San Diego Soccer Club Boys U12 win Manchester Cup

Before the proverbial paint had finished drying in their clubhouse, the newly formed San Diego Soccer Club claimed some silverware for their new home when their Boys U12 team captured the championship at Manchester Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester Cup Champions San Diego Soccer Club BU12 Front row Left to right: Jason Provol, Aidan Mc Donald, Alexei Andranovich, Peirce Cahill, Eli Mitnick, Logan Montgomery, Conner Lync. Back row left to right: Ryan Capatinta, Daniel Zin, Tyler Foster, Noah Ruskin, Nate Harris, Jake Haupt, Jon Bao. Not pictured: Trevor Carleton

The team, coached by Brian Quinn, knew that their opponent, LA Galaxy Alliance, would pose a formidable threat. When the two teams met previously in the tournament, SDSC came out of the game with a close 2-1 victory.   Parents from both teams packed the sidelines of Hourglass Field 5 for the championship showdown, which was sure to be a whistle-to-whistle battle.

Both teams played a possession-based game, looking for quick connecting passes in the defense and the midfield, progressing up the field to test the defense, and occasionally releasing forwards for long-balls deep into the opponent's half.  The halftime whistle blew with a 0-0 score and nearly 50% possession from both teams.

The only score of the game came on a corner kick from SDSC's Tyler Foster in the second half.  As Foster arranged the ball near the corner flag, Quinn directed him to "Give us a ball we can score on Ty!"  The lofting kick landed in the middle of "the mixer," where LA Galaxy Alliance had SDSC well-marked, but the chaos in the box was too much for the Galaxy defense.  The Galaxy keeper couldn't get a handle on the ball as it bounced through his area, and SDSC's  Jake Haupt drove it into the back of the net to break the deadlock and go ahead 1-0.

Later in the half, LA Galaxy was awarded what would be a game-tying penalty kick.  Both sidelines, and even spectators from neighboring fields watched in anticipation as the Galaxy player prepared for his moment on "The Spot."  The ref blew his whistle, and the Galaxy player took a few running steps toward the ball, clearly planning on sending his shot to his left and the keeper's right.  The ball sailed low and well wide of the goal, and the score remained 1-0.

The referee began checking his official time quite often as the clock ticked closer to full time. Quinn directed his players to force the Galaxy team wide along the sidelines, clearing the ball whenever possible instead of looking for intricate passes in the game's final minutes.  The final whistle blew, and SDSC brought home the 1-0 championship.

SoccerNation Soccer News: Manchester Cup Champs SDSC BU12 Celebrate Victory

All Photo Credit: Carey Schumacher