The 2009 USASA National Cup Finals concluded Sunday, July 26, at Sylvan Lake Park, Sanford, Florida. Once again, the national championships went smoothly despite the humidity, high temperatures and rain showers appearances.
This year’s tournament consisted of six divisions instead of the usual eight. Each of the four USASA regions participated in the Men’s Open, Amateur, Over 30, Men’s & Women’s Under 23, and Women’s Cup, a total of twenty-four teams. Semifinals were held on Friday, July 24 in tournament format with half of the teams advancing to the finals.
"I saw the Amateur Cup Semifinal between the Rovers (CO) and the Eagles (IL) and I thought it was a really great game. I was impressed with the level of play" said National Cups Chairman Werner Fricker, Jr. of this year’s event. "Games like that shows that the amateur adult teams across the country play at a fairly high level. They play weekend after weekend for the love of the game."
Milwaukee Bavarians of Wisconsin defeated Emigrantes (MA) to win the 2009 USASA Men’s Open Cup. The match was beyond intense and topped off with chanting from Emigrantes’ Fans that followed the team all the way from Massachusetts. The two squads went into overtime with a score of 2-2. Neither of both teams gave up and scored one goal each to decide the game with penalty kicks. After two hours of play, the teams gave it all for a chance to win the national title.
Milwaukee Bavarians - USASA Men’s Open Cup Champions 2009 (above)
It was an emotional moment for Emigrantes when receiving the Finalist Trophy. As some players were in tears, fans were chearing "well done!!" and "we are proud of you!!!" The feeling was contagious as Fricker Jr.’s voice broke a bit when he gave them the trophy.
Eclipse (IL) captured the Women’s Cup title after a 3-1 victory over NYAC of New York. Eclipse are the 2008 USASA National Women’s Cup Finalists as they lost to Turbo D’Feeters of North Texas.
“We’re excited to come back this year to winning the Women’s Cup. We suffered a hard loss in 2008” said Eclipse Head Coach Stephanie Iantorno. “Our squad is a little bit different now; we put a lot of thought into every second of the game and I think we played really well."
Eclipse (IL) - USASA Women’s Cup Champions 2009 (right)
Stephanie thinks their win is not only because her team was in sync but because their leadership “from Dominique Locascio, our Captain, was incredible. She kept the team strong at all times.”
Aegean Hawks (DC/VA) won its first national title on Sunday after beating Illinois’ AAC Eagles, 2-1. The first Aegean Hawks goal was earned at the 25’ mark. In the second half, the Hawks continued the pressure until a 30 minute break for lightning sent both teams into the clubhouse only 11 minutes into the second half. The Eagles came back strong to tie the match 1-1. The Hawks went for the ball and netted one more goal to win the game.
"I cannot describe in words how proud I am of the club” said Coach/Player Jonathan Knight. “For many of us, this is our first national title and it is truly an incredible feeling knowing that our name is forever written in the USASA history books as Amateur Cup Champions for 2009.”
Aegean Hawks (DC/VA) - USASA Men’s Amateur Champions 2009
Ajax SC of Missouri became the 2009 USASA Champions in the Men’s Over 30 division. Ajax played Azzurri (NTX) on Sunday morning to fight for the national title. The Missouri squad was firm from the beginning setting the tone with an outcome of 4-2 over Azzurri.
“All I have to say is that these are the greatest guys to play with” said Ajax SC player Pat Moriarty. We won in Seattle last year and added a few players since, we had an amazing time. “Hats off to these guys.”
Ajax SC (MO) - USASA Men’s Over 30 Champions 2009 (right)
In Men’s U23 play, Legends FC of North Texas were crowned USASA National Champions after defeating the competitive Arizona Sahuaros (AZ). The final tally score was 3-2. The game was one of the most defensive of the entire tournament as Legends FC scored its first goal within the first minute of the match. They took possession early, used aggressive tackling to win the ball, and employed different player formation.
Legends FC (NTX) - USASA Men’s U23 Cup Champions 2009 (left)
“Even though we sat the tone from the very beginning, we seemed to do a lot better in the second half” said Kanishka Ali, Legends FC Head Coach. “The team showed a lot of depth. There was no stardom or selfishness, and that’s the difference. When you have depth like we have, you respect the game even more which allows you to succeed.”
NTX Select of North Texas claimed the USASA Women’s U23 title after blanking JB Marine (MO), 1-0.
Thanks to all participating teams for taking adult soccer to the next level. Congratulations to all champions and gear up for next year’s USASA National Cups. We hope to see you there!
NTX Select (NTX) - USASA Women’s U23 Cup Champions (right)
