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Friday, June 29, 2012

US National Futsal Team Schedule and Results-2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship

Courtesy of USSoccer.com

Here is US National Futsal Team's schedule for the upcoming 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championships.  July 2-8, 2012 in Guatemala City.  Top 4 finishers qualify for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup November 1-18, 2012 in Thailand.

DateMatchupTime
July 2US Futsal vs. Panama Futsal8PM ET (Lost 5-2)
July 3US Futsal vs. Canada Futsal8PM ET (Won 3-2)
July 4US Futsal vs. Guatemala Futsal10PM ET (Lost 2-1)   

USA placed 3rd in Group A. USA eliminated and does not qualify for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup after appearing in the previous 6 FIFA Futsal World Cups. USA placed 3rd in the 1989 FIFA Futsal World Cup and 2nd in the 1992 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Tozer announces 14-player roster for CONCACAF qualifier

CHICAGO -- U.S. Futsal National Team head coach Keith Tozer named a 14-player roster for the 2012 CONCACAF Futsal Championship, including 17-year-old Lucas Stauffer.

Stauffer is the first American player developed through youth futsal competition in this country, including the U.S. Youth Futsal national championships in Kansas City.

The team will face Panama at 8 p.m. ET on July 2, the winner of a playoff between Canada and El Salvador at 8 p.m. ET on July 3, and host Guatemala at 10 p.m. ET on July 4 in Group A. The CONCACAF Futsal Championship serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

Four teams will qualify from CONCACAF to the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will take place Nov. 1-18 in Nakhon Ratchasima and Bangkok, Thailand.

“I think we’re a very fit team, a strong team and a team that is physically prepared,” said Tozer. “A lot of these players come from professional teams in the Major Indoor Soccer League. They have won championships in Baltimore, they have won championships in Milwaukee, they have won championships in a lot of the other cities they come from. I think their professional pedigree will also help in this tournament as we carry on and run through it.”

Roster by Position:

GOALKEEPERS (2): Boris Pardo (Missouri Comets), Daniel Waltman (Missouri Comets)
DEFENDERS (4): Patrick Healey (Baltimore Blast), Ptah Myers (Baltimore Blast), Sandre Naumoski (unattached), Kevin Teneyck (Wichita Wings)
MIDFIELDERS (5): Bryan Perez (Wichita Wings), Angel Rivillo (Wichita Wings), Nelson Santana (Syracuse Silver Knights), Lucas Stauffer (unattached), Matthew Stewart (Milwaukee Wave)
FORWARDS (3): Kraig Chiles (San Diego Sockers), Machel Millwood (Baltimore Blast), Bato Radoncic (Missouri Comets)

Roster Notes:

•  U.S. head coach Keith Tozer leads the team to his fifth consecutive CONCACAF Futsal Championship, having been at the helm of the squad since 1996.

• Ptah Myers, Sandre Naumoski and Matthew Stewart have previous CONCACAF Fustal Championship experience, having participated in the 2004 edition of the tournament.

• Lucas Stauffer is the youngest player on the roster and the only one born in the 1990s. The 17-year-old plays for Shattuck-St. Mary’s of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.

• Thirteen of the players on the squad traveled to Guatemala for a four-game training camp from June 3-9, with only Sandre Naumoski missing the trip.
• Waltman, Stauffer, Stewart and Kraig Chiles all participated in the 2011 Grand Prix of Futsal last October in Manaus, Brazil.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

HOT LINKS ... FROM THE FUTSAL GRIDDLE

Serving up a sample of what people are saying about futsal. Just click on the links and go for it -- The editor.


Claudio Reyna has urged U.S. youth to play more futsal and pickup games to improve their play in tight spaces.
Soccer America is the granddaddy of soccer publications in the U.S. I'd know ... wrote for them in the 1980s, covering the Tulsa Roughnecks (North American Soccer League), as well as youth and college soccer. When Claudio Reyna took over as director of development for U.S. Soccer, Mike Woitalla of SA wrote an article titled "Playing in 'small spaces' and speaking of Barcelona." Read it here:


When the U.S. National Futsal Team came back from the 2011 Grand Prix of Futsal in Brasil without a win, head coach Keith Tozer identified the things his team would need to improve in Guatemala later this month in CONCACAF qualifying for the Futsal World Cup. Keith was interviewed by U.S. Soccer. You'll find what he had to say here:


Guatemala has a professional futsal league and has emerged as a national team to be reckoned with in  CONCACAF circles. But a couple of recent friendlies against Brazil might've put its pedigree in perspective. Read about it:


And here's a clip of Brazil playing Guatemala in the 2011 Gran Prix of Futsal ... nine minutes of highlights on Brazilian TV!


