FC Offutt takes third place at Defenders Cup

  • Published
  • By Ryan Hansen
  • 55th Wing Public Affairs
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. --  Football Club Offutt took third place out of 28 teams at the Defenders Cup, an annual military soccer tournament held in San Antonio over Labor Day weekend Aug. 30 - Sept. 2.

After going 0-3 in group play and being seeded 26th, the team caught fire in the knockout round reeling off three straight wins before falling 2-1 in the semi-finals to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.

The team then rolled to a 3-1 victory in the third place game over Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., bringing some hardware back to Team Offutt.

"This is a huge victory for Offutt as last year we placed 17th out of 22 teams," said Cristobal Ibarra, FC Offutt head coach and a U.S. Air Force senior airman with the 55th Comptroller Squadron. "I am very proud of the team and how we represented Offutt Air Force Base with honor."

After losing 5-0, 2-0 and 2-0 in group play, it would have been easy for FC Offutt to be discouraged heading into the knockout round, but Ibarra said the team knew they were better than their 0-3 record indicated.

"We had first game jitters in the group opener, and some of the players were nervous as the All-Air Force coach was watching us," he said. "We actually dominated the second and third group games, but we just could not score a goal."

Ibarra also added that his unique 2-3-3-2 formation took more time for the team to get used to than he anticipated. However, he believed it was only a matter of time before they would get comfortable with it.

"Even the All-Air Force coach had doubted my formation when we first started the tournament," he said. "And even after it started to work he still suggested we change it, but we stood strong."

In the opening round of the knockout bracket, the team faced seventh-seeded Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The game finished 0-0 with FC Offutt winning 5-4 on penalties thanks to goalie Maxwell Piles, an Offutt dependent, stopping Holloman's last shot.

"I try not to focus on what could happen, and I put my mind on what's happening now and what I can do to help the team," Piles said in regards to the pressure filled penalty kick that he saved.

From there the team faced Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, the tenth-seeded team. This game also ended in a draw with Piles coming up huge once again during the penalty shootout.

"I really just wanted to show everybody that our team was someone to look out for and that we had the skill to beat anyone," Piles said.

With their confidence growing each game, FC Offutt entered the quarter-finals of the Defenders Cup where they would face Hurlburt Field, Fla., another hot team who had just upset the second-seeded team in the tournament.

The game went back and forth, ending in a 2-2 draw. After coming on as a late sub, Jose Rodriguez, a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant with the 55th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, led the team to the semi-finals by nailing the winning penalty kick.

"It wasn't my turn to shoot but I just took the chance and scored," Rodriguez said. "Seeing my teammates and the people on the sidelines rushing in to celebrate is an indescribable experience."

Now in the semi-finals and only one game away from the championship, FC Offutt faced F.E. Warren AFB, the sixth seed, who had just upset the third-seeded team. In a tightly contested game, the team came up just short, losing 2-1.

"We completely out played them, hitting post after post in the last few minutes," Ibarra said.

But FC Offutt wasn't done quite yet as they would now face Keesler AFB for the third place trophy. Determined from the opening kick, FC Offutt dominated the game, winning 3-1.

"This team is full of heart and never once gave up," Ibarra said. "It's been such an honor to have coached this team."

After last year's 0-3-1 performance, Ibarra said the team was determined to show that they could play with the best military teams from across the world.

"As a team we really came together," he said. "We showed what we could do as one solid unit, one team."

As the team was making their run through the knockout round, they caught the eye of quite a few people -- including the All-Air Force coach. He encouraged Nicholas Green, a U.S. Air Force Airman 1st class with the 55th Force Support Squadron, Albert Preli, a U.S. Air Force Airman 1st class with the 1st Air Command Control Squadron, and Michael Hatch, a U.S. Navy petty officer 3rd class with the 55th Security Forces Squadron, to try out for respective service teams.

"Going into the tournament, you're told who's going to be there scouting for the service team ... and I'm honored to even be acknowledged," Green said. "Being presented with the opportunity to represent the U.S. Air Force in this service tryout is definitely a moment that I'll cherish, even if I don't make it."

"I will stay down in San Antonio for try-outs next year and will make the All-Air Force team," Preli said. "There is no such thing as getting cut when given this opportunity."

Overall, the tournament was a huge success and Ibarra said he's already making plans for FC Offutt to take the next step in 2014.

"I'm looking forward to the next season to see where we can go from here," he said. "The sky is the limit and I have no doubt this team will surpass our accomplishments this year."

And his team agrees.

"If this team stays together," Piles said, "we will become a force to be reckoned with."

"I'm sure that if we keep the majority of the guys with a few new additions, we can certainly repeat our feat this year and exceed it next year," Rodriguez said.