Thanksgiving weekend proved to be no holiday for the soccer teams competing in the inaugural adidas Champions Cup in Vancouver with Thompson Okanagan U18 boys and Mountain United FC U16 girls winning gold medals after a fierce weekend of close competition. The tournament comprised of teams from the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League was played over two days at Trillium Fields, Vancouver in front of numerous fans and supporters.
In the adidas Champions Cup boy’s competition, Thompson Okanagan U18s were rewarded for their long journey to Vancouver with gold medals as they overcame Fusion FC 5-3 on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 tie in the final game. The team also took home the two individual boys awards with the Golden Boot for top goalscorer being won by Andrew Stevenson and Austin Schneebeli winning the Best Defender award as voted by participating team coaches.
“Our team performed really well in what was a well-executed, well run tournament with great facilities and a high standard of play. We look forward to coming back next year and defending our title”, said Jason Thompson, coach of the victorious Thompson Okanagan boys’ team.
The girl’s cup was won by a very strong Mountain United FC U16 team who overcame some tough competition culminating in a 1-0 final win over Fusion FC with the winning goal coming from Sessen Stevens. Individual awards were also scooped by two of the stars from the Mountain United FC club with Stevens taking home the Golden Boot award for top goalscorer and Ruby Sandhu the Best Defender for her outstanding defensive performances.
"Mountain United FC was very happy to participate in the inaugural Adidas Cup and congratulates Adidas Canada and the Vancouver Whitecaps on coordinating a first class event. As for our U16 Girls Team, we couldn't be more proud of a group that not only claimed the Cup while competing at the U18 level, but did so with an attractive brand of possession and movement soccer that we hope to imprint in every team at our Club" said Frank Ciaccia, Technical Director of Mountain United FC.
“The adidas Champions Cup was a great way to highlight the many new launches and partnerships in soccer, in the province of BC for 2011; those partnerships being adidas, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, BC Soccer, and EA sports HPL league. It was a great event to be a part of as all of the partners involved were given an opportunity to pool their strengths to help build the beginning of a new annual event at a grass roots level. Events such as the adidas Champions Cup will help build the awareness of the development of elite soccer in BC. Moreover, to work with all of the clubs at a more intimate level was a great way to reach out to the players and all of the participants in the HPL organizations. We hope to work with all of our partners to continue to build this prestigious event, and strengthen the support of soccer development throughout the upcoming years” said Ashley Lawson, adidas Western Canada Sport Representative
“The adidas Championship Cup proved to be a great success for all involved,” said Dan Lenarduzzi, Whitecaps FC director of soccer development. “The environment that was created enabled players to showcase their talents while participating in a high standard of play. On behalf of Vancouver Whitecaps FC we would like to thank all players who participated and our partner adidas for putting on this inaugural tournament.”
“On behalf of the EA BC Soccer Premier League and its participating clubs, I would like to thank Adidas Canada for initiating the Adidas Champions Cup during this past Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was kind, the competition spirited, and the winners undetermined until the final whistle. Also, a special thanks the people at BC Soccer who supported the teams on the ground from Adidas and Vancouver Whitecaps FC so that collectively it made it all seem effortless,” said David Haber, interim President of the EA Sports BC Soccer Premier League.
