NOTE! All games are an hour later than normal but are confirmed CDT
2:30 pm – Liverpool vs Real Madrid on ESPN
5:00 pm – Chelsea vs Juventus on ESPN Classic
Wednesday
2:30 pm – Manchester United vs Inter Milan on ESPN2
Soccer by Ives offers an update
By the way, did all of you catch this FA Cup goal by Eduardo of Arsenal?
Sam Moore
Steve – I bought 25 tickets from Coach Jen Simeck and I bought 10 tickets from Caitlin Weins. I’m not sure who sold me the winning ticket…
I’m planning on taking Sam Ringenberg. Another DU grad, a really good friend, and a big EPL fan.
I’ll be wearing Arsenal yellow at the game in May, we’ll see how that goes…
Regards,
Sam
I pulled the photo off of Sam’s Facebook profile, it seemed appropriate for the Arsenal and Drury fan. Lucky devil!
2009 Champions Challenge
Springfield, MO. – Lake Country Soccer’s first outdoor youth soccer tournament of the year kicked off this past weekend, with 105 teams from seven states converging to vie for the title of Champion in the 2009 Greater Springfield Sports Commission Champions Challenge, co-hosted with Springfield Soccer Club.
14 separate divisions, including a showcase division featuring Under-17 and Under-18 boys’ teams were hosted throughout the windy, chilly and storm challenged event. At the conclusion of the finals plus division winners and finalists determined by point totals, several teams earned the title of Champion.
Under-10/Under-11 Girls (8 vs 
St. Louis Scott Gallagher – Illinois Navy (Maryville, IL.) defeats Lou Fusz – Kiely (St. Louis, MO.) 4 – 0
Under- 12 Girls (11 v 11)
Hurricane FC 97 – Gibson (Jenks, OK.) defeats St. Louis Scott Gallagher – France (St. Louis, MO.) 2 – 0
Under – 13 Girls
Springfield Soccer Club 95/96 1 (Springfield, MO.) defeats Tulsa Soccer Club 97 Red: 1 – 1 tie at the end of regulation, 2 – 2 tie at the end of over-time, 4 – 2 on kicks from the mark
Springfield Soccer Club wins on kicks from the mark
Under-14 Girls
Thunder 96 Black (Tulsa, OK.) defeats Tulsa Nationals (Tulsa, OK.)
2 – 0
Under-10 Boys
St. Louis Scott Gallagher Portugal (St. Louis, MO.) defeats Springfield Soccer Club 98/99 White (MO) 4 – 0
Under-11 Boys (8v8)
Blue Valley Soccer Club Stars AC Milan 97/98 (Overland Park, KS.) defeats Springfield Soccer Club 97/98 (MO) 3 – 1
Under-12 Boys (8v8)
Kansas City Soccer Club Crew (Overland Park, KS) 1st place on total points
Ingram Comets 97 Red (Bentonville, AR) 2nd place on total points
Under-12 Boys (11v11)
Springfield Soccer Club 96/97 Red (MO) defeats Little Rock Football Club 97 (Little Rock, AR) 1 – 0
Under-13 Boys Silver
Arkansas Wizards (Springdale, AR) 1st place on total points
United Soccer Club – Ryan (Liberty, MO) 2nd place on total points
Under-13 Boys Gold
Edmond Soccer Club 95 (Edmond, OK.) defeats Springfield Soccer Club 94/95 I (MO) 3-0
Under-14 Boys
SSC lost to Edmond SC 3-0 in the U14 Boys final.
Under-15 Boys Gold
Kansas City Wizards Juniors 93/94 (Kansas City, MO.) 1st place on total points
Springfield Soccer Club 93/94 (MO) 2nd place on total points
Under-15 Boys Silver
United Soccer Club – Patton (Liberty, MO.) 1st place on total points
Kansas City Soccer Club Crew (Overland Park, KS) 2nd place on total points
Under-16 Boys
Kansas City Wizards 92/93 (Kansas City, MO.) defeats Springfield Soccer Club 92/93 (MO) 1 – 0
Under-17 & Under-18 Boys SHOWCASE division (no standings and results kept)
Featuring high school boys’ juniors and seniors including the 2008 Kansas State Cup champions KC Wizards Juniors and the 2008 Missouri State Cup Champions Springfield Soccer Club.
