A Battle of Two Elite U-11 Teams from Ohio, Texas

The U-11 Great Lake Futsal ALL-Stars (in red) had to get past City Futsal of Dallas if it hoped to repeat its USYF National Championship from a year ago. The Ohio team, coached by Chris Dore and Tony Barzacchini, had to overcome an aggressive opponent with considerable individual skill in the semifinal, but played as a cohesive unit to win 7-4 and move to the final, where it edged Own Touch Futsal Academy 3-2 in a thriller.


 


Members of the U-11 champs are: Nic Barzacchini, Kyle Cusimano, Matt Decapua, Peter Van Euwen, Kyle Folds
Logan Penton, Nathan Vrablic, Danial Vrablic and Jeremy Sgro, who was unable to play due to injury.

 It's no fluke that GLF has won two USYF titles in a row. Outdoors, the team won a state championship in U-10 as the Challenger CREW Jrs. -- North based in Avon, Ohio. Their club is an affiliate of Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew.

Bench coach Tony Barzacchini had his hands full in the semifinal, instructing his players from the bench, choosing the right times to substitute and tending to an injured player.

But his players capitalized on a well-drilled passing game, free kick goals and some stout defending and goalkeeping to offset the speed and dribbling skill of the Dallas team. "They are a special group of boys," Barzacchini said.

Photos by David Knopf/Futsal World Newsletter