The Girls 2010 team of Futsal Club of Temecula won the championship of the United States Youth Futsal regional tournament December 8-10 at Miramar College in San Diego. The Southwest Regional Championships tournament had a round-robin format. The Temecula girls lost their first game but won their ensuing three matches.
“They showed character, personality on the court. The preparation mentally, physically, it helped them achieve those three winning games,” said coach Carlos Basso, who is also the technical director of Futsal Club of Temecula.
Basso moved from San Diego to Temecula in 2000, and the Temecula‑Murrieta Soccer Club added Basso to the organization’s staff that year. That club eventually became the Hawks Soccer Club, and Basso coached there for 20 years. In 2020 the Hawks and the Legends Football Club merged to become Legends Temecula Valley. Basso coached one year with the Legends before joining City SC Temecula.
Futsal differs from indoor soccer in terms of number of players (five on each team), surface (a harder floor), ball size (smaller), and out of bounds designation (lines rather than walls or boards). Basso also co-founded Futsal Club of Temecula, which has a strategic partnership with City SC Temecula.
“All these players who are playing futsal, they’re bringing success on their outdoor teams,” Basso said. “It helps them with their soccer IQ, first touch, speed of play.”
Jacques Ladouceur, who has lived in Murrieta since 2002, co-coached the Girls 2010 team Basso coached. In futsal five players from each team including the goalkeeper are on the pitch at a time. The Futsal Club of Temecula team had ten players at the regional tournament.
Makenna Mitchell was the leading scorer for Futsal Club of Temecula in the Southwest Regional Championships. “She stood out for the whole tournament,” Basso said.
Games are won by outscoring the other team, so players who don’t place the ball into the net also contribute to victories. “They all helped us achieve the success. The whole squad did an incredible job,” Basso said.
The December 8 loss was followed by two December 9 victories. Futsal Club of Temecula clinched the championship with a 4-3 win over Southern California Blues, which is based in San Juan Capistrano.
“A very exciting match. Very tactical. Some amazing goals,” Basso said.
The tournament matches were 22 minutes and utilized a running clock. The score was 3-3 before Futsal Club of Temecula scored the winning goal with approximately five minutes left.
“Long preparation to get to the level,” Basso said. “They’re learning to play the proper futsal, learning the rotations and the movement, and we ended up scoring some important goals to reach the championship.”
The regional tournament championship qualified Futsal Club of Temecula for the USYF national championship tournament July 6-9 in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas. “The girls will be ready for the national championship in July in Kansas City,” Basso said.
Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia.com.
