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posted 01/20/2010
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posted 01/12/2010  The FC Copa girl’s side was well represented at the NJ Wildcats Tournament the weekend of December 5th and 6th, with two teams claiming championships. Both the FC Copa Real U15G and the FC Copa Fuego U18G (playing at U19) took home their respective division’s crown, despite freezing rain, snow, sleet, and wind.
This was the second early-season outing for both teams. After a good first showing two weeks earlier at the MSSL Winter College showcase after a high school season with many of the players’ teams reaching post-season play, Real and Fuego were firing on all cylinders for the first run of the NJ Wildcats Showcase.
Saturday’s games were played in the midst of a frigid early winter Nor’easter, with the weather running the gamut from wind-driven rain to sleet to snow at day’s end. The girl’s stayed focused and dispatched each of their two opponents on the day, giving up only a single goal each. Sunday brought a clearing in the weather but the wind and freezing temps remained. Fuego fought a tough dual with a determined Parsippany side, giving up a last minute goal, but their stingy defense for the weekend was sufficient to break the championship tie on fewest goals allowed. Real easily rolled past its opponent to finish undefeated, allowing just one goal to nine goals scored for the weekend.
Congratulations FC Copa Real and Fuego!
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posted 01/05/2010  Many of FC Copa’s U15 and older teams took the opportunity to shake off the dust immediately following the close of high school season (where many FC Copa players helped their teams advance deep into county and state championships) to participate in the MSSL 2009 Winter College Showcase tournament the weekends of November 21-22 and 27-29. While all the teams had a good opening start, one stood above the rest in claiming their division championship – FC Copa U16B Boca.
In their first competitive play together after only a couple of practice sessions, Boca opened the tournament with a hard fought game ending in a 2-1 loss. That was the only motivation the boy’s needed as they marched through the next three games without giving up a single goal. When the dust had settled, Boca sat at the top of the bracket, taking the championship away from the team that had woken them up in the first game.
This is the second straight tournament championship for the U16B Boca, who also won the boys Central Jersey Invitational tournament in July. All of which bodes well for a successful U16 season which will begin to expose the players to the college recruiting process.
Congratulations FC Copa Boca!
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posted 11/27/2009  FC Copa U18B Armada's Freddie Mundt playing for his HS team, Gill St. Bernard's, celebrates his game winning goal against St. Rose, as they went onto win 3-0 during their NJ Non-Public B Boys HS State Championship last Tuesday night at The College of New Jersey.
Freddie Mundt finished a scramble inside the six-yard box to start the scoring. ``We played well all over the field,'' Mundt said. ``I knew we were in control after the first half.''
Mundt, a member of the FC Copa Armada since its inception as a U15B team, credits his club development as being a major part of why he saw great success with his HS team as a senior.
All of us at FC Copa would like to congratulate Freddie on the exciting conclusion to his HS soccer career!
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posted 11/27/2009  Seton Hall Prep capped a storybook season with a 1-0 victory over CBA in the Non-Public A state final Tuesday night at The College of New Jersey. Playing prominent roles for SHP this fall were four members of the Copa Forza U17B team: Matty Berman, Devin Perlee, Owen Buckley and Linas Razgaitis.
The win gave The Prep a 20-2-1 record, was the third championship for the team this fall and solidified the team as #1 ranked team in The Star-Ledger final season poll. Amongst Seton Hall's championships this season is the inaugural Super Essex Conference, American Division, and shared the Essex County Tournament title with Millburn
Berman was the center midfielder for the team and finished the season with three goals and 19 assists. He was also a captain of the squad. Devin Perlee was a major force at outside midfielder and striker until he went down with a back injury in the County final. Perlee still managed to amass five goals and nine assists. Buckley was the starting outside back until he suffered an ankle injury in the County final, Fortunately he was able to return for the final two games of the state tournament, playing a major role in stifling both CBA and Don Bosco, which was the Number 1 team in the state until Seton Hall beat them in the North Jersey final. Razgaitis missed the first half of the season as he recovered from a broken tibia suffered over the summer. His return proved fortuitous as he stepped in for the injured Buckley and was a key member of the defense that allowed only two goals in five state tournament games and fashioned 11 shutouts, including two shutouts of Millburn, the county final and the game that clinched the conference crown. Marty Berman, the Seton Hall Prep coach, is also the coach of the FC Copa U11G Celeste, the new U-11 girls team this year.
