Courtesy: The Mountain Mail


Local futsal soccer team wins tournament in Pueblo

by Kevin Hoffman

Serious Salida soccer participants, in an adaptation of the sport called futsal, tested their skills Jan. 30-31 on the Colorado State University Pueblo campus, winning the tournament championship with a 5-1 record.

Salida player Paul Basanko said futsal is similar to indoor soccer, but is played with a smaller, dead-weighted ball that reduces bounce.

The game is played within boundaries instead of letting the ball bounce off sideboards or walls. Controlled boundaries add emphasis to ball handling and control not seen in other indoor soccer styles.

Regular games in Salida are held at 7 p.m. Thursdays and 6 p.m. Sundays in the Salida Middle School gymnasium. Non-regular players can pay a $5 drop-in fee.

Competing at Pueblo in a 10-team division, the Salida 18 and older team won three games and lost one during first day competition securing a Jan. 31 playoff position.

With another victory that morning, the team advanced to the championship game and won 9-3 against a team made up of Pueblo and Colorado Springs league players.

Five Salida youth teams accompanied the adult team and categories were broken into age, men's and coed divisions.

Bosanko said Front Range communities host regular league play, producing more competition than available in Salida, so he was pleased with the tournament win.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com