U.S. ROUTS CLUB TEAM IN FINAL FUTSAL TUNEUP
Keith Tozer’s squad opens CONCACAF play on Tuesday vs. Haiti
Guatemala City, Guatemala (May 31, 2008) — Watching his 1-year-old son fascinates Mike Apple. The low-maintenance tot has learned not to touch the TV and be gentle with the dog as he soaks up the words and actions of his parents.
Apple, a forward on the U.S. national futsal team, is growing in this sport in much the same way. He’d never played organized futsal before last month’s training trip to Miami and Brazil, yet will be counted on to provide points when the team begins the CONCACAF Championships here Tuesday against Haiti.
Apple assisted on four goals and scored one Saturday as the Americans routed Guatemalan club team Ferretaria el Trebol 13-0 in their final exhibition match.
A target forward for the Detroit Ignition of the Major Indoor Soccer League, Apple is seeing his first international action this year as part of Keith Tozer’s 12-man squad. His role is very similar to his MISL job, posting up in the attacking end and looking for runners off the ball.
“The toughest thing for me has been getting used to the smaller ball, finding it under my foot,” said the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Akron native.
He did it well Saturday, recording all his points in the first half as the U.S. rolled to an 11-0 halftime margin. He fed Pat Morris streaking into the area for the Americans’ second goal, assisted Chile Farias for the third and then set up goals 6 and 7 just 20 seconds apart. With 1:43 remaining in the half, he scored his goal on a pass from Sandre Naumoski.
“As far as the work ethic and the intensity, we wanted to take it up 3-4 levels from Friday, and we did that today,” said U.S. Head Coach Keith Tozer. “With that intensity, we moved the ball better on offense.”
Farias scored four goals and Denison Cabral added three goals and three assists for the U.S. Jeff Richey made seven saves for the shutout, including one 10-meter penalty shot.
“They’ve all made great strides,” Tozer said of his team. “We have five guys who had never played futsal before last month.”
Apple is one of those five, but — like a 1-year-old boy learning about this big world — is rapidly becoming comfortable.
“If a defender is going to stand behind me, I feel pretty confident that I can find someone running by,” Apple said.
The U.S. is in Group B with Haiti, Panama and Costa Rica. The top three teams advance to the FIFA Futsal World Championships in Brazil in October.
Participants: U.S. National Futsal Team vs. Ferretaria el Trebol
Competition: Exhibition
Location: Bremen Domo, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Date: May 31, 2008
Scoring Summary:
USA 11
Winasor 0
USA — Own goal, 1st minute
USA — Pat Morris, 4th minute
USA — Chile Farias, 7th minute
USA — Denison Cabral, 11th minute
USA — Chile Farias, 13th minute
USA — Andy Rosenband, 14th minute
USA — Ptah Myers, 14th minute
USA — Denison Cabral, 16th minute
USA — Denison Cabral, 19th minute
USA — Mike Apple, 19th minute
USA — Sandre Naumoski, 19th minute
USA — Chile Farias, 30th minute
USA — Chile Farias, 38th minute
Matt Schroeder
Director of Public, Media and Community Relations
Milwaukee Wave professional indoor soccer
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