The tournament pit some of the best U16 squads all over Thailand in a five-a-side competition that saw qualifiers rounds take place nationwide, en route to the final in Bangkok on October 12.
“Winning a tournament like this is amazing. It shows us that we are doing something right here in the school, because we played and beat professional teams, with players that usually represent the Thai National Team. That's the highest possible level in Thailand,” said Assistant Coach Eder Diniz.
During the Phuket qualifiers in September, BISP-Cruzeiro dominated all four of their matches with scores of 5-0, 2-0, 4-0, and 4-1. Conceding one goal during the entire qualifiers, the team was riding high, but their stables of coaches, led by Head Coach Jonathas Candido, wouldn’t let them rest on their laurels.
The finals on October 12 in Bangkok’s Future Arena Soccier Field was well-attended, with high-level Thai football officials watching, including Korrawee Pitsananatakul, Secretary-General of the Football Association of Thailand.
After dispatching two teams in the group stage (by scores of 5-2 and 3-2), the BISP-Cruzeiro team faces their biggest test: Chonburi regional. The team stayed composed and were able to secure a dominant 3-0 victory against high-level competition.
The win comes just months after the squad's U15 team won the IBERCUP U15 title in Spain, while the U19 team were Runners-Up in the Portgual IBERCUP.
Next up, the team are preparing their players for the BISP Soccer 7s competition at the British International School, Phuket on November 23-24. After that, Coach Eder says the team are training their teams to play at international tournaments in Singapore, Brazil (March), Spain (June), and Portugal (July).