And finally, these courtesy of Tim Sheldon of www.futsalonline.com with a tip by U.S. Youth Futsal videographer John Hassis. Appears things are stirring for an intercontinental league that could involve the United States.


And a Brazilian club hosts three international heavyweights from Spain, Italy and Argentina later this month at the Intercontinental Cup.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Soccer News: Why is Futsal So Wonderful?

Editor's note: Diane Scavuzzo is the editor of www.soccernation.com, a soccer site created in Southern California in 2010. Soccernation's devoted to all things soccer/futsal in SoCal, from youth leagues to MLS to the international game. Diane has kept track of Sean Bowers's 619 Futsal league in San Diego and published the following update on May 31. We reprint an edited version here with Diane's permission.

 
By Diane Scavuzzo
 
Want to be as great as Ronaldo, Messi & Ronaldinho? 

Soccer experts say play futsal. Futsal may be the newest "fad" in soccer training in San Diego, but it has a long history of training great soccer players ... and now has a lot of parents bragging about the benefits of 619 Futsal seasons. 

Why is futsal so wonderful? Many of today’s top soccer players have played it. The game is played on a hard court (like a basketball court), has a heavier than traditional soccer ball and is very fast-paced and high-scoring.  

Sean Bowers, 619 Futsal
Players of all ages love futsal, and it is well known for its skill development and emphasis on footwork. Former Futsal World Cup and Major League Soccer player Sean Bowers launched his league last fall and as its second successful season ends, we thought we would ask what parents thought. Coaches have long sung the benefits of futsal, but what about parents? Has playing futsal really helped their kids? Here is what they had to say:




Brian Zellers says, “Futsal has helped Calli improve her touch in tight spaces, passing, speed of play and vision of the game. This fast-paced game teaches the players to think and react quickly and sharpens their skills for the outdoor season. I believe futsal is better for skill development than indoor soccer, as there is no wall to play against so players really rely on their teammates for precision and proper passing to be successful."

Dave Mohr says, “My two girls play on the same 619 Futsal team and their soccer skills have improved from their experience. Although the environment is quite competitive (a good thing), the girls are encouraged and feel free to try new skill moves without a lot of pressure.
Parents say 619 Futsal has helped their children develop skill and decision making.
“Their ball control skills are getting much better and their decisions on the court are quicker and more frequently productive. More than ever, they are able to control the ball at their feet in tight spaces and make a positive move either with a good pass or going to goal with an effective attacking move. I notice that all the girls on the team have better touches on the ball, better spacing across the court and better communication with each game played.”

Ellen Montgomery says, “This is Timell’s first season in futsal and she loved it. The fast pace of the game has allowed her to develop her quickness and footwork. Understanding that she was able to control the ball's movement was the biggest surprise for her. It was also a great team builder as the girls get ready for a competitive season of regular soccer."

Melinda Diamond says, “My daughter Ella has been playing competitive soccer for the past five years and during the off-season she has also played indoor soccer.This year we learned about 619 Futsal through a team parent, and after going to one of the open-play nights she joined a team. Futsal has been a great experience because it requires players to focus on their footwork and passing skills.”  

Timothy Burns says, “First, thanks for the opportunity for letting us brag on the effects that futsal has had on my son and the team as a whole.
“To sum up the effect of futsal, I would say it has improved ball handling skills, situational awareness, and communication. Within two (back-to-back) eight-game seasons, I have seen my son's ability to stop, start, run, change direction, pass and receive all improve noticeably. All the boys have demonstrated better ball handling from when the first season started and it can only be attributed to futsal, as it was between our soccer seasons.
"Futsal has placed the boys in a fast-paced game that requires them to quickly assess the bigger picture and determine a course of action. This fast-paced processing translates to the soccer field, where the pace is not as fast, as a tremendous advantage. If they have a second in futsal to evaluate the situation around them, in soccer they will have three seconds." 

