Disney Cup International Youth Soccer Tournament

Our next trip was to Orlando, Florida, and the chance to play at the world renowned Disney Wide World of Sports complex. This was a dream event for our young club, and the competition awaiting us, was still at another level all together. However, we were prepared for the challenge and looked forward to showing our game to others as well.

We opened with a series of matches against some decidedly solid teams from around the U.S. - Ohio, New York and California. In group play, we defeated all three opponents by a combined score of 13-2, which set up a match against a team that was ravaging its competition by 8, 8 and 11 goals margins. This was the junior U.S. based team for the Pumas team from Chula Vista professional Mexican League team, and they were most decided in their intent – to win the event. In what can only be described as a formatting error by the tournament, the two best teams met in a semi-final match which will long be remembered for its action and non-stop play. After sixteen offside calls, one goal called back, and the pressure from what was until the moment, the very best team we had ever played against, the whistle blew with a struggled 3-2 victory by the fine opponent.

2005. It was a match for all ages, and it served a good purpose as it grounded a few swelled heads!! Nevertheless, we learned from the great match, and identified needs and weaknesses on the team which were later to be addressed. The opponent eventually won the championship, defeating a South Florida team by an 8-0 margin.

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