LEBANON – Thirty-one local area teams from Shelby County, Dayton, Beavercreek, Warren County and Kettering will be competing in the eleventh annual preseason, premier-level Arsenal Challenge Cup. The Arsenal Challenge Cup draws competitive teams from Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Northern Ohio each year. This year, the Cup is hosting 204 teams at four locations in and around Cincinnati.

The local area teams competing for the Cup are: Boys08 BSA Celtic 98, Boys09 SC Alliance Lightning, Boys09 SC Alliance Striker, Boys10 Warren County United Blue, Boys11 CUSA 95 White, Boys12 Metro FC Rapids, Boys12 WC United Blue, Boys13 CUSA 93 Blue, Boys13 CUSA 93 Premier, Boys13 Metro F.C. Rapids ’93 Premier, Boys14 BSA Celtic, Boys14 CUSA 92 White, Boys14 Metro FC 92 Rapids Starr, Boys14 Metro FC Rapids, Girls09 Lady Celtic Blue 97, Girls09 Warren County United Blue, Girls10 BSA Celtics White, Girls11 Celtic 95 White, Girls11 SC Alliance ’95 White, Girls11 WC United Blue, Girls12 CUSA 94 Premier, Girls12 Thunder United FC Panthers, Girls12 Warren County United Blue, Girls12 Warren County United White, Girls13 CUSA Premier Hurricanes, Girls13 Warren County Mud Dogs, Girls13 Lady Warriors ’93, Girls14 CUSA 92 PREMIER, Girls14 Metro FC Rapids 92, Girls14 Warren County United 92 White and Girls14 WC United Red.

Scores and standings will be posted in real time throughout the weekend on the tournament web site at www.arsenalchallengecup.com.

PHOTO: The Boys 13 WSU 94 Green team demonstrates how much they have grown since last year’s Arsenal Challenge Cup. The team is competing in the BU13 Silver division, with games against Metro FC and CUSA. The photo was uploaded to the tournament web site using the MyTournamentSpace software.

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SPRINGFIELD – After spending two weeks training to kick, run to the goal and play together as a team, the Dream Soccer players came together to play in the second annual Dream Team Tournament, featured at the Springfield of Dreams soccer tournament. The Dream Team event is the brainchild of Tony Cooper, 41, a Springfield Thunder U12 boys coach, who decided that he was going to make a difference for special needs kids.

“Many of these players see their brothers and sisters out there playing soccer,” says Cooper. “It gives them confidence to play on their own team, instead of just watching from the sidelines.”

By his own admission, Cooper has no formal training coaching players with special needs. He relies on advice from his wife, Tracey, an occupational therapist with Clark County schools, to give him creative ways of reaching the kids. Among successes he has had is to use music to cue the players to dribble when the music starts and hold the ball when it stops. “You have to be willing to be creative,” says Cooper.

Last year, the tournament hosted twenty-eight players. This year, there were forty-one. If the current trends keep up, Cooper is hoping to have enough kids in his program in 2007 to form a TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) team to compete in the Dayton TOPSoccer league.

Photo: Kalib Strines, 8, reaches for the top cross bar of the goal to celebrate the end of the game.