City F.C. News

NATIONAL MALL,  WASHINGTON, DC – Despite the cold, gloomy forecast that was set for the last weekend in March, nothing could cast out the shining radiance of the City FC 1 squad at the 2010 Cherry Blossom Tournament. City FC 1 won the championship title in this year’s tournament.    The Cherry Blossom Tournament is an annual two-day adult coed football tournament, and this year, it was held on Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28 on the National Mall, adjacent to the Reflecting Pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.  There were 32 teams participating in the tournament from across the DC Metropolitan Area. The tournament was sponsored by District Sports, a local nonprofit organization.    In the words of 2010 Cherry Blossom Tournament Director Josh Harris from District Sports, “City FC 1 defeated Charlie Davies War in a nail-biting final that went all the way through the 10-minute sudden death period still tied, 0-0. The penalty kick shootout was just as exciting as the previous 50 minutes of soccer and eventually concluded with a 4-2 penalty kick shootout victory for City FC 1 . . . Charlie Davies War managed to survive eight consecutive games without conceding a goal (until the penalty kick shootout), but City FC 1′s penalty kick talents proved to be too much.”   The City FC 1 roster included 11 solid players (eight men and three women) who currently live in the DC area. City FC 1′s championship victory was even more so notorious as the team advanced with an undefeated record throughout the entire tournament despite not having any subs for the three women on the team (tournament rules dictated that at least three members of each sex are required on the field of play at all times). The squad included the following talented players (in alphabetical order):

• Emily Cadei (Midfielder)
• Mattia Chason (Striker)
• Dan Driscoll (Goalkeeper)
• Maiz Hogan (Defender)
• Roy Kelly (Defender)
• Mvuselelo Ngcoya (Defender/Midfielder)
• Yinka Oyelaran (Midfielder/Striker)
• Deni Popovski (Striker)
• Alex Redmond (Midfielder/Striker)
• Sahar Sattarzadeh (Defender)
• Carlos Wilson (Defender/Midfielder)

As part of the championship prize pack, City FC 1 was awarded an autographed ball signed by the DC United squad and four DC United season tickets. The autographed ball will be auctioned off, and all proceeds will go towards City FC. District Sports also kindly offered all footballs that were used in the tournament to City FC for to use in its football programs.   On April 17, the champions were honored during halftime at the DC United-New England Revolution match at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, sporting jazzy City FC jerseys.  The squad looks forward to next year’s tournament.

City FC coaches met with Business Director Cara Rooney and Coaching Director Roy Kelley on January 26th in Columbia Heights to discuss plans for the upcoming spring season. City FC will have four teams this spring playing in the DC Stoddert program. The U-17 Boys will be playing with the Travel Program while the U-19 Boys, U-17 Girls and U-19 Girls teams will continue competing in the Rec Program. Registration activities are currently underway and players are encouraged to come out to one of our weekly futsal sessions in order to stay trim and fit during the winter. The season will kick off in late March.

City Football Club (“City FC”), a program of DC Stoddert Soccer, was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a curriculum combining excellent soccer coaching and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City FC is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.