Morgan Hill welcomed the top-rated youth U.S. soccer tournament over the weekend as the Outdoor Sports Center was the site of the eighth annual Santa Clara Sporting Invitational youth soccer tournament, featuring the highest ranked elite boys’ teams from the Western United States and Canada as ranked by the authoritative GotSoccer.com tournament tracker.
Morgan Hill welcomed the top-rated youth U.S. soccer tournament over the weekend as the Outdoor Sports Center was the site of the eighth annual Santa Clara Sporting Invitational youth soccer tournament, featuring the highest ranked elite boys’ teams from the Western United States and Canada as ranked by the authoritative GotSoccer.com tournament tracker.
The Santa Clara Sporting Soccer Club hosts more than 160 teams from the under-9 to U19 age groups every year, and this is the second year that Morgan Hill has hosted the prestigious tournament for the older age groups. The Center was also a key location for the club’s inaugural Santa Clara Sporting Girls Invitational tournament last May.
“In order to produce the No.3-ranked boys soccer tournament in the country, we need to host the highest-level of competition, provide quality referees and play games on the nicest fields in the Bay Area,” Santa Clara Sporting Club spokesperson and Morgan Hill site co-director Gabe Foo said. “The Outdoor Sports Complex can host a huge volume of soccer games in one location with high- quality fields.”
With the prestigious event evolving into a college showcase format for the older age groups, it’s also critical that college coaches have the ease of watching multiple games across the U16-U17 age groups in one location.
“The OSC staff provides excellent support and are an invaluable partner for our continued success,” Foo said.
Among the out-of-town teams was Seattle’s “Emerald City Green,” an under-14 boys team, who we spotted enjoying a tournament banquet on the top floor of Las Palmas restaurant, a favorite stop for many teams that visit the Center.
I was surprised to see the young team coached by Bobby Howe, a famous English professional soccer player who retired in 1973. He helped bring life to the new National American Soccer League by coming out of retirement in 1977 to become the player/coach for the Seattle Sounders, where he played until 1983. He coached two National teams for the USA, including the under-20 men’s team that did very well at the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship. This is the guy who literally wrote the book, leading the effort to create the standard “Education of Coaches” for the U.S. Soccer Federation.
The next day I caught up with Bobby on the grass after Emerald City’s last game and asked him about the weekend.
“This is just such a beautiful location and the facility is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen,” Howe said. “Having the ability for a club to play together on so many quality fields lets the youngers watch the olders and provides them with built-in heroes. It really advances a soccer program for a community.”
Among this tournament’s champions were the Outdoor Sports Center’s “own” PAC Impact Team, an under-14 team coached by Joe Cordeiro. The Impact trains during the week under the lights at the Center and have one of the area’s best followings. Oscar Zuniga, always watches his son, No. 2 midfielder Damian. For this tournament, Oscar was accompanied by his father, two uncles, grandmother, and 92-year-old grandfather Monico.
“This is great,” said Oscar. “It’s one of the best home fields around and our parents and supporters are some of the loudest. The OSC is great now – clean fields and great grass.”
The Impact entered the event as the team to beat reigning not only as champion of last year’s Sporting Invitational, but adding in the last year two key championship trophies. The first came in last October’s District 2 Cup, naming them champion for an area that includes San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties. The second came at the start of the year for the California State Cup, also held at the Outdoor Sports Center, where the Impact triumphed over longtime nemesis Juventus Heat, hailing from Redwood City. That was the third annual State Cup the Impact have won in a row.
For the most recent event, 16 teams were broken down into four brackets. After emerging from their bracket on Friday and Saturday undefeated and unscored upon, the Impact met bracket winner Concord Diablo and won the quarterfinal 4-1.
Then it was on to the semifinals played Sunday morning at the Center under a chilly and misty morning fog. The Impact had once again get through the Juventus Heat, which has recently improved and entered the tournament as the No. 3 team in California and a top-10 team nationally.
After two great outside shots ricocheted off the crossbar in the early going, the Impact’s exciting offense finally found the back of the net on a goal from Lalo. Coach Cordeiro then pulled his team into a “defensive mode” by dropping a forward into the backfield. In the second half, as the South Valley sunlight began to break through the lingering late-morning mist, the Heat also tried to break through the vaunted Impact defense. Stellar midfield play by stopper Alek Cordeiro and a stubborn defense led by George Moralas turned back the Heat and the Impact held on to advance to the finals.
In the championship, the Impact met the No. 2-ranked team in the country, the Stockton Storm. The Impact have had a longtime cheer started by Damien Zuniga – “Nobody beats us in our house” – and have long been known for their outstanding defense. Ultimately, the Impact won 1-0, with Lalo scoring the winning goal again.
“Once again we were able to stifle their offense and kept most of the play on the Storm’s side of the field,” coach Cordeiro said. “I am so proud of how this team has united together.”
Dave Payne is a technology consultant and serves as general manager of the Outdoor Sports Center, as well as vice president of the the Morgan Hill Youth Sports Alliance. Email him at da**@***sc.com