In spite of windy and chilly conditions through the weekend, each team put forth its best effort to achieve victory to defeat the weather and opponents.
Since its’ beginnings in 2007 the Champions Challenge has been a destination for top teams and clubs from throughout the greater Midwest as they seek an early opportunity to get outdoors as the spring outdoor season is right around the corner. “Back in the beginning when we started this venture our goal was simply to attract the top clubs who were looking for some great early season competition. Obviously, the facilities at Lake Country Soccer are some of the top in the Midwest so that was a big attraction for the clubs to come and play on quality fields.” said Jeremy Alumbaugh Director of Soccer Operations for the Springfield Soccer Club. Clubs that Participated in this year’s event, of note are the Kansas City Wizards Juniors (MO), St. Louis Scott Gallagher- Missouri (MO), St. Louis Scott Gallagher-Illinois (IL), Tulsa SC (OK), Little Rock FC (AR), Edmond SC (OK) Blue Valley Stars SC (KS), Milwaukee Sport Club (WI), FC Evansville (IN) to name a few.
“Lake Country Soccer prides itself on staging quality tournament events for visiting teams including good playing fields, quality officiating and strong event management and organization so that our teams enjoy and appreciate their experience while here in Springfield, “said Kelly Ross, executive director for Lake Country Soccer. “These events have a significant financial impact on the local economy in terms of hotel rooms, fuel consumption and food/beverage sales at local restaurants plus the local attractions,” Ross added.
Lake Country Soccer is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization located on the Cooper Sports Complex hosting soccer leagues, tournaments, recreational activities and instructional programs for kids ages 3 – adults year round since 1984.
Lake Country Soccer
“The place to get your kicks in Southwest Missouri”
U18 KC Wizard Jr’s – 2
U18 Springfield SC – 1
Ethan Bauer (Olathe S) scores a pair in the first 20 minutes for the Wizard’s who controlled play for much of the first half. Springfield came out much stronger in the 2nd half, fighting to win the 50/50 balls and moving the ball well enough to get two opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The first resulted in a PK when Caleb Collier was pulled down in the box, with Devon Newport’s shot being blocked. Grant Bollig scored for Springfield on a set piece, earned when D Newport was pulled down near midfield. Ryan Squires initial ball was pushed to the top right of the box where Bollig settled and put a hard shot to the far corner, sliding just inside the upright. This was the most pressure I’ve seen the SSC team put under in recent memory. No MRL replay it looks like so it may be Regionals before we see the Wizards again.
U14 Springfield SC – 2
U14 Webb City Cobras – 0
The local squad continued their strong run through their group, winning their 3rd straight via shutout. They’ve scored 8 goals during the string. They’ll play the wildcard winner in hopes of reaching the final. BVSC Stars Boca Jr’s and Scott Gallagher Blue were top of table after yesterday’s games with Lou Fusz Red and Edmond SC also in the mix.
A short interview with Ryan Moses, U18 forward for Springfield SC’s State Champion team. After playing central defender during the High School season for the Kickapoo Chiefs, he’s back at his preferred position at the start of the Club Season. Ryan will play for the SLU Billikens in the Fall.
The team just beat the U17 KC Wizard Jr’s team 2-0 with Ryan getting the final goal late in the second half.
U18 Springfield SC- 2
U17 KC Wizard Jr’s – 0
A game between a pair of State Champions, even at this very early stage of the season, was worth getting up for this morning (8am start). Like a pair of boxers, the teams focused on ball control and movement, a sparring match rather that an all out fight. It was left for the more experienced squad to take advantage of the mistakes, getting goals via a Wizard’s own goal in the 1st half, complimented by Ryan Moses goal late in the second.
