Courtesy: Times-Standard


Mad River boys finish fourth at Northwest Regional Futsal Championships

HAYWARD -- Nine of Humboldt's elite, under-15 soccer players competed in the East Bay this past weekend in the Northwest Regional Futsal Championships -- one of six qualifying tournaments for the National Championships.

The players were primarily picked from the Mad River Elite outdoor soccer team that won first place in the North State President's Cup Championships last year.

For the Northwest Regional Futsal Championships the team competed under the name 'Northern California Select' and finished 4 th in a highly-competitive bracket that boasted some giants in the U.S. soccer world which included last year's winners, the best two outdoor teams in the State, and a team representing a large Futsal club from the East Bay.

After the dust settled late on Sunday, the Mad River boys had earned an invitation to the National Championships. En route to their hard won prize, the squad beat one team, tied last year's winners, and scored more goals than any other team against the eventual winners of the tournament.

”It's awesome to see our boys from a tiny town compete with, and beat, some of the best players in the U.S.,” Coach Duncan Robins said. “You should have seen their eyes when they learned they just out dribbled a national team player.” Robins said that representatives from U.S. Futsal were on hand to watch the upstarts from Humboldt take on the giants.

Kaya Fabbretti was one of the tournament's leading scorers with 12 goals, while Canyon Robins had three. Collin Townsend and Zane Stromberg also found the back of the net. Robins dubbed goalkeeper Tab Heinz a “human wall” in goal.

The squad will compete in the U.S. Futsal National Championships in Anaheim in mid-July.

Futsal, a form of indoor soccer played worldwide, is played throughout Humboldt County and particularly appreciated in the rainy winter and spring months. Robins said that local nonprofit Inside Sports has provided invaluable training opportunities over the winter for his team.






Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com