2007 CISM Americas Men’s Soccer Championship
Canada’s 2-1 Victory Ends U.S. Armed Forces CISM Dream
Rio De Janerio, Brazil –
Story by Mr. John Aimone,
NAVSTA Mayport, FL,
U.S. Armed Forces Team Captain
As appropriate of any championship, match day six pitted the U.S. Armed Forces against Canada with second place and an invitation to the World Championships in India at stake Brazil had already qualified as champions with a 4-0 record. The U.S. Armed Forces, clad in all red, only needed a tie to advance due to their superior goal scoring, goal difference, and win in their previous match with Canada's after-match penalty kicks. The USA made six changes to the line-up that faced Brazil the day before. The starting line-up consisted of: goalkeeper 1LT Matthew Wesmiller (USA); right back SSGT James Pastore (USAF); center back SSG Ricardo Dawkins (USA); left back SGT Aziz Williams (USA); left midfielder OS2 William Carraco (USN); right midfielder CW2 David Ellis (USA); center midfielders SGT Barry Baptiste-Swift (USA), 1LT Todd Severson (USA), and SSGT Quincey Collins (USAF); and forwards 1LT Paul Gagliardi (USAF) and SGT Joshua 'Shrek' Blodgett (USA). The Canadian team lined up in white jerseys and socks with black shorts for this encounter in hot and steamy CIAGA 2 stadium. You needed a saber to cut through the tension and humidity as the two teams lined up for this deciding match.
From the onset both teams played cautiously, exploring the opposing defense for an opening without conceding any goal scoring opportunities for the other. Canada got the first scoring chance of the match off of a deflected pass in the 3rd minute that rolled wide of the U.S. goal. Dawkins made a great sliding block in the 6th minute to preserve the score line. Carraco got the first shot on goal when his long range effort rocketed over the Canadian goalmouth. The all Brazilian officiating crew clamped down on the match from the beginning. They started out buy giving Baptiste-Swift a yellow card for a pretty innocent foul in the 9th minute at midfield. The Canadians wisely took the subsequent free kick quickly before the U.S. defense reset and it nearly paid off as 6'8" forward Landan Zeeman headed wide of the goal.
Williams snuffed out a potential Canadian breakaway with a timely intercept in the 10th minute. The U.S. countered quickly with a shot on goal from Baptiste-Swift's left foot, after he eluded several opposing defenders. A minute later Collins forced the Canadian keeper Andriy Szkwarek into one of his seven saves of the match. Canada got the next shot at goal in the 12th minute when a free kick from outside the U.S. penalty box sailed over. The second yellow card of the match was issued in the 15th minute when Canadian center back Richard Morris tripped up Collins as he sped towards goal. Ellis barely missed the goal on a header from the resulting U.S. free kick. Baptiste-Swift, who was thorn in the Canadian's defense all match long, was tripped up outside the Canadian penalty box in the 18th minute. Carraco's searing free kick was punched over by the Canadian keeper. Williams shot wide on the following corner kick.
The Canadians got their next scoring chance in the 20th minute after a U.S. turnover resulted in a shot by Stuart Ireson that Wesmiller blocked out for a corner kick. Thomas St. Onge shot wide from the corner kick. Pastore received a yellow card in the 22nd minute for a tackle just outside the U.S. penalty box. Wesmiller made his best save of the tournament on the driven free kick from Morris. Dawkins made a great tackle in the 28th to prevent a Canadian shot on goal. The U.S. had dominated possession after the initial minutes of the match, but Canada had remained dangerous on several set plays, and just missed on a couple of counter attacks. Blodgett received a great pass just outside the Canadian penalty box. He spun off a defender, dribbled by two others, and saw his shot from 15 yards saved by Szkwarek. However, Gagliardi would pounce on the rebound, and score his third goal of the tournament in the 30th minute. He finished as the U.S. leading scorer, and third highest scorer in the tournament. The U.S. took one step closer to qualifying for the Military World Championships in India.
Baptiste-Swift almost doubled the U.S. lead a minute later when he spun a defender, and saw his deflected shot bounce wide of the open Canadian goal. 'Shrek' Blodgett just missed connecting on a good cross from Carraco in the 42nd minute as the U.S. pressed forward to increase their lead. Pastore got the last scoring chance of the half in extra time with a fiercely driven long range effort that the keeper saved. The half ended with the U.S. out front 1-0, and only 45 minutes away from qualification.
