It’s the biggest day of the Richmond Adult Soccer Association season with a trio of high-profile matches and an opportunity to further build camaraderie among the teams and players in the all-city circuit.
“Soccer Sunday” at Minoru Park starts at 11 a.m. with the RASA All-Star Game, followed by the Don Taylor League Cup at 1 p.m. The action concludes with the Masters Cup final at 3 p.m. All three matches will take place on the Minoru Oval.
The 56th annual Taylor League Cup final culminates a league-wide tournament that began back in October and offers a provincial cup berth to the winning side.
A random draw ensures intriguing match-ups from teams in the RASA’s First, Second and Masters Divisions. The Cup was named after Taylor — the association’s first-ever president who served on the executive for 25 years.
Following semi-final matches on Tuesday night, the All Blacks will take on the Jugadores in the championship game. The All Blacks slipped past West Coast 4-3, while the Jugadores defeated AC Richmond 3-1 in a battle of the top four teams in the RASA First Division.
“The League Cup is always an exciting tournament for our association,” said RASA president Steve Valenzuela. “Teams tend to bring an extra level of intensity to it. They are all trying to demonstrate their skill and strength with the hopes of winning the ultimate prize – a berth in the Provincial Cup. I’m sure both teams will bring an elevated level of competition.
“Don is a founding member of our League and is key reason why we’re able to play today. It’s great to have him continue his support of what we do. It’s a great way to honour his legacy.”
The Masters Cup final features the top two teams in the over 35 division. Richmond Old Blacks/Flying Beaver and Heatherbrae Masters/F.K.Nikola Tesla were slated to meet in the semi-finals Thursday night.
“We added this to the Soccer Sunday lineup two years ago,” explained Valenzuela. “Most of our Masters players have young families who don’t often get out see their dad play because we play at 9 p.m. on Thursdays during the season. This allows the players’ families to come out and cheer on dad. It also allows Masters to be part of the celebrations.”
Soccer Sunday commences with the League All-Star Game, featuring the top talent from all divisions. The team managers were selected by the board as an award for their contribution to the association. Club Ireland’s Jim Brady and Knight’s Ian McKenzie have been given the managerial honours.
“It’s really exciting to see our top players compete,” added Valenzuela. “We try to provide our membership a fun, exciting environment to play in and the All-Star Game is one the events that helps us achieve that goal.”
