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April 11, 2009
TEXANS RUN BY WEST COAST
Win U13 Dallas cup title
By Phil Stephens
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Eric Chapa powered his way to a first-half goal that stood up for a 1-0 win by the Dallas Texans Red. That earned them the Dallas Cup XXX U14 title over the West Coast Futbol Club.
Photo by Meg Stephens |
FRISCO, TX--Winning what might be the first of several Dallas Cup titles, the Dallas Texans Red did just enough to get past the West Coast Futbol Club 1-0 Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Cup XXX U13 Championship game at Pizza Hut Park Stadium.
After absorbing a lot of West Coast heat in the in the first 20 minutes, the Dallas team began to put some heat on the opposite goal. Erick Chapa scored the game-winner in the 27th minute, cutting across the top of the box going left, then cranking off a quick left footed shot that pulled past the goalie. The 'keeper overcommitted on the shot and had to lean back to try and get in front of the ball and just couldn't handle it.
Chapa was a dominating player the entire game, with speed, size and strength. He had a steady strike partner in Emerson Hyndman, a smooth attacking midfielder who came very close to cashing in on a goal just before the end of the half. Hyndman decided to test the goalie on a long range strike from the left channel,against the wind. He beat the goalie, but not the cross bar, skipping off the top.
Most often, the Texans went over the top, where Chapa found room to bolt past the California defense. Chapa struck for an apparent second goal 10 minutes into the second half, beating two defenders in the middle and passing to himself to make it a 1-v-1 confrontation with the 'keeper, whom Chapa beat. But a linesman flag pulled the score back for an offside play.
"We don't usually go over the top, but playing our sixth game in seven days, we were pretty tired," said Texans' coach Marcio Leite. "The other team was a little bigger and stronger, so I didn't want our team to take them on man to man. We adjusted to the conditions."
As the game wore down, the Texans went into a defensive mode and opted to fend off a frantic West Coast team that had to chase the ball. The strategy was a little risky, as California players Trevor Hyman and Kevin DeLa Torre had solid chances at the end. DeLa Torre caught the ball on a rebound following a corner kick and beat him close-in on a header, but went wide right with the shot.
Once again, Leite didn't want to match up against the larger players late in the game, so he deployed a more zonal type defense, letting the California players move the ball.
The Texans' Anthony Jefferies got a yellow card just before the clock, fending some desperation chances by the West Coast team. The defender played a very solid game against West Coast.
Marcio Leite, coach of the Texans, had to rush after the trophy presentation because he was about to come out with the U14 Texans' team, an U14 finalist. He would later leave the field with another Dallas Cup title in a 2-1 victory over the Irvine Strikers.
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