Tozer Announces 14-Player Roster for FIFA 2008 Futsal World Cup in Brazil

CHICAGO (Sept. 16, 2008) - U.S. Futsal National Team head Coach Keith Tozer has named a squad of 14 players for the upcoming FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil.

"I'm excited about the team that we're taking to Brazil," said Tozer. "We are a young team, not only in age but in experience. However, at the same time we are a talented team that can only get better the deeper we go."

Of the 14 players named to the FIFA World Cup squad, 11 took part in June's CONCACAF Futsal Championship, where the U.S. finished third. The team will travel to Brazil on Sept. 24, stationing itself in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the tournament's opening. The U.S. will train in the city and play a friendly with current World champions Spain on Sept. 28.

Two players on the squad have prior Futsal World Cup experience, with forward Jamar Beasley and defender Pat Morris having played in the 2004 tournament in Chinese Taipei. Beasley, a rookie with the team, concluded the tournament with two goals and two assists, while Morris also a contributed a goal in the USA’s seventh place finish in Asia. Midfielder Matthew Stewart lead the U.S. with five goals in the CONCACAF Championship, while goalkeepers Jeff Richey and Nick Vorberg split time in the net during the tournament.

Midfielder Denison Cabral, himself a native Brazilian, captained the side throughout the tournament and he will reprise the role for the team in the World Cup.

U.S. Futsal National Team

2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup

Roster By Position

• Goalkeepers (2): Jeff Richey (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Nick Vorberg (Grants Pass, Ore.)
• Defenders (2): Joe Hammes (Cedarburg, Wis.), Pat Morris (Philadelphia, Pa.)
• Midfielders (6): Denison Cabral (Florianopolis, Brazil), Andrew Jacobsen (Palo Alto, Calif.), Ptah Myers (Columbus, Ohio), Sandre Naumoski (Philadelphia, Pa.), Andy Rosenband (Hammond, Ind.), Matthew Stewart (El Paso, Texas)
• Forwards (4): Mike Apple (Akron, Ohio), Jamar Beasley (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Chile Farias (Los Angeles, Calif.), Brett Wiesner (Brookfield, Wis.).

U.S. Futsal National Team Staff
Head Coach: Keith Tozer
Assistant Coach: Vilmar "VAVA" Marques
Goalkeeper Coach: Mark Litton
Team Coordinator: Bryan Koch
Team Doctor: Dr. Robert Lim
Team Doctor: Dr. Nicholas Romansky
Athletic Trainer: Tony Rill
Equipment Coordinator: Marthell Vazquez
Press Officer: Mark Liskevych

____________________________________________

Group B - Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Paraguay and USA.

• Sept. 30
  Paraguay vs. USA
  Rio de Janeiro
  11:30 a.m. (ET)
  
• Oct. 2
  USA vs. Italy
  Rio de Janeiro
  11:30 a.m. (ET)
  
• Oct. 4
  Thailand vs. USA
  Rio de Janeiro
  9:30 a.m. (ET)
  
• Oct. 6
  Portugal vs. USA
  Rio de Janeiro
  9:30 a.m. (ET)

USA Futsal Captain Denison Cabral Story

Denison Cabral has never been one to back down from a challenge. Having arrived in the United States from Brazil in 1994, the Baltimore Blast’s all-time leading point scorer is adept at starting things from scratch. In the past two years, the diminutive five-time Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star has taken on one of his toughest challenges yet, building the popularity of soccer’s lesser-known cousin, futsal.

Denison Cabral has never been one to back down from a challenge. Having arrived in the United States from Brazil in 1994, the Baltimore Blast’s all-time leading point scorer is adept at starting things from scratch.
In the past two years, the diminutive five-time Major Indoor Soccer League All-Star has taken on one of his toughest challenges yet, building the popularity of soccer’s lesser-known cousin, futsal.

