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CASL Shootout Boys Showcase Brackets Set
1-2 Dec. '07. The Internationals traveled to Williamsburg, VA, to participate in the VCCL College Showcase in a two-game format over the weekend on the nice but smallish turf fields at Warhill Sports Complex. On Sat. afternoon, the 1st game pitted the Internationals with the strong Roanoke Star Elite team who played the Internationals to a 1-1 draw at CASL Shootout 2006. The Star Elite lost a hard fought match against a very good GFA 91 Crew, 0-1, in the recent VYSA State Cup 2007 Championship match, and the Internationals knew they would be in for tough battle with the Roanoke team. In all of the years that the Internationals (formerly Inter Bethesda) have played strong opponents, it has never been in a donnybrooke such as this match with the Star Elite team. The first half was all Internationals, controlling play from start to finish. At about the 7 minute mark, Skylar sent a corner kick into the box where Martin ran onto it to strike in the 1st goal. At about the 16 minute mark, Ebo sent a nice pass upfield into the box where Martin collected the ball to turn and slam another shot into the net. Ater another corner kick by Skylar into the box, Nicholas V. jumped up to time in a leaping header strike for Inter's 3rd goal. Matt H. possessed a ball in the left back, dribbled upfield weaving his way in between defenders and fired a shot about 18 yards out but the GK positioned himself right in the line of fire to stop the shot. The Internationlas took 8 shots on goal with 2 corner kicks while committing 9 fouls. The Star Elite managed to break through on a couple of occasions, almost scoring after Seth came off the line to position himself for a potential shot when a Star Elite player scooped a short pass over/around Seth but Ben N. quickly raced in behind to deflect the ball out of harms way. Later, Scott was racing onto a ball passed up top and as he was about to collect the ball, the GK came out and crashed into Scott and was awarded a YC. Alas, the Star Elite was able to punch in a goal at the 38 minute after a ball was unable to be cleared out on the right and a Star Elite player sent a low ball across the goal mouth and another player struck it in. The Star Elite managed 3 shots on goal with 2 corner kicks while committing 5 fouls, and the half ended, 3-1, Internationals. The second half was night and day difference for the Internationals and the Star Elite, as the Star Elite would step up their determination and intensity of play both offensviely and defensivley, scoring 5 times while holding the Internationals to just 1 goal. Alex took over the GK duties in the second half -- and there was much work cut out for him with the bright setting sun shining in his eyes. Early on, Scott rcvd a a great through-ball pass upfield from Ebo and was on a breakawy 1v1 with the GK but the shot went direclty at the GK who clutched the ball to his chest. Several goals, were scored by #20, including a nice run through Inter's left midfield, eluding defenders and fired a hard left-footed blast from about 15-18 yards out around the 11 minute mark. After a foul by Inter, #20 launched a strong direct kick from about 20-25 yards on the right which sailed into the upper left corner past Alex's outstretched hands around the 16 minute mark, pulling the Star Elite to a 3-3 tie. The Internationals would regain the lead, 4-3, at about the 26 minute mark after a foul by Star Elite when Skylar sent a free kick into the box an own goal resulted as Star Elite attempted to clear it out. But, the Star Elilte would strike back and tie the match, 4-4, just two minutes later after a breaking through the middle/left back and sending in a strike at the 37 minute mark to take the lead, 5-4. With just 2 minutes left, the Star Elite broke through deep into the left side of the goal and Ben N. was called for a foul in the box while attempting to tackle the ball away and the resultant PK was not missed, putting the Star Elite up for good, 6-4. The Star Elite would take 7 shots on goal and 2 corner kicks while committing 5 fouls (including 1 offsides), while the Internationals were held to just 3 shots on goal and no corner kicks while committing 11 fouls (nclluding 2 offsides and 1 handball).
