Last weekend, the Fire's developmental team the Super 20s headed to the national championship finals in Virginia Beach. One of their defenders, Greg Klazura from Rockford, has an exclusive account of events in the championships for Section 8.

Section 8,

First and foremost the Fire Super Twenties are extremely grateful for the support of the best fans in the world as we make a run for a National Championship.

On Wednesday our trip started off with a morning practice -- and what was promised to be an extravagant brunch, but actually turned out to be bagels and Sunny Delight. Following brunch was the raffle off for the $10,000, 16 person, field side suite for the LA Galaxy-Chicago Fire game on September 25. The raffle helped fund our trip to Virginia Beach, so naturally John Dorn won, but he generously gave the suite to J.C. Mack our Rastafarian forward, hailing from Columbus, Ohio (screw the Crew).

We arrived in Virginia Beach safely, but unfortunately the airline lost coach Paul Cadwell’s bag. The team put their heads together, and quickly came up with a solution. Patrick, the team manager, sewed an entire wardrobe for the week out of the mesh, fluorescent practice pennies. I must say Caddy looks stunning. That night we were well fed and rested for our toughest opponent in group play, Potomac, Maryland.

We awoke Thursday morning ready to start our championship run. After a light breakfast we headed to the fields and prepared for a full game in the 96 degree Virginia Beach heat. Potomac, much like our team, was filled with players from some of the best college programs in the country including Indiana, Virginia, and Stanford.

The game went back and forth for the first 15 minutes and then Mikey Stevens broke through the center of the defense and floated a brilliant shot over the goalie. The crowd went wild, Larry fell to his knees and started crying tears of joy, Caddy and John shared an emotional embrace, and Patrick ripped off his shirt. The ball arced towards the net and then took a bounce of epic proportions. The ball, instead of tumbling softly into the net, pinged off the post and fell at the feet of a Potomac defender.

The game continued to go back and forth, while we steadily started to gain the upper hand. Then with about 10 minutes left in the first half Anthony Colazzi made a dazzling run down the left side and delivered a Gigg’s like cross to Matt Eliason who collected the ball and placed it neatly in the bottom right corner of the net.

After half-time the game slowed down considerably, mainly due to the heat. Subs were brought in and we attempted to lock down the final third and grind the rest of the game out. Then with about 20 minutes left in the second half Colazzi took the ball down the left side and delivered another pin-point cross to the back post, where a streaking Klazura tucked the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

After the second goal the game was fairly uneventful and the entire team was grateful to get out of the heat. We had another good meal that night and slept well after the day in the sweltering sun. Friday morning we were ready to take on the hometown team, the Piranhas, who were fresh off a 1-0 victory from the previous day.

The temperature was again in the high nineties but that didn’t stop us from reeling in the piranhas. We were all over the team from Virginia and scored about ten minutes into the first half. A looping cross was sent into the box and Andy Adlard flicked the ball onto Josh Thiermann at the back post. Thiermann rifled the ball low and hard into the opposite corner. Five minutes later the Notre Dame duo, Thiermann and Klazura, combined on a give and go on the right flank. Klazura passed the ball to Adlard who again flicked the ball on, this time to Chris Cutshaw who pounded the ball into the back of the net. Matt Eliason finished off the scoring in the first half after netting a break away set up by a well-won header from team captain Mark Blades.

We continued our domination in the second half. Chris Cutshaw beat several players on the right side and passed the ball to Stefan Antonijevic who brilliantly placed the ball into the left upper 90 from just outside of the box. Soon after Taylor Bond beat several men on the right side and was taken down in the penalty area, Chris Cutshaw netted the penalty, bringing the tally to 5-0. Finally with about 15 minutes left Colazzi received a fifty yard ball from captain Rob Younger and delivered a brilliant cross to Eliason who headed the ball into the lower right corner of the net.

After the game the team headed to Cici’s Pizza, an all you can eat buffet. The coaches, however, seemed to be more excited about the gooey cinnamon rolls than the 6-0 result. After Larry, John, and Caddy finished stuffing their faces we headed back to the hotel and rested up in preparation for two games in the blistering heat on Saturday.

From: Greg Klazura
Date: August 4, 2008

Section 8,

Saturday morning came and brought with it the challenge of securing our spot in the national final. After a light breakfast we headed to the fields for an eleven o’clock match versus Ironbound out of New Jersey.

The slow game lulled us into complacency and Ironbound scored about 15 minutes into the first half. Ironbound’s goal somehow released the shackles that were holding our attack back. Not more than two minutes later Andy Adlard sprung J.C. Mack free on a brilliant through ball. The Rastafarian forward netted the ball more coolly than an ocean breeze. Soon after our first goal the same duo struck again. J.C. slid a ball to Adlard who cut around a defender and slid the ball past the keeper on the near post.

We entered the second half with a 2-1 lead and we were determined to add to to it. About ten minutes into the second half Josh Thiermann passed the ball to Matt Eliason on the right flank. Eliason masterfully carved his way through all ten of the Ironbound field players and then did a rainbow into the upper 90. If you think I’m exaggerating, you’re wrong.

Soon after our third goal Matt again dribbled the ball into the box past an Ironbound defender. Only this time the frustrated Ironbound defender tried to de-pants Eliason as he headed towards the goal. Eliason’s backside quickly caught the attention of the referee and a penalty kick was called. Center midfielder Moriba Diallo punched Eliason in the face to make sure that he would be able to take the penalty kick. I think he got a little overzealous in his attempt to get on the score sheet. Nevertheless Moriba slotted the ball into the lower left hand corner of the net, bringing the tally to 4-1. After our fourth goal we did a fairly good job of keeping possession and conserving our energy for the semi-final later that night.

