It's a dream season that just keeps on getting better for Richmond Youth Soccer Association's Premier Rep Program.
If qualifying four of five teams for the Coastal "A" Cup Finals wasn't good enough, then how about each one also coming away victorious? That's exactly how last weekend unfolded on home soil, solidifying one of the most dominant club performances since the Selects League was introduced over 20 years ago.
Richmond United's U13, U15, U16 and U18 teams all produced victories and will ride the momentum of their memorable campaigns to the Provincial "A" Cup Championships in Kamloops in early July.
U18 United, coached by John Gattens and Jeff Kemp edged Central City Breakers Pegasus 2-1, while Ted Lorenz and Kel Tang guided U16 United to a win over Coquitlam Metro-Ford by the same score. The results came on the heels off both teams winning the regular season and league playoff championships.
United's success didn't stop there as Greg Dunham and Shawn Sandhu's U13 squad slipped past the Burnaby Selects 1-0 on Saturday afternoon. U15 United, coached by Brent Branker and Paul Legge, completed the sweep with a convincing 4-0 win over the Central City Breakers Pegasus on Sunday morning.
The architect behind all the dominant program is RYSA technical director Roberto Sciascia.
Not only does the former European professional work diligently with each of Richmond's rep age groups throughout the season, he is also front and centre on the sidelines for every possible game he can attend, ensuring the master plan is being executed.
"We rely on volunteers to coach these teams but what we really needed was a full-time technical director who could map out where this program was going to go and we all could follow it," explained Gattens of Sciascia's hiring. "He is the best coach I have ever seen of being able get what he is trying to do through to his players. At the same time, it is also raising the perception of the way the game should be played to all of us coaches."
If there is a common theme to United's play it would be playing a possession game and pressure defending from one end of the park to the other. Much of their attacking is done on the weak side of the field with players encouraged to split defenders with diagonal balls to on rushing support, including overlapping fullbacks.
"It's diamond soccer," said Gattens of the shape and passing angles his team and others play. "The boys know the system so well that if nothing is there they will just take the possession back and try it again."
Dunham is one of the RYSA's top up and coming coaches who was brought into the fold by longtime club mentor Doug Long. He will be staying at the U13 level next season even though his players are moving on.
"Four titles is pretty good evidence we are doing something right," he said. "Roberto does a great job of instilling confidence into our boys and showing faith in them, to the point where they are not afraid to make mistakes if they know they are playing the game right way."
