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Club soccer teams lose at regionals

TAMPA -- While Brazil was beating Germany 2-0 in the World Cup final in Japan on June30, the Tampa Bay Kickers were watching their season come to an end against South Texas in Little Rock, Ark.

The under-17 boys team was one of four Hillsborough County clubs playing in the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) Southern Regionals on June27-July2.

The Kickers went up 2-0 before halftime against the powerhouse team from Houston, but the wear and tear of the season caught up with them in a 4-2 loss.

Down to 12 players on their traveling squad because of an injury-filled State Cup tournament, the Kickers ran out of steam.

"It was 95 degrees out there," Kickers coach Jeff Brattain said. "You just can't do that with 12 players. At this level, there's no pacing yourself. You have to play hard the whole 90 minutes or you get killed."

Brattain said most of the teams carried 18 players.

The Kickers opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over host Arkansas as Alex Fichera scored both goals. They followed that with a 2-1 win over Tennessee on goals by Teddy Anderson (Clearwater Central Catholic) and Danny Anderson (Bradenton Manatee). But the loss to South Texas knocked them out of the playoffs.

The Kickers have traveled to tournaments around the South this season, competing in the USYSA Region III champions league. Brattain said the new league for elite club teams has toughened the squad.

"We didn't have a weak game all year," he said. "I really thought we could have won with 18 (players). The injuries killed us. Still, we had a very good season."

There is no rest for the weary. Tryouts for next year's squad begin Saturday. Brattain said this will be the final season for the Tampa Bay Kickers and his final season of coaching after 26 years.

"I'm going to concentrate on another sport now, golf," he said. "I'm a lot better at coaching soccer than playing golf."

OTHER AREA RESULTS: The Hillsborough County United under-14 boys also got off to a great start in the tournament with a 5-1 defeat of Arkansas. The next day, they stumbled 1-0 against South Carolina. Needing a win to advance to the semifinals, HCU could only muster a 1-1 tie against North Carolina.

"They are still maturing and learning they have to focus on every game," HCU coaching director Adrian Bush said. "It's a very good experience for them for the future."

In his last stint as coach at Black Watch, Kelvin Jones' under-19 boys team advanced to the semifinals before falling 4-0 to defending national champion South Texas. Along the way, Black Watch beat South Carolina 3-1, Tennessee 2-0 and Georgia 2-0.

Jesuit graduate Scott Golden, who will attend La Salle University in Philadelphia this fall, was stellar at sweeper and Hillsborough graduate Andy Deak, who might make the team at Penn State, also played well, Jones said.

The under-19 Black Watch girls also went to regionals, taking Alabama's spot since it did not field an under-19 team. Black Watch beat Tennessee 2-0 and South Texas 2-1 before falling 2-1 to its Florida nemesis, the Clearwater Chargers.

Black Watch failed to advance to extended play on a one-goal differential. South Texas went on to beat Clearwater in the final 4-0.

Jones said Jenna Ball (Tampa Bay Tech), Heather Williams (Durant) and Michele Buskey (Wharton) played well. Buskey will attend South Florida this fall and Ball and Williams are seniors.

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