After our game we headed back to the hotel to eat and rest in preparation for our semi-final match against D.C. United. Back at the hotel Caddy forced Patrick to make four consecutive trips to Olive Garden because he said, “the boys are starving.” Somewhat mysteriously, however, we never saw any of the food Patrick allegedly brought back. I have a feeling that only Patrick, Caddy, and God know where in God’s name all that food went.

After lunch and a nap we headed back to the fields for our semi-final match at 6. The coaches decided to begin the match in a 3-5-2 to offset D.C.’s 4-4-2. Cody Stanley from the Chicago Magic and Northwestern man marked D.C.’s playmaker in the middle, Yates from the University of Maryland, effectively shutting down what little midfield play D.C. had. The back line manned by Younger, Klazura, and Nichols also kept center forward Jamil Devers from penetrating the defense. Younger played a key role in winning any and every head ball that came towards the back line.

With the coaches game plan in effect we started off the scoring about 15 minutes into the first half. Mikey Stevens flicked on a punt from goalie Brock Tomlinson and Chris Cutshaw hit a volley from just inside the 18-yard box. D.C.’s keeper got his hands on the shot but the ball went through his hands and rolled into the back of the net. The rest of the first half went back and forth and both sides were ready for a break by half time.

The coaches decided to go with a 4-5-1 to begin the second half. Our new formation really tightened up the game and further prevented any attempts by D.C. to break through our back line.

We soon started to wear down D.C. and started to pepper their keeper with shots. About half way through the second half Mikey Stevens passed the ball to Cutshaw inside of the box. Cutshaw passed it onto Matt Eliason who hit a right-footed volley into the back of the net.

With about ten minutes remaining in the game Matt Eliason played a through ball to Josh Thiermann on the left flank. Thiermann tore down the left side and nut-megged the keeper bringing the tally to 3-0. The grass was literally smoking after Thiermann’s blazing run; they don’t call us the Fire for no reason.

It’s hard to say who was happier about our victory, the hotel or us. Apparently the D.C. boys were real thugs around the hotel. After we sent the District of Convicts packing, we ate dinner and headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest. We went to sleep with rings, medals, and trophies dancing through our heads.

We awoke Sunday morning to slightly cooler and breezier weather, a welcomed change in comparison to the 95-degree heat with high humidity. When we arrived to the game we were ready to start the game right then and when kick-off time finally arrived we were more ready than we had been all tournament. The girl’s championship game, however, set us back almost a half hour.

When kick-off finally came both sides were ready for a dogfight and a dogfight it was. The Lynx, however, seemed more inclined to turn it into a catfight. The game opened up early and we had several good chances in front of the net. The game, however, continued to go back and forth until a strange play completely altered the game. A Toronto Lynx player was dribbling down the left side when our right midfielder fouled him. The Toronto player fell to the ground and our defence trotted back into position. The ball was laying several yards in front of the fallen player and as Klazura jogged back into position he gently flicked the ball back to Toronto’s left midfielder. The ball lightly hit the Toronto player on the shoulder and Klazura continued to jog back. Then suddenly the Toronto midfielder yelled loud enough for all of Canada to hear, “You kicked the ball at me you f****** c***.” This was easily the most idiotic thing said by anyone all week and that’s after a week spent with John, Caddy, and Larry. Needless to say the player received an immediate red card from the referee who was standing right next to him.

About five minutes after the red card Mark Blades sent a cross into the box from the right flank. Matt Eliason scored a brilliant diving header. The rest of the half was fairly uneventful and both sides headed to the bench to map out their second half game plan.

For the second half we decided to tuck in a bit and ride out the rest of the game with our one goal and one-man advantage. Things were going well despite the Lynx’s constant dirty play. Then with about 15 minutes left in the game the Lynx scored. A long looping ball was sent into our box and our outside midfielder headed the ball. The ball came off of his head awkwardly and floated towards one of Toronto’s forwards. The forward headed the ball and it took a large bounce about 7-8 yards in front of the goal. The ball then sailed in slow motion into the upper left 90 of the goal.

The game had changed completely, the Lynx had a newfound energy and we were now trying desperately to score. They were doing everything they could to send the game into a shootout. We battled back and forth and then with about ten minutes left we received a corner. Mark Blades sent a driven ball into the box and Cutshaw was able to get both a shoulder and a head on the ball as he sent it into the lower right corner of the net.

This time Larry’s cry, Caddy and John’s hug, and Patrick’s ripped off shirt were not in vain. We grinded out the rest of the game and when the final whistle blew we became NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.

Caddy, John, and Larry were doused with Gatorade and the team got into a circle and chanted FIRE, FIRE, FIRE. We then headed over to the tent to collect the hardware. Team Captains Mark Blades and Rob Younger won tournament MVP. Blades and Younger were both fantastic ball winners throughout the entire tournament. Blades did an excellent job of holding down the center midfield and Younger did the same for the back line. Matt Eliason won the Golden Boot after scoring SIX goals in five games.

After we collected our trophy, medals, snapped a few photos, signed a few thousand autographs and collected a few thousand numbers from the countless gorgeous women at the final we headed back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel we popped some bubbly and shared our few last moments together before several players had to head off to the airport. Once we safely arrived in Chicago, John had a stretch Hummer limo ready to take us out on the town for the night. That night we enjoyed ourselves compliments of Mr. Dorn. After all, it truly was an event worth celebrating: we are the only Fire team other than the first team to be National Champions. That my friends is something every Fire fan should be proud of.

Go Fire.