In a series of intense championship matches between familiar foes, the Toronto Invitational Futsal Tournament came to a close on Sunday and it was the usual suspects that brought home the hardware.
With numerous people at the Direct Energy Centre watching on, the tournament had attracted not only futsal teams from across 11 different cities from the US and Canada but those new to the game including parents, coaches, youth and manufacturers that were in attendance for the Toronto International Soccer Show. Most in the sporting and soccer landscape didn't know what futsal was but definitely developed an appreciation for it after they left. Many from unsanctioned futsal leagues were also impressed with the tournament and the doors for dialogue to unite have now been opened. Needless to say it was a monumental weekend for Canadian futsal and 2010 looks to be the year the sport breaks out.
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Here are the results of Sunday's matches including the playoffs and the final standings of all group matches.
The U16 girls championship was decided by two rivals from the Liga de Oro in Toronto; the Toronto Impact Girls and Sala XX FSE, the latter of which was only included into the tournament a week and a half before the show after being snubbed. By fighting their way ito the finals through a very tough group that also featured the ANB Academy, 3x OSA Futsal Cup Champions Etobicoke Energy and a promising new team from Durham Futsal. Sala had beatedn the Impact 3-2 in group stage play earlier in the tournament but found it quite difficult to penetrate a tough Impact defence that was masterful on the counter-attack. Sala found it just too difficult to overcome as Toronto won 2-0.
U16 Girls Standings
W L T PTS GF GA
1. Sala XX FSE 3 1 0 9 20 13
2. Toronto Impact 3 1 0 9 17 12
3. Etobicoke Energy 2 1 1 7 14 8
4. Durham Futsal 1 2 1 4 11 17
5. ANB Academy 0 4 0 0 10 23
Championship: Toronto Impact 2 Sala XX FSE 0
Everyone within the Ontario futsal scene knew that the most intense matchup for the final in the U16 boys division would have to be between Uruguay of the Driftwood Hispanic Soccer League and the Toronto Eagles. These two rivals initially got it on during the 2008 OSA Futsal Cup with both teams taking a game but with Uruguay leaving with the title. In this competition Uruguay went 3-0 during their first group stages with an impressive +18 goal difference and established themselves as early favourites. But the Eagles needed to beat Uruguay in their final group stage game in order to climb over a high quality Cleveland team for the coveted final spot. They did just that with a 2 goal win to set up a rematch 3 hours later. The Eagles continued their explosive style of play and remained composed, exploiting the rare gaps left by Uruguay and eventually pulled away with a 5-3 win for the gold.
U16 Boys Standings
W L T PTS GF GA
1. Toronto Eagles 3 1 0 9 23 13
2. Uruguay 3 1 0 9 32 17
3. Cleveland Super F 2 2 0 6 25 20
4. London Spartacus 1 3 0 3 18 36
5. ANB Academy 1 3 0 3 17 30
Championship: Toronto Eagles 5 Uruguay 3
Probably the division with the most equal parity was in the U18 girls division. Featuring the Brantford Bobcats, Sarnia Spirit, Russell Raiders and 2008 Ontario champions Oshawa Turul more or less every game was close in score and match control. The Russell Raiders, who represented Ontario at the 2007 nationals in BC, started off string with 2 convincing wins over Brantford and Sarnia and competed in what many were calling one of the best matches in the group stage when they narrowly fell 7-5 to Oshawa at George Brown College. The Turul finished the group stage undefeated and went to eliminate the Bobcats in the first semi-final. Russell upended Sarnia in the other semi to setup a classic rematch. The final was as close as it could possibly be with both teams going back and forth at each others nets with deft passing and tight defence. The intensity escalated in the 2nd half as both squads started taking more risks to gain the edge. Russell ended up scoring a late goal and held down the fort to avenge their earlier defeat with a 3-2 victory to win their 2nd major futsal championship since 2007.
U18 Girls Standings
W L T PTS GF GA
1. Oshawa Turul 3 0 0 9 18 10
2. Russell Raiders 2 1 0 6 16 9
3. Sarnia Spirit 1 2 0 3 5 12
4. Brantford Bobcats 0 3 0 0 7 15
Semi Finals: Oshawa Turul 7 Brantford Bobcats 0, Russell Raiders 4 Sarnia Spirit 1
Championship: Russell Raiders 3 Oshawa Turul 2
The U18 boys division has people in awe as the athletic futsallers put on a series of dazzling displays. London Juventus, Cleveland Super F, the Korean Tigers, North York Dynamo and the ANB Academy each scraped out some hard fought wins during the group stages but after London failed to beat the always difficult Dynamo, winners of multiple futsal competitions, the final would be between North Yorrk and the ANB Academy, a team making their first appearance into a FIFA rules tournament. The Richmond Hill based ANB squad were certainly athletic enough to hang with the boys from North York but it was a lack of experience that came to haunt them. Coached by top futsal coach Vladimir Karpenko, the Dynamo have made a reputation for themselves based off their clever and patient ball movement and ean offense that is dangerous from any corner of the court. North York added yet another trophy to their case with a commanding 10-5 win over an ANB team that showed a lot of heart and character.
