MBS News Release
Saturday, June 15, 2013
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The overcast conditions of Daytona Beach provided a perfect cover for the first day as Major Beach Soccer kicked off its 2013 summer series on the white sand. Fortunately for the players the shady conditions made for a comfortable temperature, and while some teams struggled to adjust to sand instead of turf, others jumped at the challenge and breezed through the first day of action.
At least 50 teams are competing in this year's Major Beach Soccer Daytona Beach qualifier throughout the multiple divisions, with a spot at December's MBS Championships. The games kicked off in the morning with the youth and ended in the evening with the adults.
Beach soccer is a different kind of soccer beast that features more than just speed and strength, requiring a certain mental and technical skill on the ball that separates the champions from the rest. Goalkeepers face a difficult task as they try to deal with the awkward bounces balls tend to take on the sand. After a game or two the keepers found the slow ground rollers easier to parry away than the 25-yard bombs some teams found themselves taking.
The unique rules and roles of beach soccer intrigued spectators as well as fans and family members, and each of the five fields enjoyed a good crowd.
Some of the players took advantage of the open free kicks and fired shots on frame from distance, and others tried to lob chipped balls to forwards downfield. The Daytona Beach tournament will wrap up Sunday as the finals begin to shape up.