USL Feature
Friday, June 17, 2011
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - On a beautiful morning in Daytona Beach, teams of all ages and sizes took to the sand to kick off the 21st season of Major Beach Soccer. On compact fields laid out on Daytona’s pristine sands, men’s and women’s open teams began the fight to compete in this year’s MBS National Championship, which will be held at Clearwater, Fla. on December 17-18.
On a day that saw skills, volleys, and overhead kicks from almost all divisions, teams fought hard to top their division and get a positive start to the tournament. There is a sense of competitiveness this weekend, with multiple teams entering various MBS tournaments around Florida for the opportunity to book their ticket to the MBS National Championship.
However, others are out to enjoy their stay at Daytona and have a great weekend.
“The expectation is to just have fun and enjoy our summer!” Todd Massie said.
Coaching the Beach Warriors 15-18 boys this weekend, Massie plans to coach against teams from north and central Florida for his tenth year at Daytona. Massie is competitive and wants to win, but he is also here to relax in the sunshine. Massie is drawing up a simple game plan for the Beach Warriors’ upcoming games against Sandcastle United and Los Mojados.
“Our strategy is to move the ball as quickly as we can,” Massie said.
Moving the ball as quickly as possible and keeping possession will not come easy on such an uneven surface. Plenty of scoring chances and end-to-end action are guaranteed on the 40 x 30 yard fields. The surface is tricky for defenders and often causes moments of panic and chaos for the back line. It will be interesting to see how Massie’s players deal with those elements against some tough squads. Regardless of the results, Massie and his team are here to enjoy their time at Daytona and plan to have an eventful weekend.
“The best thing about this weekend is that I see the teams that win and the teams that lose are just enjoying the experience, smiling and having fun,” Massie said.
The Daytona Beach MBS Tournament continues through Sunday, June 19 at which time the Open Division champions will book their place to compete for a national championship in Clearwater. MBS Daytona Beach is supported by Umbro, Orlando City Soccer Club, ChillZone LLC of Daytona, TGI Signage Systems, Farpost Soccer Company, the Daytona Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and Volusia County.