In the 2nd match on Sun. morning, the Internationals would face the Beach FC Red whom it had not played since a Columbus Day 2002 event in VA Beach as the Beach FC Storm(?), prevailing, 4-2. The match did not get off to a solid start for the Internationals. Just 2 minutes after kickoff, the Beach FC Red served a pass into the box where Philip jumped up and headed the ball away but as it was about to land around 20 yards out center, a Beach FC Red player hit a nice volley shot past Seth into the net. The Beach FC Red would take just 4 shots on goal and no corner kicks whkle committing 9 fouls. The Internationlas would take 6 shots on goal, 1 corner kick while committing 7 fouls (including 3 offsides and 1 high kick). At about the 17 minute mark, Philip possessed a ball in the left backfield and sent a nice pass up to the midfield to Skylar who sent the ball further upfield on the left to a streaking Vitalis who collected the ball and fired in a blast from about 12-15 yards on the left to tie the game, 1-1. Several minutes later, Patrick M. possessed a ball in the midfield and sent it upfield where Jamie raced to the ball and headed it forward to create space for him to then run onto the ball and strike it into the net from about 18 yards out center, and the Internationals took the lead, 2-1. In the second half, the Internationals increased their lead, 3-1, at around the 3 minute mark when Philip possessed a ball cleared away by Beach FC red on the right side about 20 yards out, dribbled towards goal, eluding several converging defenders and the charging GK and slammed in the goal. At about the 19 minute mark, Skylar rcvd a pass in the midfield and sent a short pass to the left to Scott who gave it back to Skylar in the goal mouth about 8-10 yards out where he struck in the shot to give the Internationals a 4-1 lead over the Beach FC Red. The Beach FC were held to 3 shots on goal, no corner kicks while committing 10 fouls (including a YC on #9). The Internationals were also held to just 3 shots on goal with 1 corner kick while committing 3 fouls (including 2 offisides and a YC show to Matt for a foul on a Beach FC Red player after a no-call foul by the Beach FC player on Matt just seconds earlier), and the match ended, 4-1, Internationals.
Internationals Play Well in BSC Event -- but Do Not Advance
17-18 Nov. '07. The Internationals were back in action for the first time after its late summer hard-fought scrimmage against DC United Academy team, 2-2, and would face the usally very tough LDC United Rocks (PA-E) who last time played the Internationals (Inter Bethesda) to a 1-1 tie in the BSC 2004 event. But, both teams have changed much since then and the Internationals have vastly improved. In the 1st half, at about the 2 minute mark after a foul by LDC, Ebo launched a free kick from about 25 yards out to the left into the box where the GK came off his line to about 6-8 yards out to grab the ball but it slipped through his fingertips onto the turf and rolled towards goal where Ben N. alertly tapped in the first goal. At about the 18 minute mark, after a nice run upfield by Roque, the ball was tackled out bounds and the resultant throw-in found Nat E. on the left end line where he served a nice ball across the box to Scott on the fart post goal line to knock in the 2nd goal. The Internationals would take 4 shots on goal, 2 corners while committing 6 fouls (including 1 offsides), while the LDC were shut down with no goal kicks or corner kicks while committing 3 fouls (including a YC on #9 for a hard foul at the 17 minute mark), and the half ended, 2-0, Internationals. In the 2nd half, at about the 4 minute mark, Brian rcvd a pass upfield near the right side and sent a ball into the box where Nathaniel H. collected the ball, fired a short shot in towards goal which was deflected outward and he the was able to repossess the ball to fire in the 3rd goal. At about the13 minute mark, Nathaniel H. collected another pass in the box around 10-12 yards left and struck in the 4th goal. Around the 22 minute mark, Martin collected a pass around the 20-25 yards center and made a nice pass over the defenders to Ben N. who sent the ball into the net for the 5th goal. The Internationals would shoot 4 times on goal with 1 corner kick while committing 6 fouls (including 1 handball and 3 offsides), while Inter’s strong defense allowed just 1 shot on goal which was a very hard strike that hit luckily hit the cross bar and bounced harmless away, 1 corner kick which was unsuccessful while committing 3 fouls and the match ended, 5-0, Internationals.
In the 2nd match, the Internationals would play the before unknown JBS FC Premier from Westchester, NY, who earlier downed the usually strong FCH Premier AC 91W, 1-0. Suffice it to say that the Internationals significantly controlled play in the JBS half of the field for much of the entire match, although JBS would counter on several occasions and penetrate deep into Inter’s backfield only to be stopped from any real threatening situations or shots on goal. In the first half, the JBS was held to no shots on goal and an unsuccessful corner kick which was awarded to them after a no-call by the official on a foul by JBS on Martin who was tripped from behind while dribbling the ball which went beyond the end line, and 5 fouls (including a YC on #27 for a hard foul on Ben N.). Credit the JBS defense for holding the Internationals to just 1 shot on goal which was unsuccessful, no corner kicks while committing 5 fouls (including 2 offsides), and the half ended scoreless. In the second half, play was much the same with the Internationals attacking/counter-attacking but could not finish shooting 3 times on goal with 2 corner kicks while committing 3 fouls (including a YC shown to Mati for a hard foul, and 2 offsides). JBS managed to setup 3 shots on goal and corner wile committing 2 fouls, and the dagger came with less than 30 seconds to play. A JBS player made a throw-in to a teammate around 25-30 yards out to the left who then passed to another teammate who was facing backward and away from Inter’s goal near the 18 yard line who then flicked a backwards pass in towards Inter’s goal around 6-7 yards on the left while another teammate from near 18-20 yards out center quickly ran onto and collected the ball, turned and fired in a short strike into the net past a surprised Seth who could only watch, and the match ended just seconds after Inter’s kick-off, 1-0, JBS FC Premier. It would be the first loss for the Internationals since the MD State Cup, and after going 7-0-1 in the USCS Region E/National Cup VI Finals. Congratulations to JBS for doing what it took to get the win and who will move on as group winner to face YMS Xplosion in the Final.
