Cape Coral July 28- The FGCDL FC U9 Boy's team is playing at the Disney USA National Championship 3x3 this weekend. Before departing for the three day event we asked Coach Ronald de Boer a few questions.
FGCDLFC: Who are the players in the team that travel to Orlando?
Coach Ronald: Our team consists of five players of our U9 team of last season: Thomas Castano, Drew Johnson, Juan 'Coco' Miranda, MacKenzy Cortes and Mason Holt. MacKenzy Cortes even played in our U8 team last year!
FGCDLFC: Can you tell us how you qualified for the USA National Championship this weekend?
Coach Ronald: We participated in three tournaments. To qualify for the Disney tournament you had to finish in 1st, 2nd, 3rd or fourth place. We did that in every tournament we played. The first one in Cape Coral we finished in third place, the second one in Lehigh Acres we finished in fourth place and the last one we finished second. So we actually qualified three times.
FGCDLFC: What does the tournament look like in terms of schedule and games?
Coach Ronald: We play four games before the finals on Sunday. Our first two games are Friday morning. We will play our first one at 8:30 am and the second one at 10:30 am. Then we will play two more games on Saturday morning. The first one at 10:30 and the second one t 11:30. The results in these four games will determine our scheduling for the finals on Sunday.
FGCDLFC: What do you expect this weekend?
Coach Ronald: We have been practicing for 2 months and I can see the team growing every time. We are getting better with and without ball, also mentally. So I am really looking forward to it! The competition is pretty strong, but I believe in my team and I know that if they believe in themselves, they can make an impact in the tournament. That is also what we already did in the other tournaments as well.
FGCDLFC: How will you implement the FGCDLFC philosophy in these small games?
Coach Ronald: All the players that we have are used to the Dutch Lions FC philosophy. They already showed that in our training, League games and in previous tournaments. I rembember that some parents from other teams came to me and told me they were very impressed by the way we played. I think that is one of the biggest compliments we can get. We are a team that can play a good passing game, but with that we also have the quality that an individual player can make a run with the ball. Next to that I think my team plays (tactically) smart, which is also something typical Dutch and part of the Dutch Lions FC philosophy.
FGCDLFC: We wish you and your team the best! Can we follow the team on social media?
Coach Ronald: We will keep a live blog on our Twitter page and a recap on Facebook .
