USL News Release
Saturday, August 6, 2011
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – Major Beach Soccer kicked off its annual tournament held on the beautiful white beaches of Fort Myers today. Teams from all ages and sizes took to the sand in the hope of winning a championship and earning an automatic birth in the MBS National Championships held in Clearwater.
On a blistering hot day, games kicked off at noon and the weather had an immediate impact on teams strategies and tactics. Quicker substitutions were used to keep fresh legs and most teams attempted to keep possession of the ball, forcing their opponents to chase. As the afternoon wore on and the mercury continued to climb, teams were facing dehydration and mental fatigue. The pace of games slowed a little due to the conditions, but overall the standard of play was high. Teams gave it their all to put themselves in the best position to make the championship round.
Teams utilized the rules to the fullest, often playing a back pass to the goalkeeper and making the goalkeeper throw a long ball down field. This rule was used on almost every possession to reduce the amount of ground covered by attackers and to create a lot of scoring opportunities. This tactic was also used in prior Major Beach Soccer events held at Daytona Beach and Clearwater.
As expected, some teams didn’t care about tactics or even the final result. They were out to enjoy their weekend and have fun. Unsurprisingly, some familiar faces were on hand from the MBS Daytona Beach and Clearwater tournaments, which aids in the growth of the sport in Florida and the United States.
The Fort Myers MBS Tournament continues through Sunday, at which time the Open Division champions will book their place to compete for a national championship in December in Clearwater.