By Marie DeMars, NSC Media Intern
This blog is the second installment of a series introducing the teams of the PUMA vElite tournament. The vElite group aims to increase the caliber of competition at the USA Cup, and the teams are hand-picked and then invited to play during the USA Cup Weekend tournament. Today we’re off to New York to meet the Brooklyn Italians.
Founded in 1949 by Italian-American immigrants, the Brooklyn Italians is the oldest Italian-American soccer club in the United States. I'm excited to see its U16 team compete in the PUMA vElite tournament and find out if the players’ “forza” (strength) can bring them out on top.
In addition to cultural history, the club has a winning past. It won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice, in 1979 and 1991, and has produced many MLS players, most notably Shalrie Joseph; Juan Carlos Osorio, current New York Red Bulls coach; and Carlos Llamosa, Chivas USA assistant coach.
The Brooklyn Italians will have a chance to make their mark at SCHWAN’S USA CUP, and coaching director Maciej Sliwinski said the team is getting geared up. “Our goal is to have a strong showing at the SCHWAN’S USA CUP,” he wrote in an e-mail. “We had a pretty successful season so far: first place in CJSL (league) and finished with two ties and one loss at Dallas Cup.
Even with a great record, the Italians can’t rest now, with the tournament just over a month away. That shouldn’t be a problem, since Sliwinski said the team’s always on the offense. “We are a possession type team that always tries to attack, with emphasis on wing play,” he wrote.
All Brooklyn Italian teams play in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League of Eastern New York. In addition, they enjoy some great travel benefits: Brooklyn Italians regularly competes in Italy, in the “Memorial Claudio Sassi,” and international travel is encouraged. Some teams have even trained with elite teams from Italy. Take it from a traveling girl, this deal is “molto bello.”
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