By Coach Drew Brandimore

The CASSA U11 boys traveled to Kalamazoo to play in the Kingdom Cup tournament September 26-27, 2015. The boys started off the tournament with a tough loss to a very physical team from Hastings, Michigan, 0 to 3. As a coaching staff, we had concern this might set the tone for the balance of the tournament, but we remained optimistic and kept the team focused, as we prepared for our second game on Saturday.

In the second game, we made some position changes and the boys stepped up to pull off a strong win over SCOR 5 to 1. That game changed the path of the tournament for us. We went into our third game with a can do attitude and we started to come together as a team. We won our third game with a score of 5 to 1 over Rapids FC. We came off that field with a renewed confidence in our ability to work hard and play a full game start to finish.

Going into the championship game against the team we lost to in the first game, the boys had a determination to win and prove they are formidable competition. It was a very hard fought game but CASSA U11 Boys came out on top with a win over Hastings 2 to 1. They had come back to win the championship over the team we lost to first round. I must say that both Coach Boyer and I witnessed something special that day. We saw a group of kids come together through hard work, determination, and focus to win a game so they could walk off the field not as individuals but, as a TEAM. The growth we saw from this great group of kids this past weekend was amazing. They truly transformed themselves into a team. We as coaches are privileged to work with these boys and we look forward to their growth individually and as a team for the balance of our season.