Editor's Take: Steps in the Right Direction for U.S. Futsal

The U.S. National Futsal Team, under coaches Keith Tozer, right, and Vava Marques defeated England, Malaysia and Poland to win the FA Four Nations Tournament in Newcastle, England.

By David Knopf

Futsal World Editor

A little wisdom and encouragement are in order following the U.S. National Futsal team’s surprising results at the FA Four Nations Futsal Tournament in Newcastle, England.

If you’re reading this, chances are good you already know Keith Tozer’s team defeated host England 2-1, Malaysia 8-0 and Poland 4-2 to bring home its first title in recent memory.

It’s remarkable that Tozer and longtime assistant Vava Marques achieved so much with largely the same group of part-time futsal players that was eliminated from 2012 World Cup competition at the CONCACAF regional qualifier.

But things are changing, both with U.S. Soccer’s growing regard for futsal as a factor in the development of youth

players and the partnership of Tozer, Marques and United States Youth Futsal in already producing a promising national-team player from the futsal grassroots  in Lucas Stauffer.

Stauffer, in part a product of his father’s USYF-affiliated SportsTutor Futsal Academy in Owensboro, Ky.,

scored twice in the title game against Poland and is just 18. He's also a talented outdoor player.

What’s ironic is that the U.S. might not have gone to England had the Pan American Games not decided to eliminate futsal from its next competition. U.S. Soccer had already approved the trip for Tozer’s team, which was able to play in the Four Nations Tournament instead.

"It was a blessing in disguise, how we played and all the contacts we made there with the FA (Football Association)," Tozer said.

Marques, like Tozer, is the owner of a USYF league. They’ve coached together 15 years, often with national teams cobbled together in quick order with indoor soccer players. 

The Tozer-Marques partnership had achieved respectable results under the circumstances, at least until other nations in CONCACAF stepped up their futsal involvement and U.S. Soccer hung tough with the status quo.

“It definitely hurt us big-time in the qualifications because we hadn’t played much,” Marques said after the England trip. “Every tournament we’re going to have four or five players who hadn’t played futsal before.”

Lucas Stauffer may not be a Falcao, Kike or Fernandinho, but he is a model of what the U.S. can produce with players who grew up with futsal and are experienced. And he’s just the first gem in what Tozer, Marques and USYF hope to discover in a series of Futsal I.D. camps in the next year.

The first was held in Kansas City this year and four others are planned in different parts of the country, including Cleveland, Boston, Dallas and San Diego, all strong USYF markets. The long-range plan is to identify youth players at those camps who will form regional teams and eventually feed the national program.

"Hopefully, we'll find another Lucas Stauffer," Tozer said. "They're out there."

With the number of players involved with futsal, it’s only a matter of time until Tozer’s MISL players give way to a generation of players brought up with the game.

It’s an exciting development, but one that will take time to achieve. The encouraging thing is that U.S. Soccer appears headed in the right direction with its recent inclusion of futsal in the annual schedule of the new U13-14 youth national team.

And aside from the pleasing results in England, Tozer and Marques came home with an invitation to play in a November international tournament in Poland. With its success at the Four Nations tournament, it’s hard to imagine U.S. Soccer not approving its team’s involvement.

Tozer said after the tournament that the national federation was thrilled by the result, and rightly so.

"It came at a great time for us," Tozer said. "We talked among the coaches that we needed a result."

As you’ve read in the newsletter in recent issues, England has taken huge strides to catch up with its European competition in futsal. Peter Sturgess, the FA-appointed manager, has done more than improved the Three Lions in the 5v5 game ­– he's developed a national structure for futsal at the youth and adult level that currently surpasses what we have here.

In separate phone conversations, Tozer and Marques each made note of the national scope of the FA’s plan.

“England is very organized and way ahead of us,” Marques said. “I was really surprised how organized they are, how they’re taking futsal as part of the (national) program.”

Acccording to Tozer, eight regional directors work under Peter Sturgess, with each director overseeing the futsal development of around 160 players. The regional groups get together for four tournaments a year, he said.

As we’ve reported in previous newsletters, England sees the success outdoors of Spain, Italy and Brazil, and blames a share of its recent international 11v11 shortcomings on its failure to embrace futsal for youth development the way those powerhouses have.

In comparison, Marques thinks the U.S. is headed in the right direction, however gradually.

“We’re taking baby steps, but we need to do what the FA is doing,” he said.

But Marques acknowledges that imposing a national futsal program is far easier in a compact country – England is roughly the size of Oregon – than in the sprawling U.S.

That being said, U.S. Soccer, the Tozer-Marques futsal team and USYF have taken steps recently that are encouraging. 

Until the ID camps, propose regional teams and U.S. Soccer-endorsed futsal for national youth teams bear fruit, Marques said the program will rely on players who have performed well under challenging circumstances.

“What I’m so proud of is our soccer players who train with futsal for three or four days and then go against teams like Brazil” that draw their national squads from professional teams, Marques said. “If we could get together more often it would be great. You can’t get an A without doing the homework.”

Have a comment? Write the editor at davidknopf48@gmail.com.