12 Rush Teams Advance to State Cup Challenge Round

Orlando, FL:  In an unprecedented result following the final weekend of qualifying competition for the FYSA (Florida Youth Soccer Association) State Cup, the Florida Rush advanced 12 teams to the Challenge Round of 16.  In each State Cup age bracket (U13 to U18) of both boys and girls divisions, a Florida Rush Team qualified to compete in the final rounds of the tournament.  In order to achieve this position, each team had to win between two and four games in up to two qualifying rounds against teams paired by the FYSA.  This placement signifies that each of the 12 Florida Rush teams is currently four victories away from a state championship.

“It says something good about the accomplishments of a team when they advance to the finals of any tournament, but to have each of our age groups able to finish among the top 16 teams in a state as large and talented as Florida is a tribute to the quality of our coaches, players and families as well as the success of the Rush system,” stated Florida Rush President Richie Gray.  “It is the type of result we envisioned when we decided to combine Orange County Soccer and Inter-United Soccer in Central Florida to form the Florida Rush.  By themselves, each of these clubs had some notable accomplishments.  But when pooled together for their talent and directed from the template of Rush management and player development systems, the ability to create advantages for everyone expands exponentially.”

Marcos Machado, Technical Director of the Florida Rush is responsible for staffing each age group with highly credentialed coaches who can deliver age-appropriate training, as well as making sure that training is consistently delivered.  Machado constantly emphasizes how important it is for players to receive the best instruction.  “Even if you have talented players,” says Machado, “they will not accomplish all that is possible for them without proper direction.” 

The depth of achievement for the 12 advancing teams from this year’s Florida Rush Academy Program demonstrates the club’s ability to consistently implement their training programs. 

In two weeks all 12 Florida Rush teams will continue their attempts to move forward in the final rounds.  Any loss means elimination and any victory advances them toward a title.