Albion BU10 Champions

Youth Soccer News: Albion Boys U10 Take Surf Thanksgiving Cup

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the menu for the Albion Boys’ U10 team was Surf rather than turkey – as in the annual San Diego Surf Thanksgiving Tournament. Taking on a strong field that included a team from Guatemala, the Albion boys showed relentless determination as they moved through the tournament without a single loss, finishing with a win in the finals against CV Manchester BU10 Academy.

Head coach Wayne Crowe was extremely pleased with the play of his young team. “It was a good tournament for the team after a good Presidio Soccer League season and summer tournaments,” said Crowe. “The team has been playing well and working hard at training and the goal of this tournament was to be successful in the event. As a team we spent a lot time preparing for this event and talking about the level of the teams in the tournament and how we needed to play to showcase our team and do well in the event.”

Albion kicked off their quest for the cup with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan on Friday, and followed up with matching 2-1 wins over Galaxy Alliance and San Diego Surf on Saturday. The three wins put them at the top of Bracket C, with a total of 25 points, and sent them on to the semifinals against Futeca Camp Elite from Guatemala.

Although Futeca came into the semifinals with a 1-2 record in group play, they were more than ready to give Albion a run for the money. After a hard fought match, regulation ended in a draw that sent the teams into overtime. In the final seconds of extra play, Albion finally broke through for the goal that sent them on to the finals with a 4-3 win.

Meanwhile CV Manchester was making their way through the ranks, their eyes on the same prize. Manchester led off with a 5-1 win over SC Del Sol, then defeated Pateadores 4-1 and easily handled Futeca 9-0. In spite of their success, Manchester finished second in Bracket A, just one point behind Surf – whom they would meet in the semifinals. In that game, Manchester would push through with a 3-1 win and the chance to play for the title.

Crowe had been looking ahead to the possible matchups, and found that he had a tough decision to make. “I had my BU9 team scheduled to play in the finals at the same time as the BU10 team,” he explained. “Knowing that we would have to turn around after the semis and play either Surf or CV Manchester, I chose to stay with the U10 team for their final.”

“Knowing we were playing against CV Manchester in the final, who had beaten a good Surf team in the semis,” said Crowe, “we spent some time talking about what we needed to do collectively and as individuals to be successful. The boys were excited to play.”

As the final game began, Albion immediately put pressure on the Manchester defense, scoring from outside the box in the opening minutes of the match. The early goal helped the team to settle in to a rhythm, both defending and attacking at speed. The first half ended with a 1-0 Albion lead.

In the second half Albion continued to play their game plan, scoring a second goal and holding off Manchester attacks. Several saves by goalkeeper Harrison Hopkins helped keep their opponents scoreless. Finally, Albion scored once more in the final five minutes of the match to give them a 3-0 victory and the championship.

Afterward, Crowe talked about his team. “I am very pleased with the boys over this weekend, and I know they were happy with the outcome. As the development director at Albion SC I oversee all the U8 through U10 teams. I have now had this team for three years, with most of these players starting at U8 in the program, and it has been great to see their development. I look forward to seeing this team continue to be successful as they go through the program at Albion SC.”

Albion BU10 Roster

Number	Name
2	Kieran White
3	Julian "JP" Ardrey
4	Harrison Hopkins
5	Robin Brown
6	Joshua Rios
8	Armando "Cosi" Haro
9	Daniel Hicks
10	Ethan Franco
11	Mateo Zazueta
13	Joshua Graves

Coach: Wayne Crowe

Manager: Odette Diaz

Related Articles: Albion SC on SoccerNation