The Weston Fury 87/88 Premier boys’ team is the inaugural US Club Soccer Florida State Cup runner-up, making it through pool play only to lose to the Central Florida United Kraze March 26 at chilly Sylvan Lake Park in Sanford.
The Weston team made the trip to Sanford just in time to play the Kraze in the first match of pool play on March 25. The Fury gave up three goals in the first 10 minutes and lost 3-0 after playing even the rest of the way. The local Central Florida team played with a full complement; Weston had a single substitute.
That afternoon Weston got untracked against Treasure Coast United, winning 8-0 in a match shortened by the mercy rule. The next morning, the Fury needed a win or a tie against the Central Florida United Krush. Central Florida took a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute, but Weston got its tie with a score in 41st minute. The Fury played through on goal differential.
The Fury hoped for a better outcome in that afternoon’s championship rematch with the Kraze. The teams battled through a scoreless first half, but Central Florida clearly had the better of it, getting off seven shots to Weston’s one. Only superb work by goalkeeper Michael Anderson kept the Kraze off the scoreboard.
Central Florida broke through with a goal in the opening minute of the second half. The Kraze made it 2-0 nine minutes later and shut the door with a third goal late.
Forward/midfielder Leo Caldeira led the attack in the tournament, scoring three goals and assisting another. Forward/midfielder Jaime Saenz scored unassisted twice, including the tying goal that put his team in the championship match. Saenz also assisted two goals against Treasure Coast. Forward/midfielder Luis Alva scored twice. Midfielder Luis de la Puente, new to the team, scored a goal and assisted a goal. Forward/midfielder Rodrigo Paredes scored once. Assists also came from midfielder and team captain Eugenio Lascurain, midfielder/defender Mario Figueroa and defender Juan Lopez.
Keeper Anderson had an outstanding tournament, recording six saves in the opening match, two in the second, four in the third and three in the championship. Many of the saves came at critical times and in amazing fashion.
Head coach Alvin James and assistant Rene Osorio started Saenz and Paredes at forward, Alva and Lascurain in central midfield, Iker Ibanez and Matt Mobley on the midfield wings, Caldeira as a defensive midfielder, Lopez and Figueroa at fullback, Andres Velez in central defense and Anderson in the nets. After the early Kraze blitzkreig, James moved Mobley to fullback to help hold off the attacking hordes. Newcomer de la Puente came off the bench in the opening match and played well enough to get a starting role the rest of the way. Josep Sagarra played in the middle for the championship match, arriving from South Florida shortly before game time.
Weston generated plenty of offense against an overmatched Treasure Coast side, putting 19 of 29 shots on goal to score eight times. But the Fury managed only a single score in the other three matches. Weston took 10 shots against the Krush, putting only half on goal and scoring just once. The Krush was far more accurate, putting eight of nine shots on goal, but also scored only once.
The statistics tell the tale in the Kraze matches. In the opening round, Weston put only two of nine shots on goal, whole the Kraze peppered the Fury with 15 shots, two-thirds on goal. In the championship, Central Florida more than doubled up on Weston: 13 shots to six, eight shots on goal to three.
Weston is scheduled to play next in the opening round of the 2006 Florida Youth Soccer (FYSA) Association Premier State Cup at Vista Park in Weston, at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 1 and at noon on April 2. FYSA is a member of United States Youth Soccer (USYS). US Club Soccer and the USYS both are affiliates of the United States Soccer Federation.
