The MetroStars U-16's won a hard fought game against Northwest powerhouse Washington Crossfire 2-1 at Ed Racine Park Saturday afternoon.
The result, combined with a tie between Toms River Boca and West Kendall, means the Metros team clinched the group and their place in the knockout round.
Both teams were in high gear right as the game started as there was physical play on both ends.
The MetroStars started to dominate play in the middle of the first half, and were rewarded with a late goal off a corner. Defender Andrew Cuevas headed a throw in from John Tardy over a diving keeper into the net.
However, during halftime, head coach Paul O'Donnell made sure that his players didn't get lazy with the lead.
"I don't think personally that this team poses that much of a danger, but that's when teams are most dangerous; when you guys fall asleep," O'Donnell said. "You have to stay alert for 40 minutes."
The players obviously listened to the coach's advice as midfielder Matt Kassel scored in the first few minutes of the second half. Kassel took a hard left-footed shot form outside the 18 that went into the net.
It was an impressive goal by Kassel, who had just arrived in Tampa.
"I flew in this morning so I was a little tired," he said. "But I was able to get the game winner, fortunately for us."
The Crossfire took one back minutes later when Daniel Gray fired a shot into the corner of the net.
However, the MetroStars turned up the intensity and never looked back. They were able create plenty of scoring chances throughout the game, which could have easily been 4-1.
O'Donnell was happy with the team's progress.
"It's good to go to a tournament and go through the first two games," he said. "Now we just have to evaluate what we do in the third game on. Obviously we want to keep moving forward."
Goal scorer Cuevas was also pleased with the team's strong effort.
"I think our team did really well today," he said. "Defensively our team wasn't doing so good in the second half, but we battled until the end."
Even though the MetroStars have clinched their place in the knockout stages, O'Donnell still wants to win against West Kendall on Sunday.
"We always have to stay strong," he said. "That's the most important thing. We want to go into the final going 3-0."
Cuevas believes that the U-16's previous experience in the North American Finals will be invaluable in staying motivated.
"I think we've just got to stay motivated because we've been here before," he said. "We played in this last year and we were disappointed. This year the only thing in our mind is a trophy."
MetroStars U-14's tie reigning U-14 National Champion Whitecaps
The MetroStars U-14's played to a 1-1 tie against reigning U-14 champion Vancouver Whitecaps Thursday on the campus of the University of South Florida Saturday afternoon.
The team was anything but satisfied with the result, though, as they created many scoring chances and dominated the first half of play.
"It was a complete turnaround from the other day," said head coach Stan Lembryk. "It was very good -- a strong performance, maybe a little bit unlucky today. We hit a couple of crossbars and another one was saved off the line."
The U-14's had a good chance on a free kick that curled perfectly over the wall, but hit the crossbar and bounced on the goal line.
The MetroStars clearly wanted to win this game and fought had for every ball.
The team was finally able to put one home when Evans Asiamah received a cross in the middle of the box. He was able to avoid the tackle of a defender and quickly took a hard left-footed shot from 10 yards out that went in.
The MetroStars defense was solid in the first half, as well. They were able to completely shut down Whitecaps Striker Tommy Cui, who had just come off a four-goal performance in his club's previous game.
The Metros were flying high at the half and may have celebrated their lead a little too much as the Whitecaps were able to score the equalizer in the first minute of the second stanza. Whitecaps midfielder Ivor Evans was able to break through the MetroStars defense and shoot the ball into the bottom left corner from 15 yards out.
The Whitecaps then continued to turn up the intensity of the game both in their physical play and scoring chances. The MetroStars looked like they tired themselves out in the first half and struggled to keep the Whitecaps at bay.
As the half wore on, the MetroStars were finally able to start clicking again and pass the ball. Forward Sam Kotowski provided an offensive spark for the team in the second half. Kotowski attributed his energy to a second half break.
"Coach gave me a good break towards the middle of the game," Kotowski said. "I just drank some water. I just felt like I had to stay energized the whole game for us to win."
However, the teams held each other to a stalemate for the rest of the game and settled for the draw.
Goal scorer Asiamah was disappointed in the result.
"We started off good at the beginning," he said. "We were outplaying the team. I think we didn't finish the chances that we should have, and I think we deserved to win."
Lembryk knows that tying the reigning U-14 champions was a good accomplishment.
"Vancouver has been one of the best teams in North America, so a 1-1 results still keeps us in the tournament, and we have everything to fight for tomorrow."
However, the Whitecaps currently have the advantage as the team to move onto the knockout stages because they've scored two more goals than the MetroStars.
Lembryk is not looking too far ahead.
"The only thing we can do is worry about the things we can control," he said. "And the only thing we can control tomorrow is the way we play and have a good result. Hopefully the other things take care of themselves and work through."
Asiamah knows that the team is capable of moving into the knockout stage.
"We just need to keep on doing what we did the first game," he said. "We have to play hard all game and not calm down."
Kotowski thinks that the team must take full advantage of their chances to advance.
"I think we're going to have to put the ball away and finish our chances because if we don't, we're not going to be able to play through the knockout stages."