Sean Bowers Speaks Out
Then we thought we would ask the founder, and former U.S. Futsal National Team and MLS player Sean Bowers what it like launching 619 Futsal in San Diego.
 
SNN: As your second season nears the end, what are your thoughts about 619 Futsal?

Sean Bowers: Our first two futsal sessions were a huge success. Our main goal was to provide a safe and competitive environment for youth soccer players to develop their skills. We created a fun environment that places all the emphasis on developing youth soccer players and takes the focus off of simply winning or losing. 

SNN: Is it more or less successful than you expected?

Sean Bowers: To be honest, we put a lot of effort into 619 Futsal and Bree Duckworth, Mike Gentry and I have spent numerous hours making sure we do everything the right way. It is very important that 619 Futsal tries its very best to create a league that all soccer players, no matter what level they play, can excel and develop.

SNN: How exhausted are you?

Sean Bowers: I am very hands on with 619 Futsal, so the last year has been very exhausting with all of our time we put in. It is a team effort; Bree and Mike work very hard to promote our league and on customer service. It is important to us that every single email and phone call is answered quickly.  
I did not know the time and energy that was needed to run a successful business at this level, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We have touched over 1,000 youth soccer players in San Diego and I believe that 619 futsal has helped with their development.

SNN: What do you find most rewarding?

Sean Bowers: I love hearing all of the positive feedback on 619 Futsal. Every time we hear a positive comment it is very rewarding for all three of us as we are in this business for all the right reasons.

SNN: Have you seen players improve?



Sean Bowers: There is no doubt that the players who have played in both sessions have improved tremendously. For some, it is their skill that has improved; for others it is their movement off the ball. Futsal requires players to pass and move throughout the whole game. There is no time to stand and watch.  Every team that has come through our doors has improved from its first game in the league to the last.

SNN: How does futsal help players improve?

Sean Bowers: Obviously futsal helps with the technical side of soccer and makes playerso become better with their feet in tight spaces. I have both my teams in the league and I have found that both teams have improved with their footwork, movement off the ball and shooting.

SNN: Have you seen more coaches embrace futsal and recommend their teams participate in your program?

Sean Bowers: All the coaches who have participated in the 619 Futsal league have given us positive feedback. We have received numerous emails from coaches thanking us for creating a league where players can come play and develop their skills in an exciting environment. Coaches love to win but most coaches understand that development of their players comes first.  


Monday, June 18, 2012

Lucas Stauffer, first futsal-bred U.S. National Team player

By David Knopf
Futsal World Editor
Davidknopf48@gmail.com

Ty Stauffer is cautious about coming off like a proud father, bragging on his kid or trying to influence his coach.

Lucas Stauffer in action for his high school, Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota.
But Stauffer, founder of the SportsTutor futsal program in Owensboro, Ky., doesn’t need to. His son, 17-year-old Lucas Stauffer, lets his feet, competitive drive and balance talk for him.

Luke Stauffer is a trailblazer in the development of futsal in the United States. A regular participant in U.S. Youth Futsal tournaments in Kansas City who began playing futsal at 8, Stauffer is the first locally developed youth player to earn a spot on the U.S. National Futsal Team.

When National team coach Keith Tozer held the first identification camp for players in 2011, it was the then-16-year-old Stauffer – not his father – who spotted the announcement and pulled strings to attend.

“That’s the way Luke’s been,” his father said. “He saw the ad on the U.S. Soccer site. He got on the phone and said, ‘I can do this. I know I’m not the right age.’ He called them and sent an email. That’s the way he’s always been. He’s a good player, but he’s an even better marketer.”

One of 55 players who attended the ID camp, Stauffer caught Tozer’s eye and was impressive enough to get invited back to California for a second camp from which the roster for the 2011 Grand Prix of Futsal in Brazil was chosen.

Stauffer and teammate Danny Waltman before the Belgium game in which Stauffer scored.
Stauffer made that cut, too, and at 16 became the first U.S.-born, futsal-bred player to represent his country on the futsal national team. Easily the youngest player in the selection process, he emerged from a group that included professional outdoor players and two players who played futsal professionally overseas.

In an interview last month with U.S. Soccer, Tozer described Stauffer as a model for the qualities he hopes to see American futsal players possess.

“I think he’s the prototype for what a U.S. Futsal player is like for the future,” Tozer said. “He’s been woven into youth futsal programs. And immediately you see the qualities he has, working well in tight spaces and with defenders up close. He’s just a soccer guy – any form of soccer.”

