BEAVERCREEK – How do you get from Peru to Dayton, Ohio? Daniel Leon, head coach of the New York-based U14 Albertson Boys 92 Academy, knows.
Leon has coached the Albertson team for only two years, but has played and coached in the US for ten years. Before that, Leon played professional soccer in Peru. According to Leon, it did not take long for these boys to show how talented they are. Having a former professional soccer player for a coach probably helped a bit.
“We started at division three in our league. Now, we have moved all the way up to premier,” says Leon. Albertson Boys 92 Academy is the 2006 New York East State Cup finalist.
A colleague coach told Leon that the Mead CUSA Cup was a high quality tournament with good competition. Based on that recommendation, the Albertson Club brought two teams to Dayton; Leon’s team and Valencia Academy. “They (Valencia) will go to a lot of the same tournaments we go to,” states Leon.
The Valencia Academy, playing in the Boys U14Gold division, lost their first game on Saturday 1-2 against the local team, Metro FC. They came back for their second game, beating Grove City FC 5-0.
Albertson Boys Academy, competing in the Boys U14FiveStar division, has also done well. They went undefeated in their preliminary games, advancing to the quarterfinals. Both teams are hoping to bring home a trophy.
The Mead CUSA Cup is just one of six major tournaments the team will participate in. According to Leon, they travel around so the boys can experience different styles of competition. Some of the tournaments include the Disney Showcase, the Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament and The Jefferson Cup.
All the Albertson Club games are played at Ankeney Soccer Complex. You can see real-time game scores and standings by going to www.cusasoccer1.com.
PHOTO: Jason Alvarez, wearing number 17, advances the ball past an FC Nova defender during their last preliminary game on Sunday. While this attempt did not result in a goal, Albertson eventually won 4-2.