On Sun., 18 Nov., in the 3rd match, Inter would play its longtime friends, FCH Premier AC 91W, in what would amount to a consolation/scrimmage match. Through the years, the Internationals (Inter Bethesda) and FCH Premier AC 91W (ABGC Mid-Town Sharks) have battled each other time and time again in NCSL league and tournament play, with one or the other prevailing over the other back and forth with the FCH Premier AC 91W last besting the Internationals at the Potomac Memorial 2007 event, 1-0. In the first half, for the first 15-20 minutes, both teams played evenly and were able to move the ball up and down the field with the other defending and counter-attacking, but the Internationals would strike with its first goal at about the 19 minute mark after Philip F. received a pass on the right side, dribbled upfield to about 25 yards out, cut the ball on a challenging defender to gain space to pass to Nathaniel H. in the middle about 18-20 yards out center and sent a nice pass to a streaking Matt H. on the left side about 10-12 yards out who then sent the ball into the net to put the Internationals up, 1-0. Just two minutes later, an almost identical situation occurred where Nat E. received a pass in the middle and sent a pass to the left to Matt H. who raced onto the ball and sent another strike into the net for the second goal. The Internationals would take 6 shots on goal, no corner kicks while committing 1 foul. The Internationals strong D held the FCH Premier to just 1 shot on goal -- which was a hard shot from around 18 yards out that Seth moved into position to make a good save -- and 1 unsuccessful corner kick while committing 1 foul, and the half ended, 2-0, Internationals. The Internationals kept up their intensity of play in the 2nd half both offensively and defensively, shooting 6 times on goal with 2 corner kicks while committing 2 fouls (including 1 offsides). At about the 11 minute mark, Skylar sent a beauty of a pass from about 25-30 yards on the right through defenders into the box where Scott ran onto the ball and fired in the 3rd goal past the GK. Just two minutes later, Skylar served another ball into the box to Scott where a defender collected the ball and made a soft passback to the Gk but Scott turned on the afterburners and raced to kick the ball at the same time as the GK attempted to grab it on the ground and it was deflected away from the GK’s grasp back to Scott who easily tapped in the 4th goal. At about the 22 minute mark, after a foul by FCH, Nat E. launched a beauty of a free kick from about 20 yards out slightly left of center which sailed high over the defenders and the outstretched hands of the GK in the upper left corner of the net for the 5th goal. Several minutes later at about the 25th minute mark, Skylar launched a corner kick into the box where Nicholas V. kicked it outward towards the center near the 18 yard mark where Roque alertly sent a well-placed blast into the net for the last goal. Inter’s strong defense held the FCH to 1 shot on goal and 1 corner kick which both were unsuccessful while committing 1 handball foul and the match ended, 6-0, Internationals.
08 Nov. '07. The brackets have been set for the premier tournament in the country with the Internationals returning to the top Showcase division where it will have its work cut out as it faces the top U16B team in the country, Michigan Wolves, USYSA National Champion 2007, CASL Elie (NC), Region 3 Finalist 2006-2007 -- whom the Internationals prevailed over at last year's Showcase event -- along with the Kendall Coalition (FL), who gave a strong defensive performance as winners of the Disney Qualifier event earlier in Sep., allowing just 1 goal while scoring 13 overall:
Bracket A:
TBA (United Kingdom)
NY Hota Academy (NY-E)
Wellington Wave (FL)
Soccers FC Chicago (IL)
Bracket B:
Michigan Wolves (MI)
CASL Elite (NC)
Potomac Internationals (MD)
Kendall Coalition (FL)
Bracket C:
Sereno 92 White (AZ)
Solar92 (TX-N)
Vadar Academy (MI)
Clearwater Chargers (FL)
Bracket D:
Lonestars 92 Red (TX-S)
FC Delco 91 Academy (PA-E)
Concorde Fire Elite (GA)
LAFC (CA-S)
The other Predator and Copa divisions also consist of many very strong teams from around the country, including our longtime friends, Freestate Titans, BRYC 91, FCH Premier AC 91W, GFA 91 Crew, and our new friends from USCS Region E, Triangle United Gold (NC). Many college coaches will be evaluating the pool of elite players in all divisions -- as well as pro scouts will be on hand for recruiting purposes.