Stauffer, quick and compact at 5 feet, 7 inches and 145 pounds, plays outdoor soccer for Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a private school and U.S. Soccer-affiliated developmental academy in Minnesota.

He developed as a youth player in Owensboro, where his father brought his love for futsal to bear. Ty Stauffer, a former college soccer and basketball player, discovered the game in 1992 during a visit to Spain.

In Kentucky, he began organizing pick-up games on a tennis court, then graduated to a concrete floor in a rented warehouse. In November of 2011, Ty Stauffer bought the warehouse, a base of operations for his SportsTutor futsal training programs, pick-up games and team development.

The older Stauffer said his son has some valuable athletic traits, but isn’t a great athlete who can blow past people, outrun them, jump higher or outmuscle them.

Lucas Stauffer, right, and Jeremy Ortiz took a photo in Brazil with Futsal great Falcao.
“What we started to do was play futsal,” he said, recalling when his son was around 8. “What I said you needed to do was become better than any of your friends with the ball.”

As a U-8, Luke Stauffer surprised his father by meeting a challenge and learning to juggle 25 times.

With two colleges in town, Luke was exposed to older players, including some Brazilians, who got together for futsal scrimmages his father organized.

“Luke, he’d just try to fill in when they needed a player,” Ty said.

It was around 2007 when Ty Stauffer brought his first SportsTutor team to Kansas City for the then-Super F Champions Cup. Super F has since evolved into U.S. Youth and Adult Futsal, the only such organization in the country affiliated with U.S. Soccer.

The older Stauffer has taken his love for futsal – primarily the ability to play in tight spaces and combine under pressure – and injected it into a system he’s developed for outdoor teams in the Owensboro area, a largely rural city of 60,000 people in Western Kentucky.

Playing against elite teams from larger population areas, Stauffer said his teams needed to incorporate futsal principles to overcome their opponents’ physical advantages.

“I think to compete with those teams from a bigger market, the thing is for our system to be better than their athletes,” he said.
So his emphasis was on foot skills, quick, compact, passing, possession and calmness in his players’ approach to the game.

“I just think that technique can solve some of the problems you encounter when you play some of these more athletic teams,” he said.

And that was the environment that helped shape Luke Stauffer, the first homegrown, youth futsal National Team player in the U.S.

Ty Stauffer said that if his son has an athletic trait that more physically gifted players lack it’s his balance. Luke’s mother, Jennifer, has performed as a professional ballerina, an art that draws on balance, grace and agility, and some of that gift seems to have passed to her son.

“The one physical talent that he has that’s better than anything else is his balance,” Luke’s father said.

His background in futsal has made him quicker with the ball than many opponents within 10-foot spaces, Ty Stauffer said, and he is technically sound.

But he’s also crafty and, for his size, hard-nosed and competitive. When he played with the U.S. at the Futsal Grand Prix in Brazil last year, in addition to scoring a goal against Belgium Luke Stauffer picked up two yellow cards.

“That wasn’t from being dirty, but being a hard player,” said Ty Stauffer, who surprised his son by showing up in Brazil for the tournament. “He’s a competitive player, and once he tastes blood his motor starts and it doesn’t stop.”

It may sound a bit like a father bragging on his son, but Ty Stauffer’s a professional coach who can list a player’s strengths in the same breath as his weaknesses.

U.S. Futsal National Team Coach Keith Tozer (Courtesy U.S. Soccer).
Tozer apparently saw some of the same strengths. He chose Luke Stauffer to be part of the U.S. team that traveled to Guatemala last month and won three out of four games against local professional teams in preparation for the CONCACAF Futsal Championship later this month.

While on the trip, Luke surprised his father with a phone call. Although he had predicted he wouldn’t be chosen for the team that would compete in the CONCACAF tournament, the youngest American player learned during the trip that he was one of 14 American players to survive the final cut.

“It’s a dream come true for me,” Luke Stauffer said in an interview with U.S. Soccer. “Every time I get called into a training camp, I have a chance to take my game to the next level. I’ve been able to face international competition in Brazil – some of the best competition. I get to train with older guys and for Coach Tozer. I get to develop as a futsal player and also take that to my outdoor game. It’s been absolutely terrific.”