Four Denison Cabral Futsal Academy teams finished in the top three of their age groups in July's Futsal National Championship.(Denison Cabral Futsal Academy)
Extremely popular in many parts of the world, futsal is an indoor, faster-paced version of soccer. The five-on-five matches are played on courts similar to those used for basketball. Instead of throw-ins there are kick-ins, and unlike the indoor game played by the Blast, there are out-of-bounds lines, so players are unable to rely on walls to save any errant passes or shots. These rules form a sport that stresses a player’s touch and overall confidence on the ball, as opposed to pure athletic ability.
Hoping to capitalize on the high-scoring nature of the sport, Cabral formed the Denison Cabral Futsal Academy (DCFA) in 2007. Based out of the Maryland SportsPlex in Millersville, of which Cabral is part owner, DCFA houses competitive club teams for boys and girls ages 10-19.
“Everywhere all over the world they play futsal,” Cabral said. “I played futsal my entire life before coming to America to play indoor. Before, there were tournaments to participate in but not too many real leagues.”
Guided by his many years of futsal experience, Cabral did not take long to have his teams reach a level of success to which he is accustomed.

Denison Cabral
During July’s Futsal National Championship, played at the Baltimore Convention Center, four DCFA teams finished in the top three of their age groups. The girls under-12 team, DCFA Flamengo F.C., took home the club’s only gold medal of the competition.
While most American sports fans are unfamiliar with futsal, Cabral is not surprised by the growing popularity of the sport.
“It’s unbelievable to see how much people like the game,” he said. “It takes one time to play. You play it maybe one season and then we have kids in our club who prefer to play year-round, who would even quit playing outdoor.”
According to Cabral, the key to futsal’s newfound success in the area is how it keeps each player in the middle of the action. “In outdoor, with 11 players, you can be 50, 60, 80 yards away from play … you’re not really involved," Cabral said. "In futsal, you’re more involved. At any time you can get a shot, at any time you can block a shot, at any time the ball is close to your feet.”
With such close quarters, players must learn to handle the ball with care and confidence.
“You get a better touch, you get better control,” Cabral said. “You see the top players in the world outdoors -- Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, [Landon] Donovan -- all of them have futsal backgrounds. Those guys played futsal when they were younger, and you see the difference in foot skills.”
Apart from the immediate success of DCFA, Cabral, who became an American citizen last year, has used futsal to elevate his own career. In September and October, he will represent the United States in the FIFA Futsal World Cup, held in his home country of Brazil.
“I was born in Brazil but today, with the citizenship, I’m an American, and I play for the futsal national team and I serve as the captain,” he said. “That’s a dream, that’s how far you can go.”
Cabral hopes the young members of DCFA will share his dream of international success. “I know all of our kids think that one day they can be the one playing for the national team," Cabral said. "And why not?”

Four Denison Cabral Futsal Academy teams finished in the top three of their age groups in July's Futsal National Championship.(Denison Cabral Futsal Academy)

Source http://www.pressboxonline.com/

U.S. Comes from behind to Beat Japan, 2-1, in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (Sept. 14, 2008) - Two second half goals from Jamar Beasley spurred the U.S. National Futsal Team to a comeback victory over Japan on Sunday at the Kern Center.

Kogure and Takahashi, who both play professionally in Spain, were unavailable for Friday's game against the U.S. and just arrived in the Japanese camp yesterday. However, their quality was apparent, and early in the second half, Kogure was the architect of the game's first goal.In the 26th minute, Japan put together a patient attacking move that culminated in Kogure feeding Yuki Kanyama in the center of the court. Kanayama took one touch before firing into the roof of the net from ten yards out to give Japan the lead. The advantage was just reward for the visitors, who had rattled the U.S. with their excellent possession in the early second half.

However, the U.S. response was admirable, and five minutes later they were level.

Friday night's draw saw the U.S. score twice from set pieces and on Sunday they were at it again. From a free kick, Denison Cabral's low pass was dummied by Pat Morris before it reached Beasley at the far post. The play completely fooled the Japanese defense, and Beasley was left with a simple tap in to level the score."It was a play that we use a lot, where we overload one side," said Beasley, who earned Sierra Mist Man of the Match Honors for his performance. "[Morris] dummied the pass and I was right behind the goalie, just like Coach Tozer drew it up. We executed it really well"

Eventually the extra attacker gamble would come back to haunt Japan, and in the 38th minute, the U.S. capitalized.