We would like to congratulate all the FC Copa / Seton Hall Prep members on their great accomplishment this season. We look forward to having the boys bring their success to the Forza this year!
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posted 10/27/2009 Now that winter is here and we all start to get a bit cold in the sidelines, we tend to find ways to keep us warm. One of those ways is for parents to pace up and down the field, coaching from the sideline. Well it is probably a good time for us to remind everyone of our guidelines.
The proper guidelines to follow from the sideline is that all cheering should be post action statements; "good shot", "nice try", "good run", "great hustle". Focus on making statements that will support the players efforts after they have performed them and not before. When you instruct, most players are likely to be confused and/or embarrassed. As you will see below, in the great real world example, that it is very difficult to think on your own if someone is constantly on you! Enjoy and absorb the exchange between this Mother and Child!
Here is an exchange that was sent to the Club by one of our coaches. It clearly puts in perspective the issues caused by parents when they coach from the sideline. At FC Copa we clearly articulate to all parents, when they join the club, to refrain 100% from coaching.
Coaching from a teenage son
A mother was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her teenage son. Suddenly the boy bursts into the kitchen.
"Careful! Careful! Put in some more butter! Oh my goodness! You're cooking too many at once.
TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful!.CAREFUL! I said CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you crazy?
Have you lost your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"
The mother stared at him. "What's wrong with you? You think I don't now how to fry a couple of eggs?"
The son calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm trying to play soccer."
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posted 10/15/2009 Star Ledger High School Athlete of the Week : David Trank, Mendham HS
We would like to congratulate David Trank, a player on FC Copa's U17B Forza, for being named the Star Ledger's Week 4, Athlete of the week. David has been a force on the field this year with the Mendham HS Boys Soccer team, most recently scoring a goal and assisting on another as his HS team upset top ranked Delbarton in the first round of the Morris County Tournament.
CONGRATULATIONS David!
Following is a reprint from NJ.com / Star Ledger's profile on David Trank - Picture by Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger
 DAVID TRANK, MENDHAM HS
Junior forward, 6-0, 160
JUST THE STATS: Trank has six goals and one assist for Mendham (6-5-1), which has staged a dramatic turnaround over the past two weeks. Mendham -- which has had four sub-.500 seasons in its nearly 40-year history -- was 2-5-1 after a 2-0 loss at Whippany Park on Oct. 2, which was also the fifth time it had been shut out in six games. Mendham has gone 4-0 since, with Trank scoring five times along the way, including an overtime goal to defeat Mount Olive, 2-1, in the preliminary round of the Morris County Tournament on Oct. 4, a hat trick in a 6-1 victory at Pope John in Sparta on Oct. 5 and a one-goal, one-assist showing when Mendham, the No. 16 seed, stunned top-seeded Delbarton, 2-1, in the first round of the county tournament on Sunday.
FAVORITE MUSICAL GROUP: Red Hot Chili Peppers.
FAVORITE TV SHOW: "Dog Whisperer."
FAVORITE MOVIE: "Gladiator."
FAVORITE SUBJECT: Cooking. ``You get to eat a lot of good food.''
FAVORITE ATHLETE: Joe DiMaggio. ``I was a center fielder when I played baseball and I always liked him.''
THREE FOR DINNER: William Wallace, Gandhi and Julius Caesar.
ON BEATING DELBARTON: ``It meant a lot because we lost to them last year in the county final. The whole team was extremely focused and we played the entire game as if it was our last.''
COACH'S COMMENT: ``He's been an integral part of our turnaround,'' Mendham coach Tim Rymer said. ``We decided over the past few games to play him as our only forward and it's allowed us to go with an extra midfielder and to become more aggressive. He's a funny, clever kid and he enjoys playing the game. And once he steps on the field, he's a fierce competitor.''
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posted 09/15/2009  FC Copa Aventura U14G Wins Labor Day Tournament in Impressive Fashion!
The U14G Aventura won the 2009 East BrunswickLabor Day tournament, going undefeated in 4 games and earning 29 out of the possible 30 points in pool play with scores of 4-0, 2-0, 3-0 respectively and a 1-0 win in the final via a penalty kick shoot-out.
