KELLY: Local players star at Germantown Invite

BY AIDAN KELLY

It was quite a successful weekend for a number of the area’s players at the prestigious select Germantown Invitational in Memphis, Tennessee.

The tournament was established in 1978 and annually features over 450 teams from over 30 different states for its four weekends of play. Games take place at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.

Last weekend, 160 boys’ teams from U15-U19 took center stage, many of which were state, regional and national finalists this year. Coaches from over 80 colleges were in attendance.

Casey Curd and Andrew Estopinal of Jeffersonville as well as Chase Holland of Floyd Central were part of the Mockingbird Valley U19 squad which swept all in its path in its three showcase games in the Silver Division.

It beat Strikers Fox Valley of Illinois (2-0), Vestavia Steamers of Alabama (5-0) and Knoxville FC Crush of Tennessee (1-0).

Goalkeeper Drew Mattingly of Floyds Knobs and senior at Christian Academy of Indiana kept three clean sheets as part of United 1996’s ’92 Internationals, which maintained a 100 per cent record in the U19 Select Jespersen Division.

It beat Cleveland United, Ohio 4-0, St Louis Scott Gallagher of Illinois 1-0 and Harpeth Hurricanes of Nashville, Tenn. 2-0.

Meanwhile, Providence’s Pierce Crawley was part of the Javanon ’95 team which made it to the U15 Gold final after a three game unbeaten run.

Javanon ’95 is coached by Tim Chastonay, who is no stranger to success, having taken the club’s ’92 team to the national US Youth Soccer National Championships in 2008 and 2009.

It tied with St Louis Scott Gallagher, before beating Forth Worth FC 4-0 of Texas to qualify for the semi-final. Once there, it beat SCSA Center Grove, ranked No.3 in Indiana, 1-0 in the semi-final, but lost out in the decider to FC Dallas, Texas.

Individual awards are given to first and second placed teams in U15 and U16 age groups.

Elsewhere, Javanon ’94, a squad which now features New Albany’s Nick Blackwell, Floyd Central’s Matt Kelecy, Jeffersonville’s Jordan Vejar and Providence’s Daniel Wilburn, returned to the tournament in a bid to repeat last year’s victory at U15 level.

However, it lost out in the U16 Gold semi-final on Sunday to Lou Fusz Strikers, the No. 1 ranked team in Missouri. In the group stages, the boys had a scoreless tie with Galaxy of Illinois before beating Jackson FC of Mississippi 5-0.

Logan Riely of Floyd Knobs was part of the Javanon ’93 team which beat Cincinnati United Redhawks 2-0 in the U17 Select Henrik Division, but lost 3-0 to SWISA Rush of Indiana and to 2-1 to Southeast Missouri SC.

This weekend is the turn of U16 to U19 girls, and among those playing include Mockingbird ‘92’s Kaitlin Robinette (U19 Elite); and the Javanon ’93 pair of Alysen Shireman (Floyd Central) and Kelsey Rogers (Providence), who will play in the U17 Jespersen Division.



World Cup draw kind to US … and talk of Viagra boost for English

Someone asked me the other day why the draw for the FIFA World Cup was held six months before the tournament even starts.

Apart from obvious organizational reasons, I guess it’s because it gives soccer fans something to talk and argue about for 25 weeks or so.

And the talking, of course, has already begun after last Friday’s draw in Cape Town, South Africa.

As you may know, the United States has been drawn in Group C against England, Algeria and Slovenia, and has a very realistic chance of being one of two teams to progress to the last 16.

The group opener against England on June 12 (with a 2.30 p.m. kick off if you’re already planning ahead) is much anticipated, and plenty of column inches and airtime will be taken up by the game between now and next summer.

In fact, the stories have already begun. With the balls hardly given a chance to rest after leaving the pots, the English Football Association was denying that the national team was considering taking Viagra to help cope with playing at altitude.

One report in a Sunday paper claimed David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and the rest of Fabio Cappello’s men may be taking the anti-impotence drug to help improve their lung capacity, with the squad set to be based some 5,000 feet above sea level at Rustenburg.

The FA said its medical staff is conducting detailed research with a variety of experts ahead of next year’s tournament, but that there has been no discussion or plans for the players to take the drug in South Africa.

I’m not sure if Bob Bradley and his management team have any such plans, but they may be feeling they don’t need such concoctions after what has to be considered a kind draw.

A result against England is very achievable, despite what is probably one of its strongest squads for a long time. Playing them first is an advantage too – they are not the greatest of starters, and the American MLS base players will be fresher.

Even if the US was to lose and had to play catch up, it will be ready for that eventuality and will know wins against Algeria and Slovenia will get them through.

Algeria would be considered one of the weaker African qualified nations, while Slovenia, while knocking out the fancied Russia in a play-off, is a much more appealing alternative to, say, France or Portugal.

Logistically it is good also, as playing England in Rustenburg, Slovenia in Johannesburg (June 18), and Algeria in Tshwane/Pretoria (June 23) will not require long jaunts around the country, a nation they will be familiar with after the Confederations Cup this summer.

Looking further, if the US makes the last 16, it would probably face Germany (if US is second and the Germans win their group), or Ghana/Serbia/Australia.

There are worse scenarios and with Brazil, Spain and the Netherlands in the bottom half of the draw, the US could go far with a good run of performances, the right tactics, and, of course, a little luck.

Meanwhile, the draw also provided us with the much expected “Group of Death” in the form of Group G, which includes Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea.

The first three named would have had high hopes before the draw of making it quite far in the tournament, even winning it, but now one of them will go home earlier than expected.

Ivory Coast has been talked up as the possible story of the World Cup and the competition’s first ever African winner.

Elswehere, France lucked out as a non-seeded team by being drawn with hosts South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay.

Plenty to talk about, of course, and plenty of time to talk about it.

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