A turnover in the U.S. area brought a counter attack that left the Japanese out of position. Morris was able to square the ball to Beasley who finished past the despairing Rikanado Higa.The goal was Beasley's second of the game, and it provided the U.S. with a deserved win at the end of an exciting weekend in Milwaukee. Next up for the U.S. National Futsal Team, is the announcement of the roster for the FIFA World Cup. On Monday, Sept. 15, Keith Tozer will unveil the squad that will travel to Brazil later this month.

The U.S. has been drawn into Group B with along with Italy, Portugal, Thailand and Paraguay.

Overall, the games over the weekend provided the perfect buildup to the U.S.' departure for Brazil.

"With all the games and all the fans here cheering us on, this weekend has been a big boost for us," said Beasley, "from here we're just going to keep moving forward."

U.S. National Futsal Team Draws Japan, 4-4, in Thrilling Game in Milwaukee

Milwaukee (Sept. 12, 2008) - The U.S. National Futsal Team played Japan to a 4-4 draw.



A Japan tying goal with just seconds left in the game made for a tough end to a busy day for the U.S. team, who defeated club side NY Ecuador FC, 10-1, earlier in the morning. Japan was always going to be a stern test for Keith Tozer's side, and the U.S. head coach looked at the game in terms of of the team's growth ahead of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, which begins later this month."An experience like this is invaluable for our team," said Tozer. "We scored four really nice goals and I thought we defended really well at times throughout the game. There were a lot of positives to take and we'll dwell on those heading into the rest of the weekend."The U.S. took the game to their opponents early on. The match's high tempo allowed the U.S. to dictate the pace to Japan in the first few minutes of the game, and eventually the pressure told. The halftime score was 3-3, with both teams knowing full well that the goals were unlikely to be finished for the night.

Sure enough, after coming out reenergized in the second period, the U.S. again took the lead. Once more it was a dead ball situation that provided the breakthrough, with Joe Hammes backheel setting up Pat Morris for a clear shot at goal. Morris' blast was never going to be saved, and after 23 minutes the U.S. had restored its advantage. The U.S. tried to put the clamps on the Japanese attack and U.S. goalkeeper Brett Phillips repelled a series of difficult chances from the visitors. However, Inaba continued to cause problems and only the post came to Phillips' rescue in the 27th minute.In the 36th minute, Japan opted for a sixth attacker but still Brazilian Sergio Sapo's team could not find the desired breakthrough. Shot after shot flew wide of the U.S. goal but eventually the pressure would prove to be too much. With just seconds to go, Yuki Kanayama squared the ball across the goal for Maeda who composed himself to tap in the equalizer. In the end, the buzzer called time on what was probably a fair result for the teams, both of whom will be participating in the

FIFA Futsal World Cup starting later this month.

The U.S. kicks off it's World Cup campaign on Sept. 30, having been drawn into Group B with along with Italy, Portugal, Thailand and Paraguay.

"We were thinking three points and ended up with one point. It's something that we'll hopefully learn from when we go [to Brazil for the FIFA Futsal World Cup]," said Tozer who, despite the draw, stressed the numerous encouraging points on the night.

The U.S. faces Japan again on Sunday, with kickoff at the Kern Center scheduled for 1 p.m.

Day one in Brazil for the National Team

Criciuma City, Brazil

September 04, 2008

This week has consisted of positive training and scrimmages against top Futsal clubs in Brazil. The following is a recap of games and an updated schedule of the US Futsal National team. The main goal is finishing the first part of pre-season in preparation for the 2008 Fifa Futsal World Cup in Rio De Janiero, Brazil beginning Sept. 30th.

The US team has played three matches challenging two professional D1 teams in the beginning of the week; UNISUL and UNISEC. Loosing the first game against UNISUL 6-0, the first place team in the professional Brazilian Futsal league, was difficult but a great learning experience for the group. The US team was loosing 2-0 before 3 minutes left in the match but after pulling the 5th attacker and looking to get the magic goal, the experienced Brazilian team countered scoring four additional goals. The Brazilians were surprised to see a hard working and solid defensive unit from such a young team. The goals were a result in simple mistakes which were reviewed the following day through an intense and positive training session conducted by head coach, Keith Tozer and assistant coach, Vava Marquez.

