By Dan Plouffe
As Canada and the U.S. battled tooth and nail overseas in Olympic women’s soccer action, the same type of matchup took place in Manotick at the inaugural Aug. 3-6 Showcase of Champions tournament run by Ottawa South United Soccer Club.
But after the ’99 Force Academy White girls went toe-to-toe with the Dallas Texans, it was all smiles on both sides as they exchanged pins with Canada and USA/Texas flags on them.
“They love it,” notes OSU coach Taylor Lincoln. “They had a lot of fun with that.”
For Texans coach Jason Glotzbach, the trip all the way to Ottawa for the “top-notch” tournament was worthwhile.
“We get the experience of playing different teams in a different setting. We play the same teams over and over in north Texas,” notes Glotzbach, whose team was knocked out by the second-place finishers, the Ottawa Internationals. “And playing an age division up allows us to see that strength and size that we usually don’t always get to see.”
The participation of a team from Dallas in a first-time event is no coincidence. OSU has maintained an affiliation with the Texans for around five years. Force players will often appear as guest players for Dallas in big showcase tournaments south of the border.
The tournament followed the same format as events such as the Disney College Showcase, which meant quality games once a day instead of a more tiring schedule, highlights tournament organizer and OSU general manager Jim Lianos.
“We wanted to do a showcase tournament where the competition is very good – something different than what everyone else does,” Lianos adds, noting they turned away several teams that could have brought the total above the 100 mark. “For us it wasn’t the quantity that was important, it was the quality.”
Teams from Edmonton also journeyed a long distance for the event OSU wants to further grow in future years. They hope word of mouth will help them attract more top-tier teams from farther, and that they can increase the number of coaches and scouts attending the event from the two dozen that came for round one.
While a college soccer career isn’t on the near horizon for Lincoln’s preteens, participating in an event like the Tournament of Champions showcase can be a useful endeavour for the younger age groups as well, she maintains.
“It gives them an opportunity to not be spellbound in the future when they are looking for scholarships,” explains the OSU women’s premiere team player. “They’ve already been through the process and kind of know what it’s about. The more exposure for these girls, the better really.”
Three local teams won division titles at the event held at George Nelms Fields and Ben Franklin Park. The OSU U14 girls’ were tournament champions, beating Waterloo and Oakville en route to their crown, while the West Ottawa Soccer Warriors knocked off the Cumberland Cobras 2-1 to take the U17 boys’ final.
The Capital United and OSU U17 girls wrote the latest chapter in their ongoing rivalry as Capital United scored a decisive 4-0 victory in this encounter. Capital United also reached the U13 boys’ final where they fell to Dixie.
Three other OSU squads were division finalists – the U16 boys, and the U15 and U16 girls