Courtesy: News.com.au


Fusion keen to slay five-a-side giants

by Val Migliaccio

April 02, 2013

RAFF Frisina says SA's only futsal club side, Adelaide Fusion, will strive to win the Australian crown for the first time - but it's a tough ask.

Despite the fact the Fusion are regarded as "rebels'' and the side lacks regular game time against regular competition in SA, Frisina said he was confident the side would be competitive in Melbourne this weekend.

The sport has developed world-class soccer players such as Lionel Messi, Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi and Ronaldo.

Frisina says the Adelaide club will come up among the country's best futsal players during the Futsal Oz Football League Clubs Cup.

Frisina - who also plays for FFSA premier league club Croydon Kings - says other clubs from around Australia have players growing up playing the indoor game, which is popular in Brazil, France and Italy - the three futsal powerhouses.

"The aim of the club is to grow futsal and promote it,'' Frisina said.

"In SA, we don't have any (other) clubs - we're the first genuine club and we're looking to push futsal in the right direction.''

Frisina believes the best indoor players in Australia will gather at Brunswick's Futsal OZ stadium for the five-a-side gala.

"They are are a good standard and I would be confident that they'd beat the Futsalroos (Australia's national FIFA-sanctioned team) and some of those clubs in Melbourne,'' he said.

Fusion played in Futsal SA's sanctioned competition last year at the Campbelltown Leisure Centre where it ran away with the minor premiership, winning by 12 points.

But with that league running for about three months, Frisina said it was difficult for the non FIFA-sanctioned Fusion to gather any momentum in the lead-up to its second crack at the Futsal Oz Football League Clubs Cup.

Adelaide Fusion - coach: Carlos Cravo - assistant: Mauro de Marco - GK: Anthony Capaldi (Playford), Tim Ramsey (Para Hills), David Savino, Alessio Frisina (Croydon), Jamie Carbone (Cobras), Raff Frisina (Croydon), John Papandrea, Perry Mitris (MetroStars), Kingsley Francis (Raiders), Stephen Piotto (Campbelltown), Andrea Farina, Michele Giotta, Moe Matar, Richard Ferguson (all Ashburton).






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