The second half kicked off with Collins getting the first scoring chance, shooting just wide after a great feed from Gagliardi in the 48th minute. Baptiste-Swift, was back to tormenting the Canadian defense in the second half, sailing a shot over their goal a minute later. Gagliardi was tripped up after beating a Canadian defender just outside their box in the 51st minute. Carraco's free kick deflected back off the wall, and Pastore hit a screamer from 30 yards. Szkwarek was forced to tip the ball over the cross bar. Severson narrowly miss with a header from the resulting corner kick. Canada leveled the game in the 56th minute when Dawkins was judged to have tripped Marcelo Plada inside the U.S. penalty box. Morris converted the penalty kick low to the right to tie the game.
U.S. Head Coach SFC Augie Mendez (USA) made his first substitution of the game bringing SRA Nicholas Kalashian (USAF) in for Ellis in the 60th minute at right midfielder. Severson shot wide of the Canadian goal in the 61st minute. The USA got a golden opportunity a minute later when the Candians were forced to foul “Shrek” Blodgett just outside their box as he split two defenders. Collins hit a hard low drive that Szkwarek saved. Collins got another crack at goal three minutes later off of a corner kick the U.S. was granted after a tremendous hustling effort from Carraco. Collins goal bound shot was blocked, and the Candians raced to the other end for a quick counter attack that would see Renato Duarte head over from a long cross.
The U.S. made their second substitute of the match with PFC Carlos Ramirez (USA) taking over for Williams at left back in the 66th minute. “Shrek” Blodgett just headed wide of the Canadian goal in the 70th minute after a great cross from Collins. The U.S. looked certain to add a second goal in the 74th minute when Carraco was freed on the left wing after a great series of passes. His low goal bound shot was tipped on to the post from a fingertip save by a fully stretched Szkwarek. Szkwarek would then save a hard shot by Collins on the following corner kick. Carraco replaced by AS2 Juan Juvera (USN) with the USA's last substitution in the 77th minute. Collins slid to the left side vacated by Carraco with Juvera taking a center midfield position. Gagliardi almost ended the game in the 81st when his driven shot slammed off the crossbar. He would get another great chance a minute later when his 10 yard shot was saved by the keeper after a great give-and-go with Kalashian. Blodgett had his shot deflected by the keeper in the 85th, and then missed connecting with Gagliardi by inches for an open net goal with Szkwarek well beaten.
Canada had survived several golden U.S. scoring chances and near misses, and started to establish some offense of their own. Pastore got his walking papers in the 85th minute after a hard tackle in front of the U.S. bench receiving his second yellow card of the match. A tiring U.S. team was reduced to ten men. Ramirez followed with a yellow card of his own in the 87th minute. With the Canadian team pulled up for the goal needed for them to advance Blodgett got a chance to go one-on-one with the Canadian keeper. A step or two from unleashing his shot a hustling Plada poked the ball away from behind. As the official signaled the end of regular time the fourth official signaled that there would be two minutes of extra time. A tie would see the USA through, and Canada attacked in mass for the go ahead goal they needed. Several shots and crosses were cleared out of the U.S. half as time wound down. With 20 seconds left to play a cross into the USA box found an open Thomas St-Onge who poked the ball past Wesmiller into the U.S. goal. Appeals for an offside call were not given. The U.S. kicked off and the final whistle blew with Canada celebrating a 2-1 victory, and a berth to the Military World Championships in India. St-Onge's goal was the only Canadian shot on goal in the second half.
Brazil 7 – U.S. Armed Forces 0 (Earlier Match)
The U.S. clad in all white, faced Brazil for a second time. U.S. Coach SFC Agustin Mendez made five changes to the starting line-up that drew with Canada for tactical reasons, and to rest some injured players. The team lined up with: goalkeeper CAPT Travis Ruhl (USAF); right back PFC Carlos Ramirez (USA); sweeper SSG Ricardo Dawkins (USA); left back SGT Aziz Williams (USA); stopper 1LT Todd Severson; center midfielders SGT Barry Baptiste-Swift (USA), AS2 Juan Juvera (USN) and SK3 Sean McGarry (USN); left midfielder CPL Jeshua Laurin (USMC); right midfielder SrA Nicholas Kalashian (USAF); and forward OS2 William Carraco.
The U.S. goal was, at the worst, not to concede ten goals to the Brazilians, so that they could remain ahead of Canada on goal difference. Coach Mendez had seen the success Canada had the day before crowding the center of the field, and thusly deployed three center midfielders and one forward. The strategy was in jeopardy early om the match when Renildo Silva drilled a shot past Ruhl from distance in the 2nd minute. Ruhl kept it at 1-0 with a great save on a point blank header two minutes later. He would eventually finish the game with 10 saves. Brazil doubled its lead in the 8th minute with a goal by Almeidia off of an assist from Renildo Silva. Brazil continued to push forward and found more space than the previous day against the Canadians. Grunstinsky, Renildo Silva, Marcos Silva would all come close for Brazil in the next few minutes with Ruhl making a great save off of a long range blast in the 14th minute. Ruhl made another great save in the 16th on a shot by Luiz Miranda.
