Jubilation at the Jefferson Cup

March 26, 2017

Total Futbol teams made their annual trek to the Jefferson Cup Tournament in Richmond, VA, and three of them earned results worthy of jubilation: Together, they racked up eight wins, one tie and one loss against some of the best teams in the nation. 

 
Jasmine Bryant (in green above) of McLean's ECNL '00 squad shields the ball from an opponent in the U17 Championship bracket of the 2017 Jefferson Cup Girls Showcase in Richmond, VA. Coached by TF's Nadir Moumen, the team finished as Finalists in the tournament's most competitive U17 division.
 
The Jefferson Cup tournament is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in the Mid-Atlantic region. Each Spring, hundreds of college soccer coaches converge on Richmond, VA, to observe competitive matches between teams that must apply to get in. The tournament accepts over 1000 teams from around 36 states, but turns down an average of 500 teams per year. With an average of more than 150 State Cup Champions, over 10 Regional Champions and over five National Champions per year attending throughout the nine age groups, competition is fierce.
 
In 2017, teams coached by Total Futbol once again made their annual trek to participate in this preseason soccer ritual and came away with some results that were cause for jubiliation. In the first weekend of girls competition (March 18-19, for ages U10-U14), two TF teams shone. Herndon Youth Soccer's Hurricanes Black '03 team went 4-0-0, scoring 10 goals and allowing just one in a dominant performance that saw them lifting a hefty trophy (see photo below). Herndon Crush '04, coached by Tina Valente, finished as Semi-Finalists in the hard-fought 12-team Girls U13 Premier division, posting a 1-1-1 record wth three goals scored and three conceded.
 
In the second weekend of competition (March 24-26, a College Showcase for ages U15-U19), the McLean ECNL '00 team, coached by TF Executive Director Nadir Moumen, won three consecutive games against top national competition in the U17 Championship bracket. The squad scored five goals and conceded one, finishing just shy of first place despite going undefeated.
 
 

Herndon Hurricanes Black '03, shown above with Head Coach and TF Technical Director Todd Hamlin, hold the Championship trophy after winning the U14 Girls Classic Orange bracket with a sweep of four games.