The second game was a definite improvement by the US side. The squad played with a more compact defense allowing only one goal before half time. During the second half, Sandre Namouski played a well weighted pass into the feet of Matthew Stewart who finished cleanly. The Brazilians were able to rebuddle with 3 more goals in the 2nd half, finishing the game 4-1. While the score may not have dictated the game, there were positives to take from the match.

The third game was a rematch against UNISEC. Again, the US side improved their abilities both offensively and defensively. The US was able to score first through a nice combination between Brett Weisner and Pat Morris. After leading the first half 1-0, the Brazilian side managed to score 2 goals in the second half, winning the game 2-1.

The past 3 games have been ideal for the US team in preperation for the Futsal World Cup. Each game presented different challenges allowing us to further improve our game. Each traning session and game, the team gained more chemistry and knowledge. These games in Criciuma have been nothing but positive and we look forward to getting a result Friday in Florianopolis.

After the Brazilian camp we will resume training in Milwaukee, WI. There we will play 4 games, 2 against the Japan national team and 2 against a talented New York side in order to finalize our preparation for the World Cup.

We appreciate all your support!

2008 U.S. Futsal National Championship in Baltimore

The two top Futsal clubs in the state of Maryland put on a show at the Futsal Nationals this year. Denison Cabral Futsal Academy (DCFA) and Southern Maryland Futsal Club (SMFC) collect eight medals this weekend in Baltimore playing against some of the top Futsal clubs from all over the country such as MACSA (CA), LSTS Futsal (NJ), New England Futsal Academy, Manhattan Kickers, WI Futsal Academy, San Francisco Boys & Girls, Di Bufala Sport Club and others.

Under 11 Girls Division
Daynattiville(Champions)
**SMFC Wolverines (Second place)

Under 12 Girls Division
**DCFA FLAMENGO (Champions)
Explosion Fire (Second place)

Under 16 Girls Division
**SMFC U16's (Champions)
LSTS United (Second place)

Under 19 Women's Division
LES BOIS U17 ELITE (Champions)
**SMFC U19's (Second place)
**DCFA Palmeiras (Third place)

Women's Open Division
HPC EAGLES (Champions)
**SMFC (Second place)

Under 14 Boys Division
MOUNTAIN LIONS (Champions)
EXPOS (Second place)
**DCFA Corinthians (Third place)

Under 15 Boys Division
LSTS FUTSAL (Champions)
**DCFA U-15 Cruzeiro (Second place)


Thanks to the referee's for volunteering they're time and supporting the event. Come on ref!! lol (Just kidding) You guys did great, thanks again.


Hey futsal friends,
Let's take this opportunity and thank our Vice President of US Futsal and President of Maryland Futsal, Mr. James Oman for the great support and hard work. We appreciate his dedication and help for the success of the National Futsal tournament here in Baltimore for the first time ever! Thanks Mr. Oman :)



Thanks to all the volunteer's and the staff for your help and hard work.



THANKS US FUTSAL FOR THE GREAT TOURNAMENT! WE WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR...


NOTE: Congratulations to MAGIC SANTOS (Boys U12
Champions) and CHARM CITY (Men's open Champions) both also from Maryland.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SEND US PICTURES OF THE TOURNAMENT AND INFO. ABOUT YOUR CLUB OR TEAM.

SMFC Place third in the Golden Cup

Guarda City, Portugal (July 7, 2008)- The Southern Marland Futsal Club Men´s team placed third place after beating Angola (Africa) futsal team 9-7. After a slow start, SMFC was down 2-0 early, and went into the locker room down 3-2 at half time. The second half was controlled by SMFC, and did a much better job finishing their chances; and at one point SMFC were up three goals. The Angolans scored a couple of late goals, and after pulling their goalkeeper, SMFC scored a late goal to seal the win.
SMFC finished third behind 1st place Benfica (Lisbon, Portugal), and 2nd place Coimbra (Coimbra, Portugal). SMFC were also able to pick other individual honors along their way to receiving their third place medals; Mike Shifflet was named Most Valuable Goalkeeper of the tournament; Denison Cabral was named Most Valuable Player for the third place match, and Garfield Shaw was named Most Valuable Player for SMFC´s win over Limeirinha (Guarda, Portugal).

