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.

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