It’s never easy chasing the ball at any time but when you’re chasing it in the sixth game of a three-day tournament, it can be down right exhausting. That’s the trouble the West Coast FC BU-12 team came across in Monday’s 3-1 loss to LAFC in the San Diego Surf Cup final.
After beating Honolulu Bulls (6-0), Del Mar Sharks (3-0) and nationally ranked Soccer Domain Lions (2-1), LAFC was at the top of their game. Victories in the quarter final vs. Real Colorado (4-0) and CZ Elite in the Semi (2-1) ,LAFC was pitted against old foe West Coast Futbol Club.
West Coast (4-2) started strong, taking a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game, but LAFC responded by showing off their superior ground passing attack from there. The boys from the Pasadena area outshot their opponents 9-1 the rest of the first half before taking a 2-1 lead into the break. West Coast kept it close the rest of the way until Edgar Murillo locked it up for LAFC (7-0) by scoring off a direct kick late in the second half.
“We got off to a nice start, but I think it was almost too soon, ” West Coast head coach Rob Kaminski said. “The other team just came back, and it looked like they had a lot more energy than us.”
West Coast’s nice start came courtesy of a beautiful one-time shot by Adonis Amaya after a direct kick into the box. Kaminski’s concerns over starting too soon were justified just 75 seconds later when LAFC strung together a number of quick ground passes up the right side of the field, resulting in a goal by Oscar Palma that helped swing the momentum back in his team’s favor.
LAFC, which has been to the finals of the Surf Cup the last three years, won its second straight title by maintaining possession and attacking the wings. Forward Milano Sanchez-Johnson and midfielder Caleb Calvert were particularly deadly at getting the ball up the field and making dangerous crosses into the box. The right side of the field was a problem area for West Coast in the first half, and it finally cost them when Calvert finished off a nice run by slotting the ball to an open Palma. The speedy forward scored low once again to give LAFC a 2-1 lead.
“I tried four different players over there during the game,” Kaminski said of his team’s struggles on the right side. “They’re a very good team. They use the space very well, and this field is pretty wide. They kind of got us running and when you get to a sixth game, you’re already tired. I think you start chasing and it starts taking the spirit out of you.”
“They were looking to go long, and we got the ball down and played some great stuff,” LAFC head coach Barry Ritson said. “That’s the biggest difference. I really try to instill in the boys the need to get the ball down the field with good passing rather than trying to kick the ball through or over the top. Our main strength is our crosses. We do open the field up wide and put good balls in the box. We had a little difficulty throughout the tournament in front of the goal but in the final we were brilliant and dominated proceedings. Some days it pays off and some days it doesn’t.”
The reason why it paid off on Monday was Palma’s poise around the net. He was set up well by his teammates, but he came through with nicely placed balls into the back of the net.
“That’s the key especially at this age group,” Ritson said. “Obviously goalkeepers are going to get big over the years. Other teams kind of rely on hitting it high above the goalkeepers’ head, but our boys now have started finding corners and keep it low.”
Ironically, LAFC scored its final goal by going high. A foul on the right wing of the goal box gave Murillo a free kick that started off as a cross and turned into a shot to the back right top corner of the net. West Coast nearly got back in the game when Collin Hossum volleyed a ball toward the net from 30 yards out. His shot clanged off the right post, however, and that would be as close as his team would get to scoring in the second half. LAFC outshot WCFC 16-2, which shows their dominance.
Kaminski would have been more upset after the game had the loss not come to an undefeated team that had only allowed three goals in seven games this tournament.
“This is actually the farthest we’ve gotten,” Kaminski said. “I told the boys before the game that I’m just happy that we got to the finals. We played some really tough teams on the way here. We beat the state cup champions (Fullerton Rangers) yesterday and we had a great game against that team. I think anytime you can get into the finals of the Surf Cup, it’s a very good tournament.”
“I’m still in a little awe of my team’s performances this past weekend at the San Diego Surf Cup 2008. An invitation only tournament, Surf Cup, prides itself on bringing the best of the best to face off against each other in one of the most prestigious Youth Soccer Tournaments in the world. The majority of the teams participating have played continuously since the end of last season, whereas we have had approx 6 games and there was a little anxiousness amongst the parents, players and coaches (yes, even the coach was a little worried about our lack of action). To win this tournament once is excellent. To win it 2 years running and being in the final the past 3 years shows how much talent there is in LAFC at such a young age. An unbelievable weekend for the players, parents and club as a whole”.—Barry Ritson
LAFC RECORD AT SURF CUP: 7-0 GF 20 GA 3
