Local LSA Grads Key To National Champion Soccer Team

From left to right: Strachan, Foran, and Quayle

Three local boys who got their start in soccer thanks to the Lakewood Soccer Association (LSA) were key members of the Cleveland Internationals Soccer Club U12 boys Super-Y League team that won the prestigious North American Finals in Tampa, Florida December 2 – 6. Brennan Foran, David Quayle, and Daniel Strachan formed their early interest and passion for soccer through LSA’s recreation and travel programs, before moving on to the Internationals premier program to further advance their skills and level of competition. 

Lakewood residents Foran and Strachan attend Harding Middle School while Quayle resides in the nearby West Park area of Cleveland and attends Messiah Lutheran School in Fairview Park. Notably, the three former LSA players represent the largest single community contribution to the 18 member team. Other players on the team are from communities throughout Northeast Ohio including North Canton, Chagrin Falls, Westlake, Aurora and Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Internationals team clinched the championship with a 2-0 victory over the New Jersey Rangers, a team that had gone undefeated in the tournament. The victory marked the Internationals’ third shut-out of the finals after posting a 3-0 win over Ironbound Soccer Club of Newark, New Jersey and a 1-0 win over Fredericksburg Area Soccer Association of Virginia in earlier match play. Internationals also posted a 2-1 win over an “all star” West Pines, Florida team during the semi-finals, a win which went to overtime match play and penalty kicks for a final winning decision in favor of the Internationals.

The North American finals, featuring more than 130 boys' and girls’ teams and nearly 2,500 players, was the culmination of the Super-Y League summer season, which included more than 700 teams from U-12 to U-17 competing in six regions across the U.S. and Canada. In July, the Internationals boys finished first in the Midwest Division with a 7-1-1 record, qualifying them for the finals in Tampa, Florida. 

The 2011 Internationals Champion Super-Y team was coached by Louie Nanchoff, former Professional Soccer Player, and member of the U.S. National Team (including the U.S. Olympic team and World Cup Team), former University of Akron standout player and co-founder of the Internationals Soccer Club.

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Volume 7, Issue 25, Posted 11:50 PM, 12.13.2011