No other team in either the Premier or Elite U14G divisions earned that number of points, and no other team had 3 shutouts. Although the team went scoreless in the final match, they also held East Windsor PAL Vision scoreless, which forced a penalty kick shoot-out and it meant going through the tournament without giving up a single goal. The Championship was sealed in the seventh set of PKs, as the Vision player missed and the FC Copa Aventura found the back of the net. More than winning a tournament championship, the manner in which the team accomplished it was impressive. Concentration, dedication, focus and hard work at training mixed in with lots of fun and enjoyment proved to be the winning formula.
We are extremely proud of Coach Bob and Steve as they lead the girls on the FC Copa Aventura U14G to a great start this season!
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posted 07/24/2009  FC Copa Forza returns for a second year to compete in the 2009 US Club National Cup VIII Finals
For the second year in a row the U.S. Club National Cup championships will be held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and for the second year in a row the FC Copa Forza U16B will be there. The 2009 US Club National Cup VIII will take place from July 25-28 on the pristine fields of the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex and will consist of the champions of the various regionals held throughout the country. In addition to the regional champions, as 2008 National finalist and this years 2009 Region B finalist, the Forza will be amongst the field of 8 elite teams competing for the national title.
The Forza earned its selection into this prestigious cup after an impressive run in last year's National Cup that saw the team reach the national championship game before dropping a heart-breaking 2-1 decision to Santa Clara Sporting FC (CA). This year the Forza was edged by a very close margin of 1-0 in the Region B championship game held in Pittsgrove, NJ, but despite the difficult loss, they were invited to fill the final spot as the lone wild card to round out the field.
As a special feature this year, the US Club National Cup VIII will be held in conjunction with a National College Showcase, as a result, the games will be played before an array of college coaches. Because of the level of play and importance of the games, the tournament has each team play only one game a day. In this year's bracket, the Forza will meet three of the nation's elite teams on three consecutive days: Pride S.C. Predators of Colorado, St. Louis Scott Gallagher of Missouri and White Plains Elite 93 of New York. Interestingly enough, each game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. so the team will have nearly a full day to rest, recover and prepare for the next match. One of the preliminary games this year will have a special atmosphere to it as the Forza faces St. Louis Scott Galllagher again this year after successfully meeting them in the semifinals last year en route to the championship game and a national ranking as high as No. 2. This tournament appearance caps a remarkable and busy year for the Forza. The highlights included the prestigious Disney College Showcase and the world-renowned Dallas Cup while continuing to retain their #1 NJ Ranking.
We know that they are once again prepared well to embark on their trip to Virginia Beach and compete at the highest level. The FC Copa family was incredibly supportive last year during the Forza's trip to Nationals. We wish them all the best and we will be following their results once again via the player blog... GO FC Copa Forza!!
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posted 07/23/2009   This past weekend saw the FC Copa boys side crown two champions at the 2009 Central Jersey Invitational. Both the FC Copa Boca U15B and the FC Copa Forza U16B, won the premier brackets of their respective age groups. In an exciting 2 hour window, both teams emerged as Champions as they played their finals games on the same field.
After a very successful Spring season the newly formed FC Copa Boca U15B, lead by coach Mike Reid, saw a championship which was not snatched away this time by weather. In two previous tournaments, where the team lead after the preliminary games on Saturday, they arrived twice to play on the second day just to see the tournament canceled due to weather. These two previous tournaments fueled the desire of the boys as they looked extremely focused and determined to bring it home this time. Along with the entire team's hard work and focus throughout this tournament, mother nature was on their side this time.
The FC Copa Forza U16B, attended this tournament with only one goal in mind, to work on final preparations before they attend what will be a club first, a second consecutive appearance at the US Club National Cup. The Forza played in the tournament this past weekend with 6 of their players absent due to camps and or previous commitments, but still managed to find a way to battle into the finals and take home the crown.
As the weekend came to a close, both teams left the fields with identical records. Having gone undefeated all weekend with a 4-0-1 record, the more impressive stat was that both teams only allowed ONE goal all weekend in five games.
Congratulations FC Copa Boca and Forza!
