An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Armed Forces men's soccer team selected

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Belena S. Marquez
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Top athletes from the Department of Defense came together in the Florida panhandle Oct. 19-24 as the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Forces' best soccer players competed for the 2010 Armed Forces Men's Soccer Championship.

The Armed Forces Men's Soccer Championship tournament was used to select the top players from the tournament to represent the U.S. in the International Military Sports Competition.

The championship weekend began with the Air Force and the Marine Corps fighting for third and fourth place, while the Army and the Navy battled for the tournament championship.

The Marine Corps' solid defense ensured their victory as they defeated the Air Force 2-1. The Marine Corps started with an early advantage when Marine Corps Sgt. Felipe Magallon, from Camp Pendleton, Calif., scored in the 41st minute. Air Force Capt. Robert Wible evened the score with a goal in the 56th minute, but the Air Force could not maintain the tie. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Juan Torres, from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., made the winning goal in the 65th minute of the game when he bested the Air Force's defense.

"It was an awesome game," said Sergeant Magallon. "It was hard, but my team kept playing their hearts out. Everybody gave 110 percent."

The Army and the Navy also depended heavily on defense during the championship match, which ended in a shootout. Both teams' defenders and keepers ensured that no goals were scored, which led to the regulation game ending 0-0.

In overtime, Navy Seaman Austin Meier, from Naval Base Ventura County, Calif., made the first point of the game in the 95th minute. However, the lead didn't last. Army 1st Lt. Daniel Newell, from Fort Bragg, N.C., scored and tied the game in the 96th minute. The resulting shootout was a battle of the keepers that ended with the Army defeating the Navy 4-3.

"(Winning) was a team effort," said 2nd Lt. Andrew Glubzinski, Army keeper from Hohenfels, Germany. "It was a very close game that could've gone either way. Those are the games you live for. Little things make a difference in games. That's how soccer is, it's a team game."

The best players from each of the different services have been combined into one team to compete as representatives of the U.S.

"We (will) adjust and continue playing the same way," said Army Staff Sgt. Jose Alfaro-Hernandez, Army team captain, "we (will) play the way we play, passing the ball a lot."

The players are anticipating the 2010 Continental Men's Soccer Championship, which will be held in Suriname.

"I wish all of the teams good luck," said Senior Airman Paul Austin, from Travis Air Force Base. "I know that we worked really hard to get to this point. It's going to be great to challenge them."

Coast Guard Cmdr. Joe Ponseti, Navy head coach from the U.S. Coast Guard Command, Control, and Communications Engineering Center in Portsmouth, Pa., was selected to coach the team, while Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Clinton Dyer, Marine Corps assistant coach from Camp Pendleton, Calif., was selected to be the assistant coach for the team.

Both are prepared to lead the All Armed Forces team. "It's a whole different ball game. They (need to) step the game up (and do) their thing," said Sergeant Dyer.

The Armed Forces Championships are conducted by the Armed Forces Sports Council for the purpose of promoting understanding, goodwill and competition among the Armed Services.

"This is an opportunity for everybody that has the skills. (Service members) can come here and show their skills. It's open to everybody. You just have to give it a try, you have to give your best," said Sergeant Alfaro-Hernandez. "It's fun, but at the same time, (when) I go back to my unit, I go back to work."

The All Armed Forces men's soccer team is as follows:

Army 2nd Lt. Andrew Glubzinski, Hohenfels, Germany
Army Staff Sgt. Jose Alfaro-Hernandez, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Army Sgt. Tyler Startford, Fort Myer, Va.
Army Sgt. Barry Baptiste-Swift, Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii
Army Staff Sgt. Titus Kamau, Fort Benning Ga.
Army 2nd Lt. Andrew Hyers, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Blodgett, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Navy Seaman James Fenner, Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron FOURTEEN, Norfolk, Va.
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Brett Schmidt, United States Ship Ronald Reagan, San Diego, Calif.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Cliff Browning, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light FOUR TWO, Jacksonville, Fla.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Luis Zamora, Naval Submarine Support Facility, Norfolk, Va.
Marine Corps Sgt. Felipe Magallon, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Air Force Capt. Daniel Walsh, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
Air Force Senor Airman Paul Austin, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Peter Miller, Ramstein Air Base, Germany
Air Force 2nd Lt. Kevin Rosser, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Air Force Capt. Thomas Petykowski, Dover Air Force Base, Del.
Air Force Capt. Jason Belvill, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.