The Ottawa South United Force tested themselves against some of the best competition in North America over the holiday break, and the result was remarkable all around.
The trip to Florida was particularly special for the 1997 boys, who came away with a Disney Soccer Showcase tournament championship in the pre-academy division.
“We always knew they were a strong group of boys, and I think finally everybody put it together,” says OSU general manager Jim Lianos. “They grew up as a team, and as individuals, at that tournament. They showed what they’re made of.”
In the group stage, the Force played a scoreless match against their U.S. affiliate club, the Dallas Texans, beat a USSF academy team from Kendall, FL 1-0 and then topped an MLS DC United academy side 1-0, with Vana Markarian scoring the lone marker in both contests.
OSU wound up facing the Ontario Cup and national champions from Dixie in the final, coming out with a 2-0 victory on goals by Yousef Aldaqqaq.
The perfect defensive record throughout the event was partly the product of the team’s two standout centre backs, Sanchit Gupta and Charles Andrascik.
“I’ve told the college coaches down there, ‘If you guys are looking for defenders on scholarships, take these two as a group and you’ll never have to worry about your defence until they graduate,” Lianos highlights, calling the pair the two best defenders in Ontario. “They’re that good.”
Minus a small handful, the group of players that went 12-2-4 in the Ontario Youth Soccer League last summer have all been together at OSU since age 8 or 9. The team’s coach is Russell Shaw, who was only home a few days after the event before heading back south for his wedding in Jamaica.
Add that to a long list of reasons for the club to celebrate. Also at Disney, the ’95 boys were undefeated in group play with a win and two ties, which moved them into the bronze medal match where they came back from a 3-1 deficit with 15 minutes left to win 4-3.
“That’s a very good group of boys that showed a lot of character and determination to win the bronze,” Lianos notes.
The ’96 boys were also competitive in one-goal losses in the U15/16 academy division, and the ’98 girls went 1-2. Simply being invited to take part in the #1-ranked showcase tournament in North America puts the participants in elite company.
“The fact that out of five Canadian teams in that boys’ tournament, three were OSU’s tells you something about how good our kids, and our teams, are,” Lianos signals, noting that there can be between 20-30 college coaches watching any match.
“When we first went there in 2007 with the ’91 boys, we were just hoping to be able to compete and wanted the boys to get looked at,” he adds. “Now we’re not only competing, we’re actually winning at the top level in the USSF academy division.”
Younger Force groups also made a name for themselves earlier at the Disney Junior Soccer Showcase. The Force 2000 boys won their division and the 2000 girls earned bronze.
“Even I am surprised about how quickly tangible and consistent success has come,” says OSU president Bill Michalopulos, whose club turns 10 years old this year. “It just goes to show you what an organized program and passionate OSU players and coaches can do.
“The best thing is that OSU is providing opportunities and we are very pleased to see our players and teams taking advantage of them.”