Futsal/Indoor Soccer World News
February 27, 2002

News and information on Futsal/Indoor Soccer from around the world


EUROPE

PLAYAS DE CASTELLÓN, ACTION 21 CHARLEROI BOOK SPOTS
IN UEFA FUTSAL CUP SEMIS
Playas de Castellón of Spain and Action 21 Charleroi of
Belgium earned semifinal berths in the 2002 UEFA Futsal
Cup in Lisbon, Portugal after posting back-to-back wins
in group play. The first-ever eight-team tournament
features two groups of four European clubs each. Group B
competition began on Feb. 25, with Action 21 Charleroi
(2-0-0, 6 Points) defeating CSÖ-Montage Budapest FC of
Hungary (0-2-0, 0 Points) 7-5, while Playas de Castellón
(2-0-0, 6 Points) blanked Clearex-Chorzòw (0-2-0, 0 Points)
of Poland 9-0. The following day (Feb. 26), Action 21
Charleroi scored a 3-2 win over Clearex-Chorzòw in the
opener, while Playas de Castellón crushed CSÖ-Montage
7-1 in the nightcap. Both squads advanced to the
semifinals with one game remaining in group play. In
Group A action, MNK 1700 Split of Croatia and the host
Sporting Club de Portugal have taken the top two spots
with four points each (1-0-1). MNK 1700 Split opened
group play with a 2-0 shutout over AS Roma of Italy
(1-1-0, 3 Points) on Feb. 25, while Sporting Club
topped MNK Kaskada Gracanica of Bosnia-Herzegovina
(0-2-0, 0 Points) 3-1. MNK 1700 Split and Sporting
Club battled to a scoreless draw the next day (Feb. 26),
while AS Roma remained alive for a spot in the semifinals
with a 10-2 trouncing of MNK Kaskada. Round-robin
group play concludes on Feb. 28, with four matches as
MNK Kaskada takes on MNK 1700 Split and then AS Roma
squares off against Sporting Club in Group A action,
while Group B ends with Playas de Castellón facing
Action 21 Charleroi and then CSÖ-Montage plays
Clearex-Chorzòw. The 2002 UEFA Futsal Cup semifinals
will take place on Mar. 2, with the top two teams from
each group meeting in the semifinals on Mar. 2. The
semifinal survivors will battle for the championship
the following day (Mar. 3).

2002 UEFA Futsal Cup - Lisbon, Portugal
Group Standings & Schedule - Local Time Kick off

Group A (GP, W-L-T, GF:GA, PTS)
Sporting Club-POR (2, 1-0-1, 3:1, 4)
MNK 1700 Split-CRO (2, 1-0-1, 2:0, 4)
AS Roma-ITA (2, 1-1-0, 10:4, 3)
MNK Kaskada-BIH (2, 0-2-0, 3:13, 0)

Group B (GP, W-L-T, GF:GA, PTS)
Playas de Castellón-ESP (2, 2-0-0, 16:1, 6) *
Action 21 Charleroi-BEL (2, 2-0-0, 10:7, 6) *
CSÖ Montage-HUN (2, 0-2-0, 6:14, 0)
Clearex-Chorzòw-POL (2, 0-2-0, 2:12, 0)

* Advance to Semifinals

Feb. 25
MNK 1700 Split 2, AS Roma 0
Sporting Club 3, MNK Kaskada 1
Action 21 Charleroi 7, CSÖ Montage 5
Playas de Castellón 9, Clearex-Chorzow 0

Feb. 26
AS Roma 10, MNK Kaskada 2
MNK 1700 Split 0, Sporting Club 0
Action 21 Charleroi 3, Clearex-Chorzow 2
Playas de Castellón 7, CSÖ Montage 1

Feb. 28
MNK Kaskada vs. MNK 1700 Split 15:00
AS Roma vs. Sporting Club 17:00
Playas de Castellón vs. Action 21 Charleroi 19:00
CSÖ Montage vs. Clearex-Chorzow 21:00

Mar. 2
Semifinals
Winner Group A vs. Runners-up Group B 15:00
Winner Group B vs. Runners-up Group A 17:00

Mar. 3
Finals
Semifinal Winners 15:00

BELGIUM'S U-21 HOST ITALY IN TWIN-BILL
Belgium's Under-21 Futsal National Team will host
Italy's in a twin-bill from Mar. 12-13. The first
match will take place in Vilvoorde, Belgium on Mar.
12, while the second game will be held in Charleroi
the following day.

HUNGARY TRAVELS TO NETHERLANDS FOR TWO-GAME SERIES
Hungary's Futsal National Team will travel to the
Netherlands to face the host in a two-game international
friendly series from Mar. 19-20. Hungary will play
Holland in Zwaag in the first game on Mar. 19, and
then both squads square off again the next day in Almere.

COSTA RICA

LOZANO CONCLUDES TRIP TO COSTA RICA
Spain's Futsal National Team Head Coach Javier Lozano
Cid concluded his eight-day tour in Costa Rica on Feb.
27. Organized by Costa Rica's Futsal Head Coach Carlos
Quiros Alvarez and 19 clubs from the country's "Primera
Division de Futbol Sala," Lozano held diverse meeting
and clinics with local futsal coaches from Feb. 19-27.
Lozano now returns to Spain to prepare the squad for
their next international home match against Brazil in
late March.