I’ll let him describe it, suffice to say that I was very happy to see him get this early confidence builder for himself and the team. As the photo indicates, the Wizard’s had chances as well with Chris “Tommy” Tombridge (pictured) handling the majority of attempts and Ryan Squires cleared one off the line to keep the clean sheet this morning.
U16 Springfield SC – 2
U16 Shawnee Elite – 1
The game winner came in the final minutes, with Alec Martinez finishing the final opportunity he had on the day. He beat a defender on a ball sent long, with his shot also deflecting off a defender before ending up in the back of the net.
Springfield SC took the lead on a set piece around 5 minutes in. A ball from 30 yards out was sent back across the face of the net with the forward beating the GK in a foot race. Shawnee came back within the next 5 minutes to tie and control play with the wind the remainder of the half. The switch at halftime allowed SSC to gain control although it would take the full 35 minutes to gain the final advantage.
U16 KC Wizard Jr’s – 8
U16 Total Demize SC – 0
A difficult early morning start for our local boys, with winds reaching well over 20 mph and facing the offensive talents of the MLS developmental squad.
Peter Vermes, 1990 US World Cup
The SBI Questions: Peter Vermes Answers (Part 1)
STEVE T- Peter, what was your most memorable moment from the 1990 World Cup, both on and off the field?
VERMES- Everybody always asks me about the shot that I had against Italy, and obviously that was very memorable, but what I would say it’s the opening game, standing in the tunnel before the game. That was pretty incredible, knowing we were in the World Cup and we were getting ready to play our first game.
Off the field I would say our preparation in Switzerland was pretty amazing. We were very focused, in our own hotel. Guys were all so young and naïve. Really, at the time, we didn’t really understand the magnitude of what we were doing. As I look back on it now we really forged a lot of great relationships with a lot of the guys who were from that group of players.
The SBI Questions: Peter Vermes Answers (Part 2)
CHUCK- Wow, this is so random. I was litteraly just thinking yesterday about my time at Peter Vermes soccer camp from like 15 years ago. Anyway, I was hoping Peter could touch on the strides US Soccer has made since is MNT playing days and how he thinks we should improve our current youth setup to develop a truly world class player.
VERMES- What has happened in U.S. Soccer is absolutely incredible. It’s so hard to talk about the strides that we have made. In the 1990 World Cup, out of the 23-man roster we had, I was the only player at that time playing overseas. Every other player was playing in the United States and signed with U.S. Soccer. I was playing in Holland for FC Volendam. Everybody else was playing in the United States.
Finally, as this headline from last Summer notes, KCW Juniors U-16, U-17, U-19 Teams Capture Kansas State Cup Crowns
Three age groups in the KCW Juniors Youth Development Program were crowned Kansas State Champions over the weekend, as the U-16, U-17 and U-19 teams rolled through the competition to capture state titles in their first year of competition.
The U16 and U17 teams are now a year older and playing this weekend in Springfield. Come see the best at Lake Country Soccer! Meanwhile, here’s the KC Wizards schedule for 2009. You can find it on Google Calendar by doing a Public search or you can download it here, see the button on the bottom right. Or the Wizards have an Outlook version on their website.
Come Out And Support
Here are the games that are on my radar, I’d like to suggest you pick one and come out and support. And I trust everyone is well aware of the fact that you get to move your clocks ahead 1 hour on Saturday night? That’s right, DST springs forward this weekend!
U18 Springfield SC Boys – pursuing a 3rd State Championship in their age group, which they will get to defend when the Missouri State Cup returns to Springfield on June 6th, the boys have 4 games this weekend against top talent, including the KC Wizards Juniors who were Kansas State Champions last year. The U17 Springfield SC Boys will be competing in the same group with the 18′s.
