The 2004, 2005 and 2006 teams all participated in the CJSL Winter Indoor League, which ran from January to March, 2019. The league was hotly contested across the age groups with the premier New York clubs locking horns in the metaphorical coliseum that is the SoFive Indoor arena. After eight weeks of play, when the dust had finally settled, FA Euro was the name on everybody’s lips, having finished first or second in each of the age groups in which it participated. The 2006 boys came back to grab second place (only missed out on first by way of goal-difference) after a disappointing start to the season—their turnaround emblematic of the improvements made by each of the FA Euro teams and players throughout the winter. The 2005 boys finished in second place as well, having grown in stature week over week. The 2004 boys took home the main prize, jumping, dramatically, from fourth to first on the final day of the competition.
The Club is extremely proud of these results, but more so, the boys’ performances and the style of football they displayed. A feature of each age group’s play was the use of the goalkeeper as an outfield player and the significant ball possession advantage that came with it. From 2004 through 2006 the FA Euro players looked assured in possession and technically superior to their opponents. More importantly, perhaps, and in keeping with FA Euro player-development mission, each team featured a significant number of players “called-up” from younger age groups.
Adam Marcu, the Club’s Director of Youth Operations reflected proudly on the winter season as a whole. “Our boys were just fantastic, and an absolute pleasure to watch. The improvement over the course of two months was breathtaking—it was something like I’ve never seen before. The football was brilliant, but so were the effort levels, and the commitment of our players. Not a single parent or player complained when we moved quite a few players up to play with older age groups, even when those decisions made it, seemingly, more difficult for us to win games. It demonstrates the level of trust we have built up between our coaches, players and parents. I saw a new side to a lot of our kids this winter. It’s like they grew five years in a matter of months. I couldn’t be more pleased for them. But we must remain alert and focused now. We can’t get caught up in this moment. The improvement the kids have made this winter only serves as a reminder of how much they can accomplish if they continue on the path we have set out for them. There is no end, really; only to see how far you can get before colleges, USL and professional teams start looking for players your age. So we keep moving forward. I can’t wait to see all our boys out on the field this Spring.”
Coaches Joseph, Glendon, Ben, Adam and Johan have consulted and named a Most Valuable Player (“MVP”) and Most Improved Player (“MIP”) for each age group over the winter season.
Honorable Mentions: Gianluca Convertini (2006), Jacob Kumer (2005), Timofey Dikarev (2004).
2006
MVP: Jude Boyle
MIP: Kevin Tipas
2005
MVP: Avinash Singh
MIP: Brian Arias
2004
MVP: Anthony Vazquez
MIP: John T. Mendes