The Futsal Copa North America is the soccer event of Easter Weekend 2017, a futsal extravaganza that will grace Cleveland, Ohio from April 14-16. It’s a special event because of the quality of competition that will be on display. Simply put, the best futsal teams from across North America will be in action.
Those looking for the Ohio-Michigan rivalry angle should look no further than Grand Rapids ABK and Columbus Futsal Club. Both sides are expected to be in the mix for winning it all this weekend. These two clubs show that futsal is alive and well in the Great Lakes and the entire Midwest.
Grand Rapids ABK describe themselves as a group that consists of solid team players, yet they do have some star power with Jessie Zamudio, who was called up to the U.S. Futsal National Team twice last year. Their style is a possession “pass and move” game; their strength is adapting to multiple systems of play. Both of these should come in quite handy against diverse competition in Cleveland.
Grand Rapids head coach Fabian Rodriguez is very excited about competing in the Futsal Copa North America.
“For the past three years we have tried to compete in high level competitions and give our young players an opportunity to gain experience and continue to learn about the game. So we thought this would be a great event to attend. We just want to be as competitive as possible and play quality futsal. Our philosophy is if we focus on that then we will get results.”
The club has accomplished a great deal in their five years of existence. They have built an organization that has a full development pyramid. A majority of their adult players have come through their youth academy, one that serves those in the U7-U19 age range. They have women’s and men’s teams and also organize a number of leagues and tournaments. The most impressive aspect for Grand Rapids ABK is the hardware they have collected over the years.
In 2014 and 2016 they won the USAF National Championship. In 2016 and 2017 they also finished in first place in the USAF Northern American Premier Futsal League, which is a regional league.
The Futsal Copa North America is going to be a major measuring stick for where the club stacks up against the competition. Rodriguez is looking forward to the opportunity to show what the club has to offer.
“We are very excited to play new teams from all over North America. We have played a few of the teams before in the past three years and some this past Winter season. But we are really looking forward to playing Safira as we have followed them the past few years and we hear great things about them. We know they have a big history in futsal in the the US, so we are excited to try and compete against the best. We are also looking forward to play Toronto United as they are one of the top teams in Canada.”
Grand Rapids ABK is just one of the teams fans should watch for at this weekend’s Futsal Copa North America. They are clearly ready to bring home the hardware. Winning this event will clearly mean something, that your club is the best futsal team in all of North America. It’s something you won’t want to miss!