U18 Boys Standings
W L T PTS GF GA
1. North York Dynamo 4 0 0 12 33 9
2. ANB Academy 2 2 0 6 21 21
3. London Juventus 1 2 1 4 23 27
4. Korean Tigers 1 2 1 4 13 19
5. Cleveland Super F 1 3 0 3 20 30
Championship: North York Dynamo 10 ANB Academy 5
The mens division is always one of the most highly anticipated groups in any tournament, particularly in Toronto where some of North America's best futsal clubs reside. Group A had some great teams in it including tournament favourites Toronto Impact, London Benfica, CUFC Ottawa and the VP Court Kings (TOR). Featuring many players from the team that represented Canada at the prestigious 2008 Futsal Grand Prix in Brazil, the Toronto Impact gave a hard run for every team and finished 3-0 in the group stage. The VP Court Kings, playing in their first season of futsal, gave a hard run to every team but it was the OCFL leaders CUFC that declared the second playoff spot with a solid win over an always tough London Benfica side.
Mens Standings
Group A W L T PTS GF GA
1. Toronto Impact 3 0 0 9 18 5
2. CUFC Ottawa 2 1 0 6 19 13
3. London Benfica 1 2 0 3 21 18
4. VP Court Kings 0 3 0 0 10 27
Group B saw the Owen Sound Strikers, Boca Juniors (TOR), London LA Selecta, and New Jersey's Den of Lions go head to head over the 3 day competition. Boca started off well with a dominant 7-2 win over DOL and went undefeated in the group with victories over both the Selecta and very resilient Owen Sound squad that surprised a lot of people with their quick first touches and highly disciplined style. DOL gained a tight 6-5 result over Selecta and shutout Owen Sound 3-0 to clinch the 2nd playoff spot and a matchup with the Toronto Impact.
Group B W L T PTS GF GA
1. Boca Juniors (TOR) 3 0 0 9 21 4
2. Den of Lions (NJ) 2 1 0 6 8 11
3. Owen Sound Strikers 1 2 0 3 10 9
4. London LA Selecta 0 3 0 0 7 24
Both semi-finals went on the FIFA sized Sport Courts at the same time and were so entertaining it seemd as if every person attending the Toronto International Soccer Show, including vendors, had stopped in their tracks to watch them. Boca Juniors opened up with quick goals against Ottawa and played extremely tight up front and back and earned a spot in the championship with a 4-0 win.
In the other decider, Toronto and Den of Lions put on what was easily one of the North America's best futsal games of the year. DOL stepped up their game and showed why they're one of the best teams in the US. Backed by some excellent goalkeeping they staved off the potent Toronto attack and countered with some crisp shots of their own, scoring twice in the first half. Toronto came back when keeper Roy Blanche came into the game and quarterbacked the attack with some quality set plays and was rewarded with a pair as well. The second half was simply back and forth attack after attack and each squad was relentless in their quest to the final. Julio Garcia, known in Canada simply as 'Chimpa', finished off an unbelievable play that was setup by Nico Martinez and Alvaro Yaques. Toronto was just too much on the day and earned their spot to face their local league rivals for the title and the $3000 prize.
The Impact are currently first in the Toronto Futsal League and right behind them are Boca Juniors. Both teams grew up with each other in a tough part of northwestern Toronto that is known for its superior production of futsal players for the last two decades. Needless to say, the $3000 was enough incentive but the bragging rights over one another was far more valuable.
Boca played what must've been their best game of the year even without star player Serg Marchant who was ejected in the semi final. They caught Toronto off guard early on and scored quickly to go up 1-0. They pressed hard again looking to gain a 2 goal advantage but it was Toronto that scored off the counter. Boca scored another late in the 1st half to go up 2-1. Toronto decided to play a more possession oriented style and brought in Blanche, an attacking keeper specialist, for the 2nd half. It immediately paid dividends as Toronto spread themselves along the sidelines, passing back and forth looking for that elusive opening and scored to tie it up again before another one two minutes later put them ahead 3-2. Boca tried different methods to regain their previous advantage and were stifled until about the 10 minute mark when they brought it back to the deadlock. The game seemd destined for overtime until Toronto scored a great goal with about 3 minutes left. Despite some tough advances from Boca in the dying seconds of the game, Toronto Held on to win the championship, the 2nd of the tournament with the girls taking home the U16 title.
Semi Finals: 1A Toronto Impact 4 vs 2B Den of Lions 3
1B Boca Juniors 4 vs CUFC Ottawa 1
Championship: Toronto Impact 4 Boca Juniors 3