FC COPA ACADEMY TEAMS SECURE NJ CUP SEMI FINAL SPOTS
METUCHEN, NJ - The NJ CUP is one of New Jersey’s most prestigious tournaments. New Jersey’s best clubs compete against each other in order to claim the championship and be crowned New Jersey’s best club. FC COPA Academy has been fortunate enough to have many teams secure a spot in this top notch tournament. This past weekend two more teams clinched their spots in the tournament and are looking forward to facing the challenges that stand between them and the championship.
The Girls 04 Black were one of the teams that punched their ticket to the NJ CUP semi finals this past weekend. Coached by Head Coach Matty Berman, the G04 Black fought very hard in order to secure their position. Their fast pace style of play alongside Coach Berman’s smart and tactical strategies enabled the girls to get to where they are. These traits will hopefully allow them to continue their success in the semis and finals.
Coach Giallombardo’s Girls 05 Black team were the second team this weekend to qualify for the semis of the NJ CUP. However, this isn’t Coach Giallombardo’s only team to make it to the semis, his Girls 01 Black team has also secured a semi final spot previous to this weekend. When asked about the Girls 05 Black quarter final game Coach Giallombardo stated, “The 2005 Girls could not deserve their place in the NJ Cup Semis this weekend any more. We have to give loads of credit to SJEB Rush 05 Academy, they have a fantastic team. Both sides played with incredible intensity and the quarter final match could have easily been a final. The girls were very resilient in the match and stuck to the game plan of being very tight at the back while playing through our wide areas to penetrate and get forward. As a group we are looking forward to this amazing opportunity to play in the Semis and potentially the finals.”
The G03 Black coached by Roberto Aguas, also qualified by beating STA in the quarterfinals and look forward to a successful weekend.
With the addition of the G04 Black and G05 Black FC COPA Academy now has four teams competing in the NJ CUP semis. The G01 Black, G03 Black, G04 Black, and G05 Black teams all will be looking to win their semi final matches and fight for a spot in their respective championship games.
Another motivational factor for these teams is the chance to compete in the XVII National Cup in Aurora Colorado from July 20 to 24. A high caliber national tournament that previous FC COPA Academy teams have played in such as the FC COPA Academy Juniors, Real, Forza, Celeste, Milan. This tournament represents the pinnacle of US Club soccer and for these teams to have a chance to compete in that is very special. In order for this to happen they will have to play their best soccer this upcoming weekend. FC COPA wishes these teams the best of luck in their matches this weekend.