarians FC	Louisville Futsal Club

Congratulations to all the winners.  
Source: e-mail from Great Lakes Futsal

2011 Best Goals in Spain's La Liga Nacional Futbol Sala

The best goals of 2011 in Spain's La Liga Nacional Futbol Sala (Futsal).