Trip to Portugal was a success for SMFC

Guarda City, Portugal (July 7, 2008)-After losing a close first match to Coimbra Futsal Club (Coimbra, Portugal) 7-4, SMFC bounced back and beat Limeirinha (Guarda Portugal) 9-7, and finished second overall in their group. SMFC started out both matches down 2-0, and at times had problems defending both Coimbra and Limeirinha, but SMFC had no problems scoring goals; SMFC were able to score 13 goals in the two games.

SMFC Futsal team arrives in Guarda - Portugal for the Golden Cup tournament

Guarda City, Portugal (July 4, 2008)- Happy 4th of July! The SMFC team arrived in Portugal late yesterday, after travelling nearly 24 hrs, and still trying to adapt to the 5 hr time difference. After the SMFC´s arrival, coach Danny took the team through a light training session last night, following dinner.
After a good night sleep, SMFC are getting resting today and preparing for the first game, tonight at 6pm, against Coimbra (Portugal), and the second game will be at 10pm against Limeirinha (Portugal).
To Follow the team, you can click on http://www.kebrostress.com/KEBROSITE/GoldenCup08/index.html. The next post will be tomorrow morning.

Tozer's U.S. Futsal squad still alive

By: Charles F. Gardner
JS Online
Keith Tozer's excellent futsal adventure just keeps going and going.







The U.S. national futsal team extended its time on the court with a 7-1 victory over Panama in the third-place game of the CONCACAF championships, held last week in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Despite not having a single returning player from its 2004 CONCACAF gold-medal winning team, the U.S. and coach Tozer qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Championships, to be held this fall in Brazil.

"If we had lost, the (U.S.) futsal program probably would have gone dormant," the Milwaukee Wave coach said of the importance of claiming the third and final regional qualifying spot. "Now we're hopping on the treadmill, and instead of jogging, we're in a high sprint."

Chicago Storm player and former Wave midfielder Matt Stewart scored three goals in the second half against Panama, and Philadelphia Kixx defender Pat Morris added two goals in the victory.

The U.S. defeated Haiti, 5-3, tied Panama, 1-1, and routed Costa Rica, 6-2 in the group stage of the tournament, but host Guatemala posted a 4-0 victory over the Americans in the semifinals. That set up the must-win game against Panama.

"Panama likes to drop back in a diamond zone defense," Tozer said. "So we decided to change strategy and drop back and counterattack. To make it work, we needed to get the first goal, and we did (a restart goal by Morris in the seventh minute)."
Tozer has coached the U.S. futsal team since 1996 and is now introducing a completely new set of players to the five-a-side game.

Baltimore Blast star Denison Cabral, a native of Brazil but now a U.S. citizen, is the captain of the squad. He grew up playing the game, but that's not the case for his teammates.

Also playing a key role on the reshaped squad is Detroit Ignition forward Jamar Beasley, brother of U.S. national team midfielder DaMarcus Beasley.

Cabral and Beasley sat out the semifinal vs. Guatemala due to yellow-card accumulation (two yellows meant a suspension).

The game was tied at halftime, but Guatemala scored twice in a 2-minute span before scoring twice more when Tozer pulled goalkeeper Nick Vorberg and went for a fifth attacker. Vorberg was the only Wave player on the squad.
"There was a crowd of more than 8,000, and I could not communicate with a player 10 feet in front of me, it was so loud," Tozer said. "They had drums, music. The atmosphere was electrifying."

The world championships draw is set for July 10, and a field of 20 teams will participate, with four groups of five countries each.

Tozer said he has spoken with U.S. Soccer Federation officials, and he has been given approval for a trip to Europe in late August and a trip to Central America in September for tune-up matches before the world championships.

"Our men's and women's national teams play more exhibition and friendly matches than any other federation in the world," Tozer said. "They've really gone out there to help our country in futsal."