COMEBACK KIDS: Members of the Princeton FC Porto ’08 U-17 boys’ soccer squad show off the trophy and medals they earned for winning the National Premier Leagues (NPL) U-17 Black Division national title earlier this month in Denver, Colo. Porto rallied from a 3-0 halftime deficit against Virginia Legacy SC ’08 Elite in the final on July 14 to pull out a 5-3 win in extra time and earn the national title. Porto includes Christopher Cervantes (New Brunswick High), Cameron Olsen (Montgomery High), Christopher Duran (Monroe High), Lenny Garcia (Monroe), Luke Raghu (George School), Mario Radzicki (Hopewell Valley High), Michael Marinello (Allentown High), Osmar Galindo (New Brunswick), Ruben Mores (North Brunswick High), Sevastian Castilo (Wardlaw-Hartridge), Sidarth Goyal (Montgomery), Suneel Paladugu (WW/P-North), Yogi Mahant (Princeton High), Zander Nowicki (Council Rock North High), Karolis Bubulas (Pennsbury High), Orlangio Ramos (South River High), Aadit Tyagi (Montgomery), Logan Miller (Montgomery), Michael Perez (New Brunswick), Christian Truppi (Montgomery) and Lester Rosa Castenada – (New Brunswick). It is coached by Craig Birtwistle and Yordan Hristov. (Photo provided by Princeton FC)
By Bill Alden
Craig Birtwistle experienced a case of deja vu as his Princeton FC Porto ’08 U-17 boys’ team fell behind Virginia Legacy SC ’08 Elite 3-0 at halftime in the National Premier Leagues (NPL) U-17 Black Division National Final earlier this month.
“The first game of our season, we were 3-nil down at halftime and we only had 11 players that day because we had injuries,” said Porto head coach Birtwistle. “I said to them that day, ‘I know we can score four goals in a game’ and they did. When we got to the final 3-nil down, I spoke to the team and said ‘You remember what it was like. Now we have even more players today, we have more strength.’ I said this could be the best story you ever tell anyone. Being 3-nil down, no one is expecting anything of you now.”
Exceeding expectations, Porto produced a comeback for the ages, scoring three unanswered goals in the second half to force overtime and two goals in extra time to earn a 5-3 win and a national title.
“We scored that third goal and the referee immediately called for that water break,” said Birtwistle, who got second half goals from Christopher Duran, Osmar Galindo, and Sidarth Goyal. “When they came over, I spoke to them and I only had 30 seconds while they were gulping their water down. I literally said to them, ‘This is it, we have won this. Go out there and get this.’”
The PFC squad got after it the extra time, scoring a pair of goals in the second 10 minutes of the 20-minute session.
“When we scored the fourth, we were very excited but we kept the ball, I was telling them to game manage,” said Birtwistle, whose extra time goals came from Michael Marinello and Yogi Mahant. “Then when we got the second goal and everyone just dropped to their knees. Their team dropped to their knees, our team dropped to its knees. We just knew it was our game then because the other team didn’t have energy left. They had a player sent off so they were playing with a man down. We got a player sent off so we were playing 10-10 and the players were spent at this point.”
Coming into the final, Porto had displayed plenty of energy as it went 3-0 in group play, scoring 12 goals and yielding just two.
“I said to the boys from the beginning – the way the tournament is set up, if you play well, it is going to be hard for anyone to beat us,” said Birtwistle, whose team topped Virginia Legacy 4-1 in its opener and then defeated Cincinnati Elite (Ohio) 6-1 and Flatirons Rush (Colo.) 3-1. “So the boys had in their minds straight away that we are going to play to our strengths and our strength was organization when defending.”
The squad also brought a flair to the pitch. “We have a very unique group of players,” asserted Birtwistle. “Where some teams are extremely well organized or creative, we have a team that is both. It is a case of our team plays like they play on the street with freedom. They are like those kind of ballers you would see in Brazil.”
Heading into the rematch with Virginia Legacy in the final, Porto was ready for a fight.
“What I wanted to guard against was complacency, having already played the team and beaten the team,” said Birtwistle. “I said to the boys they are going to be completely up for us. If you knew you lost your last game against a team and you had another chance to rectify that, you would be all for it.”
The emotions ran high for Porto after it prevailed in the rematch.
“We had a lot of the kids crying, they were so overjoyed,” said Birtwistle. “It was very special to me but it was more special seeing how much it meant to them. For me, it was a case of I was happy to be in the background and let them shine.”
In reflecting on the squad’s qualities, Birtwistle cited its unity.
“The word I would always use is togetherness; they have always had a great core of a group that has been together for so long,” said Birtwistle, who credited the team’s other coach, Yordan Hristov, with playing a key role in the squad’s success over the years. “It is a ‘never say die’ attitude that spoke volumes in the final, coming back from three down. They have a lot of confidence in themselves, both individually and as a unit.”
Hristov, who serves as the Princeton FC Director of Coaching, saw the team’s triumph as the product of perseverance and tenacity.
“This championship is the result of years of hard work, commitment, steady development from a group we always believed had the potential for something special,” said Hristov. “Throughout the Nationals, PFC Porto showed a winning mentality, composure and character in every game. The final was the perfect reflection of that spirit – coming back from 3-0 down at halftime to win 5-3 in extra time was simply incredible.”
In Birtwistle’s view, the national title was a fitting conclusion to those years of toil.
“When I did my speech before the title game I kept using the word ‘final,’” said Birtwistle. “It became like a full circle for this group. They have won states, they have won regionals and now they have won nationals. Many players might not be returning because they are going into their senior year in high school.”