Courtesy: The Oregonian via Oregon Live


Tualatin resident Jeff Ekdahl switches from soccer to futsal

July 11, 2014

by Ginger Moshofsky

Tualatin resident Jeff Ekdahl, a dedicated soccer player for nine years, took up a modified form of soccer called futsal, last fall. His team, Elimination Station, is the Division 4 league champions at Rose City Futsal and will be moving up to Division 3 play. There are five divisions; Division 1 is the most competitive.

Ekdahl did not play soccer in high school or college but became interested in the sport after watching the movie Bend it Like Beckham. He was looking for a new hobby or interest so he took a class at Tualatin Indoor Soccer and loved it. He joined a house team and then went on to play on several teams and to team management.

Last fall he put together two futsal teams at Rose City Futsal. Futsal is played on a smaller field than soccer and with five players on each team. The ball is smaller than a soccer ball and has less bounce. Players are allowed to substitute an unlimited number of times and can substitute in while the game is in play. The game is played in two 20-minute halves.

"I love Futsal because there are more touches on the ball by each player. When played well, you can see and feel the artistry in the game. Soccer is called 'the beautiful game' and it really is," said Ekdahl in an email. "Soccer is played all over the world and is a universal language no matter where you're from."

Rose City Futsal, 5010 N.E. Oregon Street, runs six futsal seasons a year: Fall, Winter I, Winter II, Spring I, Spring II and Summer. Each season lasts for eight weeks and league standings are based on the team's win-loss record. Elimination Station was undefeated in the Spring II season.

"Jeff's a great guy," said Rose City Futsal Operations Manager Darren Singer. "His team plays like gentlemen. He really cares about the guys who play on his team."






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