ORLANDO, Florida - There was no singular turning point, no rallying moment in particular, but somewhere between the start of the second half and the end of the match the U17 Weston FC boys gained control of their Monday match against the Santa Clara Sporting 92.

And as a result of their 2-1 victory on Day 2 of the Disney Showcase, Weston is in the driver’s seat of the Bracket A Division tying the Dallas Texans at the top with four points. A win Tuesday could place the Florida club in a championship game, but first there was Santa Clara standing in the way.
                
Weston had to combat an early 1-0 deficit and physical natured game in order to make a point that was even stronger than the couple it earned in the standings.

“It got very physical and I’m glad that my team responded as well and did not turn the other cheek,” said Weston coach Alvin James. “You don’t want the other team to be able to manhandle you and have the game go the other way. My kids stood in blow for blow and they realized that we weren’t going to back down and so they had to play soccer too.”

Playing the ball isn’t an issue for either side, and the match produced some attractive soccer. Even without attacker Juan Robles, who was injured Sunday, the Sporting have a few fearsome ball-handlers and ball-winners that make it tough to turn them away.

Striker Manuel Flores is a tough and feisty player who made plenty happen for his team. He scored the opening goal of the match, seizing a chance off a throw-in, and he nearly produced another score midway through the second half when he sent a great corner in the box to a waiting teammate.

Midfielder Jonathan Salcedo was another playmaker who used his speed and aggressiveness to consistently beat players to the ball.

But Weston steadily won over the momentum behind players like Brian James, clearly one of the best players on the field. James is a smooth and natural player with the ball at his feet. He is tall and slender but is wiry strong and sneaky physical.

The effort of James helped Weston even the game midway through the second half.

Midfielder Jon Ibanez De Aldecoa set up the opportunity by taking space from the midfield to the final third. He showed great poise and decision-making by waiting until precisely the right moment to drop off the ball to teammate Conner Rezende, who rocketed in a bullet to make it 1-1.
De Aldecoa would later give Weston the go-ahead score, set up by Eddy Milien who went wide to the left wing with the ball and put a cross in the air that seemed to take forever to land - possibly due to the slightly windy conditions. The ball sailed just beyond a few Santa Clara defenders before De Aldecoa elevated and headed in a low left shot that found the back of the net.

“Our team is very technical and we have a lot of players who combine well with each other - I think that’s what the difference is between us and them,” said Weston striker Desmond Gonzales, a powerful player who sent some great shots on goal and mixed it up with the physical Santa Clara defense. “Both teams wanted to win so it was very physical and rough, but it was out of passion.”

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Weston FC
GK: Jason Soroka
D: Oliver Katz, Jason de Faria, Esteban Montano, Derk Simpson
M: Matthew Muralles, Brian James, Calvin Rezende, Conner Rezende
F: Desmond Gonzales, Jon Ibanez De Aldecoa
Subs: Colby Abrahmoff, Verneri Valimaa, Jamar Lewis, Eddie Milien,
    
Santa Clara Sporting SC 92
GK: Erik Brasil
D: Gino Rivera, Zak Tahar, Richard Robledo, Eduardo Ayllon
M: Paymon Estakhri, Sergio Bernal, Richie Osbourne, Jonathan Salcedo
F: Manuel Flores, Danny Flores
Subs: Alex Beloff, Cristian Perez, Erik Brasil, Jarrett Walker, Elias Walker