Farmington-Based Soccer Team to Play for National Soccer Championship

By Ronni Newton

The FSA U13 Navy boys soccer team is heading to the national championship game!

The team of 18 boys was 1-1-1 after three games of pool play in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships. They will take on the Pateadores of Los Angeles — a team they lost to 8-2 during pool play — on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in Overland Park, KS, in the championship game.

The FSA Navy team reached the national competition by winning the Connecticut state championship in June and the Region I championship, against a field of 12 other champion teams from Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (east and west), Pennsylvania (east and west), Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia, in early July.

At the national level, the FSA boys tied United 00 FA Elite of Georgia 2-2 in their first game. FSA was down 2-0 at the half and came back to score two goals, the last with 5 minutes left in the game, for the tie.

FSA Navy lost to the Pateadores, winner of the California South championship, 8-2, and beat the Illinois champion Raiders 1-0 in their final pool game.

The FSA team, which is based out of FSA Sports in Farmington and coached by Steve Stokoe, has players from Farmington, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Mansfield, Simsbury, New Britain, Willington, and Suffield.

For more information about the competition, visit http://www.fsafcunited.com/ and championships.usyouthsoccer.org.