WASHINGTON — The Alexandria Soccer Association’s U15 Boys Futsal team members returned home as champions after a series of victories at the U.S. Futsal National tournament in San Jose, California, this past weekend.
Their journey to the crown started last November and saw the team won the Northeast Regional Finals in February to advance to the National Championship that started July 13.
The team defeated their opponents in all three of their group stage games and advanced through semifinals with a win against a Silicon Valley team, 3-2.
Alexandria’s U15 boys beat Knowens-Pearson 6-5 in overtime to take home the championship on Sunday.
The team, coached by Will Hanna, is part of the Alexandria Soccer Association, a nonprofit organization that offers soccer programs for kids and teens. Programs include recreational league soccer, in which kids of any skill level can play, and Academy soccer teams for a more competitive environment.
The winning team included eight high school students from the Academy soccer program: Jairo Guevara, Andrew Dietrich, Sam Thompson, Matthew Castillo, Thanos Androus, Jose Alvarado, Dylan Albarracin and Alex Temoshok.
The players are also part of the Futsal ID program, which provides select elite level players with rigorous training and competitive futsal experiences.
This year, U15 was sponsored by OnelifeFitness, who provided uniforms and practice space.
But it takes a village to raise a child, or in this case, champion futsal players.
“The support of the Alexandria community throughout this journey was unmatched,” the ASA said in a statement. “The ASA family and the community provided fundraising support to make this trip possible for the boys.”
Read more on ASA programs and games on the organization’s website.
Find more information on the game of futsal on the U.S. Futsal website.
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