Courtesy: East Brunswick Sentinel


EBHS grad takes part in a futsal first for U.S.

Selby helped notch a few wins at Maccabiah Games in Israel

BY JIMMY ALLINDER, Correspondent

For former East Brunswick High School soccer player Lee Selby, smaller is bigger.

A co-captain for the Fairleigh Dickinson University squad as he enters his senior season, Selby has just returned from the Maccabiah Games in Israel, where he played as a member of the U.S. futsal team. Futsal incorporates all the rules of regular soccer except for three things: it is played indoors in a smaller venue; the ball is slightly smaller and heavier; and the teams are smaller, at five per side instead of 11.

"This was an experience I'll never forget," Selby said. "This was the first time we [the U.S.] sent a futsal team to the Maccabiah Games, and to be a member of this group was a real honor. I really had the opportunity to get close to members of our team and developed friendships that will last a lifetime."

Selby was invited to try out for the squad earlier this summer and, along with other college Division I players and a sprinkling of professionals, headed to Israel, arriving on July 3. It was during the following six days that Selby and his teammates endured a crash course in playing the game according to futsal rules, in addition to conditioning themselves for the pace of the game. There was also time to travel to sites in Israel, but the 20- hour days were consumed with mostly futsal.

The U.S. team's first action against another squad was with Great Britain, a scrimmage that saw the Americans win by a 4-1 margin.

"We felt we were in good shape after that result," Selby said, "and our first regular match was against Estonia, an 11-3 win."

However, the U.S. team then went up against South American entrants Argentina and Brazil in successive matches. Brazil is where futsal was invented.

"That was a reality check," Selby acknowledged. "The Argentineans just overpowered us and we were shut out, 7-0."

Unfortunately for the Americans, that was a preview of things to come because the crafty and flashy Brazilians stormed the goal for 19 scores, administering a lesson in how to translate soccer skills into a futsal mentality. The U.S. could only notch one goal in the loss.

"That team [Brazil] was the best I have ever played," Selby said, "and I have been fortunate to go up against some good teams, not only in America but Europe."

The final match was against Finland, and while there was a slim chance the U.S. could advance to the medal round with a victory, it required the help of other teams losing. That did not happen.

Perhaps executing as well as they had since the team came together, the Americans posted a 9-3 win.

"I was a little disappointed we didn't advance," Selby said, "but I can still picture myself walking into the stadium in Ramat Gan with 40,000 people cheering on the USA team. That is another memory I won't forget."

Selby's memories are added to those he has enjoyed since he first started playing soccer when he was 4 years old.

"I played for many years with the East Brunswick Soccer Club's travel team, which participated in the Super-Y League," he recalls. "That was one of the best leagues in the country and really enabled me to see how I measured up to top-notch competition."

While Selby was a regular for the high school team, his senior year was curtailed by a bout of mononucleosis. However, following his graduation from high school, Selby enrolled at Fairleigh Dickinson where he started as a freshman.

This past spring, while enrolled in some classes in Nottingham, England, Selby gained more international experience, playing for the school's soccer team.

"I feel extremely fortunate to have played soccer not only in this country," he said, "but in others. I also feel fortunate to have a father who has supported me throughout my career. He was my coach up until I was 15 years old, including when I played for the East Brunswick Scorpions, another travel team. He has been an inspiration to me."