Soccer News: U.S. Youth Futsal Teams Continue Their International Play Experience
U.S. Youth Futsal teams will compete in a series of international friendlies against top Costa Rican futsal programs from July 30 – August 1.
After last winter’s inaugural international trip to Canada, the U.S. Youth Futsal boys and girls U18, U16 and U14 teams will travel to San Jose, Costa Rica to compete with the esteemed futsal programs of Colegio Ezcazu, Colegio Santa Ana and Borussia Futsal.
“After our successful trip to Toronto, we look forward to the challenge of playing teams from Costa Rica, the CONCACAF champion country,” said Keith Tozer, the U.S. Youth Futsal Technical Director. “For a young player’s development, competition is a high priority, and for players to compete against the level we will experience in Costa Rica will be tremendously beneficial.”
Teams will stay in San Jose, the host nation’s capital, and train and play at the official training center of the Costa Rican National Futsal Teams. The visit will include one day of training and one day of team-building adventure – expected to include rainforest ziplining and whitewater rafting — prior to the three match days.
Costa Rica, the reigning CONCACAF men’s futsal champion, has participated in two Futsal World Cups and hosted the CONCACAF Championships twice. In December 2014 it hosted the first-ever Women’s World Championships.
U.S. Youth Futsal Regional Director Otto Orf was at the Women’s Championships and as a former Men’s National Futsal Team goalkeeper played in Costa Rica many years ago. He has been to the country more than 12 times in the past five years and knows the experience will be rewarding and unforgettable for the U.S. players.
“It’s going to be exciting to play futsal academies — kids who play futsal on a regular basis,” Orf said. “Costa Rica, along with Guatemala, has the most comprehensive futsal program in CONCACAF, including futsal championships for boys and girls. It will really put our players’ skills to the test.”
The American teams will be selected from a pool of more than 400 players at next month’s U.S. Youth Futsal National I.D. Camp in Kansas City. Tozer will lead both the camp and the international delegation.
