This past weekend, the Sault United Football (soccer) Academy, sent two teams to the 2015 Michigan Futsal Cup in Grand Rapids. They included a U9 Co-ed and U16 Boys teams.
One of the highlights was the exhibition game on Saturday night between two Pro Futsal
teams (ABK Pro Futsal vs. Muskegon Risers). Some of our players (U9) got to show their stuff
in a kids’ game at halftime, in front of a crowd of over 600 spectators.
Each team played three games over the weekend and did very well. Futsal is the indoor hard
surface version of soccer,played five-a-side. It is fast, skilful and action-packed. It isalso
credited with developing the top players in the world (Lionel Messi & Christiano Rinaldo).
You can see why those players’ are so great said Bill Howe (Academy Director). You have to have
lightening reflexes, a great touch and great vision. We will continue to send teams to these
types of competitions. Futsal just creates better all-around players.
The competition was top calibre. Players from both teams needed time to adjust to the newrules and competition environment, which they both did very well. Our focus for competition is
to learn and enjoy the experience. The bonus was how well they played. We know that we
have a ways to go, but we made a great first step.
This was the first ever competition of any kind for the U9 team. They improved every game
and lost a nail-biter in their last game by one goal. No trophies are handed out for this age
group. The focus at this age has to be fun and learning.
That and the pool, made it a success. The U16’s were new to Futsal.
It didn’t take too long to adjust. They went behind early 2-0 in the first game, but bounced back to win 7-4 against the Knights. In the second game, they played the ABK Academy and found stiff opposition,losing 9-3 against the third ranked U16 Futsal team in the country. In the process, the boys found out what it takes to play at this level said Howe. Their final game on Sunday
morning was against Boo Ya Mafia. This team lost 3-2 to ABK so we knew we were in for a tough one. The boys rallied and fought hard to the end,losing by a respectful 5-3 score. For there first ever
Futsal competition as a team,or competition of any kind,it was a fantastic result. The teams they played were high school age and from grades 10-11. We had two boys still in elementary (Grade 8 and grade 6). Two others were in grade 9, so you could say the boys were punching above their weight class, to coin an old boxing term.
The youngest player (Jake May–11yrs.) scored a hat trick in the first game against boys 4-5 years older. He impressed the host Academy staff!
Aaron Grawbarger was outstanding in net, as were the rest of the boys:Taylor Barker, Luke
May, Connor Tait, Paul Burritt and Daniel Van Boerdonk.
Some players are being invited to come back and train and compete with the host (Alliance Academy). They will be able to compete in tournaments, (Showcase) for the older boys. These are competitions where the top university scouts and coaches attend! All in all, a great weekend for SUFA players.
Anyone interested in the program, can check it out on our web site. The new session opens
up on March 11th & 12th, for players in age groups from U9-17
