Making History on the Pitch
Emerald Force Soccer Club (EFSC) recently participated in an historic match.
Two teams from the club wound up facing each other in the 19U Boys Division III Championship match in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, at the Tennessee State Soccer Association (TSSA) Fall State Cup. Seeded number one and number two going into the tournament, EFSC Dinamo and EFSC Leverkusen with their coaches knew this championship matchup was a possibility but did not take for granted how rare an occurrence like this is.
Emerald Youth Foundation launched Emerald Force Soccer Club more than a decade ago to provide soccer opportunities for city youth year-round, including recreational soccer, city middle school-sponsored teams, competitive club teams, and teams for young adult men and women.
According to Shawn Mehegan, Soccer Ministry Director of Coaching and coach of EFSC Leverkusen, since those early years, EFSC has continued to grow and develop players from city neighborhoods.
Just last year the club grew by 100 players, and it is that growth that led to this championship. Before the season even started, it was obvious they had enough players for two teams at this level.
By creating a second team, EFSC was able to give 40 boys the opportunity to not only play soccer, but to receive the investment of time, guidance, and training that our Emerald coaches are eager to give young athletes.
Sevan Takvoryan, the coach of EFSC Dinamo Kiev, has been around since the early years of EFSC. His son started playing (and he began coaching) when our practices were held at local parks on baseball fields shared with four other teams.
Fortunately, because of Sansom Sports Complex on Dale Avenue and Haslam-Sansom Ministry Complex - Lonsdale, practice space was no longer an issue, but other hurdles existed.
The players on EFSC Dinamo and EFSC Leverkusen hail from at least eight countries and speak six different languages. Takvoryan worked hard, even bringing in a translator partway through the season, to make sure he was communicating effectively with his team.
Not only did the players bring different languages to the pitch, they also brought different styles of play, and again, Takvoryan worked hard to make sure the boys on EFSC Dinamo took the best of both styles and learned from each other.
As he puts it, their time in the beginning “was spent trying to get both sides to intermesh…adding some of the technical qualities to the guys who are just kicking and running and some of the organizational qualities to the guys who are used to going off on their own.”
Takvoryan spent a lot of effort getting them to see the value in what different approaches could bring to their game.
One of the biggest challenges for EFSC Leverkusen was a coaching change mid-season. Takvoryan honored his fellow coach, Mehegan, by sharing that Mehegan came to the team part-way through the season and in six to eight weeks had them at the state championship.
Coaches Shawn Mehegan and Sevan Takvoryan
So, what was the result of the championship game?
After a very rough semi-final match in which their opponent received one red card and seven yellow cards, EFSC Dinamo began the championship game a little intimidated by EFSC Leverkusen’s intensity and aggressive play.
Both coaches agree that the momentum changed in the second half.
Mehegan bragged on Takvoryan when he said good coaches see the problems in the first half and make adjustments in the second. Takvoryan and the Dinamo were able to locate Leverkusen’s weaknesses and capitalize on them, winning the final 6 – 1.
In a State Cup that was regarded by Hans Hobson, TSSA Chief Executive Officer, as “the most competitive year on the boys’ side that we have had in some time” with a parity among clubs “that has not occurred in over the last 10 years” what Emerald Force Soccer Club and these coaches and these players did was remarkable … and a whole lot of fun!
Congrats to EFSC Dinamo and EFSC Leverkusen – we hope to see you guys in the Division II Championship next year!
Emerald Force Soccer Club is always seeking dedicated volunteers to serve in a variety of ways with our teams. Learn more and apply to be a volunteer at emeraldyouth.org/volunteer.