CONTACT
Steve Lengen
General Manager
New Jersey Copa FC
Steve.Lengen@fccopa.com
(732) 662-5202
2018 New Jersey Copa FC tickets are on sale now!
Single game tickets, as well as season passes,
are available for purchase here on our website- www.njcopafc.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NJCFC MEN FINISH AS US FUTSAL REGIONAL FINALISTS
METUCHEN, NJ - The New Jersey Copa FC Men have finished the US Futsal Northeast Regional Finalists.
“Our teams made history this weekend,” started Head Coach Roberto Aguas. “In only our second year of existence as a professional futsal franchise, we went into this tournament as the new kids on the block going up against long-established regional powerhouses. We proved to everyone exactly what we are capable of, with our Men finishing as Regional Finalists and our Women winning the Regional Championship.”
The annual US Futsal Northeast Regional Championships, which was held at the Atlantic City Convention Center, took place over President’s Day weekend. NJCFC represented the top of the FC Copa Academy player development pyramid, bringing the total of teams representing the club at Regionals up to 23.
The NJCFC Men started later than the Women, playing only one game on Saturday afternoon ahead of two matches on Sunday.
The NJCFC Men opened up group play at 10:10pm on Saturday with a 6-3 win over OSC Futsal. Next, they played fellow National League of Professional Futsal members Sporting Maryland, where they lost 3-1. They rounded up group play with a 9:20pm game on Sunday that ended in a thrilling 4-3 win in the final minutes of the game after a last minute goal by #16 Gerald Cubero.
Ending 2-1 in group play, the NJCFC men finished second, earning them a spot in the Quarterfinals where they would play Juventud New England at 8:50am on Monday morning. The NJCFC Men took care of business with a 4-2 win, sending them into the Semifinals against South Jersey Barons. In another tightly contested match, the NJCFC Men came through in the clutch with a 2-1 win to send them to the Finals.
The Regional Finals saw the NJCFC Men go up against the tournament favorite Safira Futsal. After half, Safira was up 1-0 until the scoreline opened up in the last few minutes of the game as the Men began to feel the effects of their third game of the day. In the end, the NJCFC Men fell 5-0 to finish as Regional Finalists.
“To have this young group of men come together and make their way to the Regional Finals, going up against much older and more experienced teams, was such an awesome experience,” said Coach Andrew Giallombardo, Director of the FC Copa Futsal Academy. “They’ve left no doubt in anyone’s mind that they are now top contenders on the national futsal scene to be taken very seriously. We’re so proud of the players, and know that the future for them is extremely bright.”
“Historic weekend- first time our men's team qualified for the playoffs,” said Goalkeeper #1 Andrew Santos. “We got better each game and stuck to our roots of working hard, trusting our ability and playing together. Tough finish losing in the final but nothing to hang our heads about. Proud to be apart of the team and the club. A special thanks to all those who supported the team at the event and at home.”
“I am so proud of this talented group of players who worked extremely hard to be able to compete against the best futsal teams from the east coast,” said #9 Raphael Araujo. “Huge thanks to the fans of COPA NATION for being there supporting us and motivating us throughout the games. It was an amazing experience and I look forward for the growth of this team.”
“I am so incredibly proud of each and every player,” Aguas continued. “The heart and grit that they showed up against some of the toughest competition in the country was phenomenal. We’re extremely excited to transfer this energy into our NPSL season this summer.”
ABOUT NJCFC
In their first season in the NPSL, New Jersey Copa FC Men finished with an 8-5-2 record in the Summer of 2016. Following their successes, they qualified for the playoffs, and advanced to be one of the final eight teams out of 85 total teams throughout the NPSL league in the National Championship Tournament.
New Jersey Copa FC Women had a storybook run in their first season competing in the UWS, where they were 2016 UWS Eastern Conference Champions. They eventually lost in the final minutes of overtime to Santa Clarita, the UWS Western Champions, in the inaugural National Final.
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For more information, please feel free to contact Steve Lengen, New Jersey Copa FC General Manager, at steve.lengen@fccopa.com or (732) 662-5202.
33 Bridge Street
Metuchen, New Jersey
08840
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