USA

COMETS WIN TWO BUT STIL TRAIL FIRST-PLACE WAVE IN 2001-02
MISL STANDINGS
The Kansas City Comets posted back-to-back home victories
for an overall ledger of 16-12 but still trail the
first-place Milwaukee Wave (23-7) in the 2001-02 Major
Indoor Soccer League (MISL) standings. After scoring a
16-12 win over the Baltimore Blast (13-16) on Feb. 22,
the Comets, who are currently third in the MISL standings,
scored a 20-16 victory against the Wave on Feb. 24.
Prior to the match-up against the Comets, the Wave earned
a hard-fought 11-8 win over the visiting Blast on Feb. 23.
The MISL second-place Philadelphia Kixx (19-11) swept a
two-game series over the Cleveland Crunch (9-21). After
winning the first game in Philadelphia 13-9 on Feb. 20,
the Kixx topped the Crunch 18-11 on Feb. 24 in Cleveland.
In other MISL matches, the Harrisburg Heat (8-21) earned a
twin-bill split as they dropped a 14-6 decision to the
host Crunch on Feb. 22, then rebounded to top the visiting
Kixx 19-18 the following day. For more information,
check the MISL website at www.misl.net.

MEMBERS OF U.S. PLAYER POOL IN MISL ACTION
Baltimore Blast - Defender Sean Bowers (5 goals, 21 caps)
notched two goals and had an assist in the 16-12 loss to
Kansas City on Feb. 22. Forward Lee Tschantret (6 goals,
10 caps) and midfielder Denison Cabral (0 caps) each had
a goal, while goalkeeper Scott Hileman (0 caps) made 12
saves in the loss. Forward Giuliano Celenza (0 caps)
had two tallies, while forward Tarik Walker added another
in the 11-8 defeat at the hands of Milwaukee on Feb. 23.
Tschantret dished out two assists in the loss, while
Hileman posted 20 saves in goal. Cleveland Crunch -
Midfielder Lee Edgerton (0 caps) had a tally, while
goalkeeper Otto Orf (8 caps) made 13 saves in the 13-9
loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 20. Defender John Ball
(2 caps) earned a hat-trick, and Edgerton added a goal
in the 14-6 victory over Harrisburg on Feb. 22. Edgerton
assisted on two goals, while forward Steve Butcher added
another in the 18-11 loss to Philadelphia on Feb. 24.
Orf had 15 saves in the defeat. Harrisburg Heat -
Goalkeeper Doug Petras (9 caps) made five saves in the
14-6 loss to Cleveland on Feb. 22. Petras made 17 more
saves in the 19-18 victory over Philadelphia on Feb. 23.
Kansas City Comets - Forward Dino Delevski (0 caps)
notched two goals, while defenders Jeff Davis (5 goals,
5 caps) and Nate Houser (0 caps) each added a tally in
the 16-12 win over Baltimore on Feb. 22. Delevski (0 caps)
had two goals, while forwards Kevin Koetters (2 caps)
and Wes Wade (9 goals, 13 caps) each notched a tally in
the 20-16 victory over Milwaukee on Feb. 24. Milwaukee
Wave - Forward Brian Loftin (5 goals, 12 caps) scored
twice, while defender Glenn Carbonara (3 goals, 12 caps)
and forward Joe Reiniger each had a goal in the 11-8
victory against Baltimore on Feb. 23. Forward Todd
Dusosky (1 goal, 7 caps) added a goal and two assists,
while goalkeeper Victor Nogueira made seven saves in the
win. Todd Dusosky and defender Troy Dusosky both had a
tally and an assist in the 20-16 loss to Kansas City on
Feb. 24. Loftin, forward Johnny Torres (1 goal, 2 caps)
and defender Pat White (3 caps) all scored in the loss.
Reiniger added a goal and an assist to extend his
point-scoring streak to 103 games. Philadelphia Kixx -
Midfielder Gary DePalma (0 caps) scored and dished out
an assist in the 19-18 loss to Harrisburg on Feb. 23.
Defender Pat Morris (0 caps) notched two goals and an
assist in the 18-11 victory over Cleveland on Feb. 24.
Forward Don D'Ambra (0 caps) also scored twice, while
player/coach Omid Namazi (0 caps) added a tally and an
assist in the win.

BEACH SOCCER

AUSTRIA, TURKEY JOIN EBSL
European Beach Soccer League (EBSL) announced on Feb.
21, that Austria and Turkey have joined as official
members. Austria and Turkey will now compete in the
respective EBSL tournaments beginning in 2002.

PORTUGAL CAPTURES 2002 EUROPEAN PRO BEACH CHAMPIONSHIP
Portugal captured the IV European Pro Beach Championship
held in Barcelona, Spain from Feb. 15-17. Portugal
topped Spain 2-1 in the final match of the 2002 event
on Feb. 17. Prior to the match-up against Spain, the
2001 European Champion Portugal opened the competition
with 7-5 victory over Switzerland on Feb. 15, and then
posted a 9-3 win over France the next day.




Information was researched and compiled by Steven Torres,
who is currently the Public Relations Coordinator/Futsal
Press Officer at the United States Soccer Federation.

Futsal is a sport that is a derivative of soccer and
played with five-man teams on a basketball style court,
with no walls and a low bouncing ball, unlike the
traditional sport of U.S. indoor soccer played with
six-man squads and walls. Great soccer superstars such
as Pele, Zico, Ronaldo and Diego Maradona grew up
playing the game and credit Futsal with developing
their skills. FUTSAL® is a registered trademark of the
United States Futsal Federation.