 And to think it all started playing futsal as a youth.

Have a story idea or a comment? Feel free to contact the editor at davidknopf48@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Futsal Video Picks


1. This is the kind of individual play that drives coaches crazy … until the attacker, maybe a little taller than your usual futsal marvel, changes direction once, twice, encounters the goalie, jukes him and and then scores a highly unlikely – yet brilliant – goal while falling down. His coach goes, “No, no, no … YES!! Golazo, Golazo Golazo!!” A fun clip, even with the cheesy dance music.

2. This highlight starts with a little misguided flair on the part of a Flamengo player, who blindly pulls the ball back and passes to an invisible teammate, and ends with the most unlikely of futsal goals – a 25-yard lob by Botofogo’s Daniel Sakai. Sakai reacts so quickly his shot almost looks scripted, or like an NFL punt gotten off against pressure. You have to wonder how he had time to look up,  notice the keeper off his line and be so accurate.

3. Barcelona rolled out its new uniforms, filled an arena and raised money to fight poverty with a futsal spectacular featuring Team Pep vs. Team Tito (Villanova). The teams finished in an 8-8 tie, showcasing the flair we’ve come to expect from Barcelona players along the way. The game features Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes as a two-way attacker in a special “Messi No. 10 Uniform”. Plenty of laughs and eye-opening skill here, including a chance to see how brilliant Piqué is at futsal. The Spaniards have no doubt seen the Globetrotters play, and it shows in some of their pranks. Twelve minutes of easy watching here.

4. Lucas Stauffer, the 16-year-old who was selected for the U.S. Futsal Team at an identification camp in California, scores his first professional goal against Belgium in the Grand Prix de Futsal in Brazil. Stauffer, No. 25, knocked home a deflection off the Belgium goalie to bring the U.S. within 9-6, then celebrates by running past the U.S. bench. Lucas’s father, Ty, runs the Sportstutor futsal program in Owensboro, Ky., which annually brings teams to the U.S. Youth Futsal National Tournament in Kansas City.

5. To close this issue’s picks, let’s turn to the master, Falcão. We’ve all seen, or possibly tried ourselves, a little rainbow maneuver. Those who work at it can impress their friends and teammates at practice. But in a game? On the dribble with a goalie coming at you? Then head the gold at the end of the rainbow for a score in a real game? You might’ve seen this before, but this video shows it over and over, from many perspectives, and it never gets old.

Futsal Briefs


U.S. National Team goes 3-1 in CONCACAF warm-up

The U.S. Futsal National Team completed a stage of preparation for the CONCACAF Futsal Championship by winning three of four games against Guatemalan professional teams.
Keith Tozer’s team returns to Guatemala at the end of June for the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, a qualifier for the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup. The CONCACAF tourney takes place July 2-8 at the Domo Polideportivo in Guatemala City. The U.S., in Group A, is scheduled to play Panama at 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 2, then faces either Canada or El Salvador at 8 p.m. on July 3. Its final game in group play is against host Guatemala at 10 p.m. on July 4.

The semifinals will take place July 6, with the Group B winner facing the Group A runner-up at 8 p.m. ET and the Group A winner taking on the Group B runner-up at 10 p.m. ET.

The two semifinal winners play for the championship at 8 p.m. on July 8. The losers will play for third-place at 4 p.m. that same day. All four semifinalists will advance to the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
third-place match scheduled for 4 p.m. ET that same day, though all four teams in the semifinals will advance to the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
-- U. S. Soccer

After beating favorites Iran, host Thailand falls to Japan in AFC Futsal final

Japan took a 6-1 finals victory over opponent Thailand June 2 to capture its second Asian Football Confederation Futsal Championship in 12 years.

Thailand went into the game in Bankok following an epic 5-4 extra-time win that ended chances for Iran, the traditional favorites, to take an 11th title in 12 tournaments. Japan advanced with a 3-0 win over Australia. Before the semifinal win, Japan coach Miguel Rodrigo had expressed concerns over his team’s inability to convert scoring opportunities.

Monday, June 11, 2012

U.S. Futsal National Team Wraps Up Training Camp in Guatemala - U.S. Soccer

The U.S. Futsal National Team wrapped up a training camp in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with a 3-1-0 record against local professional futsal teams.
U.S. Futsal National Team Wraps Up Training Camp in Guatemala - U.S. Soccer