Team Georgia’s Road To Nationals
by Kayla Sobba
Congratulations to the three teams who represented Team Georgia at the 2018 US Youth Soccer National Championships. PPA KSA 04 Pro-Profile 14U Boys, PPA KSA 01 Pro-Profile 17U Boys, and AFC Lightning 99 Elite 19U Girls showcased their hard work they had put in all season long on the top stage in Frisco, Texas. All three teams showed determination and passion throughout each game but fell just shy of qualifying for the quarterfinals.
Head coach, Borfor Carr, led his 04 boy’s team through Southern Regionals, tying for the top two spots in pool play with two wins and one loss advancing them onto preliminaries. They went 2-1 in preliminaries moving them onto the quarterfinals. This team showed grit and determination and left it all out on the field in the final minutes at Southern Regionals.
While at Nationals, they faced tough competition but holding each game result to a tie. Having tied all three games, it left them out of advancing onto the preliminary rounds. They dug with everything they had during each game and Team Georgia could not be prouder of PPA KSA 04 Pro-Profile 14U Boys.
PPA KSA 01 Pro-Profile held a clean sweep through pool play at Southern Regionals led by head coach, Bruno Kalonji. With passion and drive, they proceeded onto preliminaries and proved yet again they came to play with three more big wins. Facing a team from North Carolina in the quarterfinals proved to be a small task as they had a huge win of 6-0 to bump them to the semifinals. The semifinal game proved to be a challenge, but Bruno led his team to a 1-0 victory to move through to the finals in true soccer passion. They were up against a gritty team from North Texas but came out victorious in a 2-1 battle to claim the championship at Southern Regionals.
In group play at Nationals, they came out with two wins and one tie to claim the top spot in their group. Through the preliminary round, they won two games and tied one game pushing them into the semifinal round. Playing against a tough team from Illinois, they battled the whole game but came up just short with a loss of 1-2. This team has a lot be proud of including their goalkeeper, Josue Hangi being awarded the 2018 Golden Glove Award at Nationals for 17U boys. Team Georgia was always rooting from afar and could not be happier with how far Bruno and his team finished.
Steve Muccillo and his 19U girls proved to be a force to be wrecking with in pool play at Southern Regionals with three dominate wins over their opponents. Having put 16 goals away in pool pay, they advanced straight to the semifinals.
They were up against a dominate North Carolina team but none the less came to play. The semifinal score being 2-0, it was the final game that was shown to be the most challenging. They were crowned champions with a 1-0 victory over a strong and technical Tennessee side. Their first game at Nationals left them with a tie against a talented team out of Utah. Finishing out the tournament with one win, one tie, and one loss left them out of the preliminary round due to goal differential. Team Georgia applauds your efforts and performances.
Team Georgia is beyond proud of the accomplishments of these three teams that worked day in and day out to display top quality soccer. Their dedication, hard work and persistence proved how far it can get you. Be proud of everything these teams achieved and how well they represented Georgia Soccer. Lastly, congratulations from everyone at Georgia Soccer on a job well done and good luck in your upcoming Fall club seasons!