Saturday March 7th
8:00 am – U18 SSC vs U17 KC Wizards
10:00 am – U17 SSC vs BVSC Stars (a top club from KC)
4:30 pm – U18 SSC vs Evansville
6:30 pm – U17 SSC vs U18 KC Wizards
Sunday March 8th
9:45 am – U18 SSC vs U18 KC Wizards
1:00 pm – U17 SSC vs U17 KC Wizards
U16 Springfield Boys were the Champions in their age group at this tournament last year. The competition is improved this year and this group will also include the #1 team from Total Demize SC. With the KC Wizard Juniors, Scott Gallagher, Florissant United (Silver Champs last year) and Shawnee Elite, this is an excellent early measuring stick for all of the teams involved!
Saturday March 7th
8:00 am – Total Demize vs KC Wizards
3:00 pm – Total Demize vs Springfield SC
Sunday March 8th
2:45 pm – Championship game
Other Games of Interest
Saturday 8:00 am – U15 SSC vs KC Wizards, Field 10
Saturday 12:30 pm – U15 SSC vs Scott Gallagher, Field 10
Sunday 8:00 am – U15 SSC vs Milwaukee SC, Field 10
Sunday 12:30 pm – U15 SSC vs Scott Gallagher IL, Field 14
Saturday 12:00 pm – U14 SSC vs KC Legends, Field 1
Saturday 12:00 pm – U14 SSC vs BVSC Stars, Field 2
Saturday 4:30 pm – U14 Cobras (Webb City) vs KC Legends, Field 3
Saturday 6:30 pm – U14 SSC vs BVSC Stars, Field 16
Sunday 11:00 am – U14 SSC vs Cobras (Webb City), Field 16
U13 Ozark Premier SA competes in the Boys Silver division with games at 2:00 and 6:30 pm on Saturday and on Sunday at 9:30 am and 5:00 pm.
U14 Girls (the oldest group competing, now that HS Girls has begun) includes the Springfield SC and the Ozark Xtreme. The two teams would only play each other if they reach the playoff round on Sunday afternoon which I’ll be watching for.
You can find them all on my calendar!
The Kansas City Wizards are holding their open Tryouts tomorrow in Kansas City. Once again this year the Queen City will be represented.
Down the Byline has a nice list of many of the players going through the tryout and their background information, I’m a bit surprised he missed our local product Matt Stufflebeam. That’s because Stufflebeam (pictured here working with the Hillcrest Lady Hornets, a regular gig for him the past several years) was one of the players who made it to the second day of tryouts last year in Kansas City.
Matt’s a familiar figure around town, playing regularly in the Adult leagues as well as his work with the Hornets and with youth at 1st Baptist Church in downtown Springfield. In fact he took a large van load up to KC for a late season Wizards game last Fall. In other words, Matt’s a great guy and a great story regardless of the results of the tryouts.
RIP – Charles Edward Stufflebeam
CHICAGO (March 3, 2009) — Tickets for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Honduras on June 6 in Chicago will go on sale beginning March 14 to the general public. Kickoff at Soldier Field is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision.
Advance tickets ranging in price levels from $25 to $150 go on sale to the public Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. CT through ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout Chicagoland (including Carson Pirie Scott, Hot Tix, FYE and Ritmo Latino stores).
As a sponsor of U.S. Soccer, Visa® is pleased to offer all Visa cardholders access to an advance ticket sale for this match before the sale to the general public. This advance sale starts Thursday, March 12, at 10 a.m. CT and runs until Saturday, March 14, at 8 a.m. CT at ussoccer.com. Visa will be the only payment method accepted through the Visa presale and is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer. Terms and conditions apply.
Despite years of soccer history, Chicago’s Soldier Field will be hosting a World Cup qualifier for the first time. The U.S. has a lifetime record of 3-3-2 in the stadium by Lake Michigan, including a 2-1 victory against Mexico in the final of the 2007 Gold Cup before a sold-out crowd of 60,000 fans. Overall, five of the eight matches at Soldier Field have drawn more than 40,000 supporters.