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posted 06/10/2009
| Class 2009 - College Commitments |
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College
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Honors
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Kenn Andersen |
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Muhlenberg College |
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Ian Buzzio |
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Canisius College |
First Team All Hudson County
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Shane Conlin |
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Colgate University |
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Alec Dritsas |
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Rutgers University - Camden |
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Chris Nelson |
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Amherst College |
First Team All-County, First Team All Conference, Star Ledger First Team All-County, Star Ledger Second Team All Non-Public Schools, Soccer Coaches Association of NJ State Team and Senior All Star Team-North, First Team Coaches All Essex County |
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Zak Piccoline |
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Rutgers University - Camden |
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Ben Tabor |
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Gettysburg College |
1st Team All-County, Daily Record All-Area 1st Team, Star Ledger 1st Team All-County, Star Ledger 1st Team All-Group 1, 1st Team All Conference
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Andrew Tauriello |
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William Paterson University |
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Joe Gulli |
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Marywood University |
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Matt Poole |
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University of Mary Washington |
Coaches Award, All State Team, First Team All Conference, First Team All County, Second Team Somerset County Group III, All Area |
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Ian Douglas |
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Kean University |
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Alec Taylor |
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Bates College |
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Leo Rodio |
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University of Massachusetts-Amherst |
Second Team Coaches All Essex County, Honorable Mention All Conference, Star Ledger Third Team All County
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Tim Dragon |
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University of Rhode Island |
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Kevin Shaw |
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The College of NJ |
1st team All-Group 3, 1st team All-County, 1st team All-Conference |
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TJ Mack |
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Montclair State University
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Corey Adams |
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Johns Hopkins University |
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Dan Sauerhoff |
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Long Island University |
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posted 05/29/2009  FC Copa Real U14G Finalsit at FC Delco Players Cup 2009
An array of top regional teams from 12 states came together this past weekend for a “clash of the cleats” at the 10th Annual FC Delco Players Cup tournament.
FC Copa Real playing in the Platinum Bracket saw the Alley Cats Ocelots first. The Cats play in the Blue division in Northeast Region Premier League and came in first place ahead of other top teams but could not get past FC Copa Real with a final score of 2-1. In the second game Real faced the Scorpions from Massachusetts. This club can boast two top ranked teams in their state. (First and seventh place in their state prior to the weekend.) In addition, the club has produced the top team in Regional Premier play ahead of very strong teams like the PDA Celtics and Levittown United. Once again, the Real girls played a strong passing game and held the Scorpion SC Premier to a 2-2 tie ending an exciting day of games.
On Sunday in their final pool play match they met Spirit United Frenzy ranked 10 in PAE on NSR. Determined to see the weekend through to the finals the girls rallied and glided into the Semi’s with a 1-0 victory over one of Pennsylvania’s own. As they prepared to play the North Rockland SA Magic, their determination to make the finals became clear. They remained focused and ready throughout the day as they waited to take the field against the 11th ranked team in NYE. With two early goals and a score at the half of 3-0, the girls remained unchallenged and went through.
On Monday, they took the field once again against Connecticut’s South Central Premier Lady Owls. In a tight game with little rhythm the regulation time score remained 1-1 going into overtime. After two overtime periods the score remained unchanged. Having left it all on the field in very hot weather the game was decided in PK’s. Although the Real competed valiantly, they came up short and took second place. All in all it was a successful run in their first FC Delco tournament appearance.
Congratulations girls on a job well done!!!
“It’s not about defeating your opponent…it’s about striving to surpass your previous best each and every time you compete…that’s what makes champions.”
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posted 05/26/2009  FC Copa Fuego U17G
The Virginian - FINALIST
On Friday, May 22 Fuego arrived in Virginia along side 600 teams and 10,000+ players ready to play and bring home a trophy in the U19 Girls College Showcase Gold Division.
Saturday morning brought on the first of 2 nerve-racking 1-0 victories over teams from New York and Maryland.
Sunday both parents and supporters were on the edge of their seats during two more 1-0 victories, but this time over home-town Virginia teams. Fuego won their bracket with a 4-0 record.
Monday morning, Fuego set their sights on the prize; an international show-down with Canadian team North Mississauga Panthers, whose 2-1-1 record brought them to the division finals. After regulation play ended the score was 1-1. Looking ahead to another 20 minutes of play, Fuego was ready. In the end after 100 total minutes of play, Fuego lost a hard fought game, 2-1, coming in second in a division of 13 teams.
Congratulations Fuego!
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FC Copa coach leads his HS team to his 300th win!