U.S center back Ricardo Dawkins fouled a Brazilian player inside the USA penalty box in the 21st minute. Ruhl saved the subsequent penalty kick on full extension only to see Ronaldo Silva drive the rebound home for the third Brazilian goal. The Brazilians seemed to be driving to better the 10 goals they scored against Canada in ther first match with Canada. Some hard work defensively by the U.S. kept the score line at 3-0. In the 25th minute a back pass from Juvera to Ruhl skipped over the keeper´s leg and into the empty U.S. goal. Ramirez got the U.S. first scoring opportunity in the 30th minute with a shot that missed wide. Ruhl made another doorstop save in the 33rd minute. Willaims helped on the defensive effort by denying a breakaway with a fine tackle in the 42nd. Ramirez got his and the U.S. next scoring chance with a free kick in the 44th minute that was deflected over the goal. Severson would win the cross from the following corner kick into the Brazilian keeper´s arms. The whistle sounded with the U.S. trailing 4-0.
The hopes of keeping Brazil to under 10 goals was rapidly diminishing when Renildo Silva volleyed home off of a cross by Diniz a minute after the second half kick-off. The U.S. picked up their play in midfield and started to stymie the Brazilian attack. CW2 David Ellis (USA) replaced Carraco in the 61st minute going to his normal place at right midfield and pushing McGarry up front as the lone striker. Dawkins made a great tackle in the 66th minute to keep it a 5-0 game. Ruhl made another great save two minutes later. Brazil added to their lead in the 75th minute when Fabio Macedo rounded Ruhl and shot into the open net after a bad U.S. giveaway at midfield. SGT Joshua Blodgett (USA) was substituted in for McGarry in the 86th minute. Two minutes later, 1LT Paul Gagliardi replaced Baptiste-Swift. Brazil scored the final goal of the match in the 89th minute when Almeida scored his second goal of the game off of an assist from Macedo. The whistle blew shortly afterwards with Brazil achieving a 7-0 victory.
It might not sound like a success to lose 7-0, but as Coach Mendez and Coach Steve Lowe told the team afterwards they now control their destiny. The U.S.was set up for a showdown with Candada on match day six. They would only need a draw (tie) to advance to the World Championship in India in October. The U.S. was tied on points with Canada going into the final match, but led them in goals scored, goal differential, and prevailed in the penalty kick shoot-out after the 1-1 tie earlier in the week.
ALL SCORES:
Match 1: Brazil 10 – Canada 1
Match 2: Brazil 5 – U.S. Armed Forces 2
Match 3: U.S. Armed Forces 1 – Canada 1 (U.S. 4-3 in Penalty Kick tie breaker)
Match 4: Brazil 4 – Canada 0
Match 5: Brazil 7 – U.S. Armed Forces 0
Match 6: Canada 2 – U.S. Armed Forces 1
2007 Armed Forces Men's CISM Soccer Team Roster
SSG Ricardo Dawkins (Army), Fort Drum, NY
SSgt James Pastore (Air Force), McGuire AFB, NJ
Cpl Jeshua Laurin (Marine Corps), MCAS Beaufort, SC
SGT Aziz Williams (Army), Schofield Barracks, HI
OS2 Brandon Bleakley (Navy), NRD St. Louis, MO
OS2 William Carraco (Navy), USS Chosin, Honolulu, HI
SGT Barry Batiste-Swift (Army), Soto Cano, Honduras
1LT Matthew Westmiller (Army), Fort Steward, GA
AS2 Juan Juvera (Navy), AIMD, Atsugi, Japan
Capt Travis Ruhl (Air Force), Kunsan AB Korea
1Lt Paul Gagliardi (Air Force), McChord AFB, WA
PFC Carlos Ramirez (Army), Ft Bragg, NC
1LT Todd Severson (Army) Fort Riley, KS
SK3 Sean McGarry (Navy), USS Elrod, Norfolk, MO
SGT Joshua Blodgett (Army), Fort Carson, CO
SSgt Quincey Collins (Air Force), JFC, Naples, Italy
SrA Nicholas Kalashian (Air Force), Spangdahlem AB, Germany
CW2 David Ellis (Army), Fort Huachuca, AZ
Head Coach: SFC Augustin Mendez (Army) Fort Myer, VA
Asst Coach: Mr. Steven Lowe (Air Force), Sembach AB, Germany
Team Captain: Mr. John Aimone (Navy), NAVSTA Mayport,FL
Team Physician: CDR Walter S. Bew (Navy, NAVHOSP Pensacola, FL
Chief of Delegation: Capt Charles King (Navy), NAVSTA Mayport, FL