It was an opportunity for the young stars to shine on the soccer fields and match skills with some of their peers.
After a one-year hiatus, the annual Cooper City Optimist all-star tournament made a triumphant return to the delight of the players and their families.
A total of 10 all-star games were played at the Cooper City Sports Complex, featuring boys’ and girls’ divisions starting at 8U and finishing at the senior level. All teams were separated into Team Europe and Team America squads.
Commissioner Nick Vargas said he was pleased to see how the CCO soccer community embraced the return of the event.
“This is a big day for us, and all the parents and kids are happy to be back out here for all-star competition,” Vargas said. “Games are being played and all our fields are full and that makes me happy. We are having some fantastic games today. We are proud to be able to do this for the kids. They are having a blast.”
Vargas, who has been a player, a referee, a coach and now the commissioner, can relate to the players on the importance of being selected as an all-star and playing in front of family members and friends.
Many of the players have grown up in the league and are familiar with many of their opponents. Getting the opportunity to play as teammates proved to be an enjoyable experience.
“Things are getting back to normal, but to be quite honest I couldn’t do this without the team that I have,” Vargas said. “We will be building a different team as some of our volunteers are aging out with their kids. A new generation is coming in.”
In a spirited 12U boys’ match, Team Europe toppled Team America 3-2.
Team Europe coach Jason Whittaker made a strategic move in the second half of the match when he substituted Braden Anelauskas between the pipes. The goaltender did not disappoint as he stymied the offensive attacks of Team America with numerous saves.
For his stellar play, Anelauskas was named MVP of the game. The 11-year-old is a student-athlete at Pioneer Middle School and has been playing in the Cooper City Optimist League for six years.
“I really thought I would mess up when they put me in there,” Anelauskas said. “My regular team that I play for is Italy. It was amazing and I played awesome. Playing goalie is hard, but I like the challenge. It’s exciting to make a save and pump up my teammates. I think this is the best game I’ve ever played. I just wanted to win.”
In an exciting conclusion to the girls’ 14U all-star match, Team America was able to hold on for a 3-2 victory over Team Europe. Team America’s Sierra Minikus was named game MVP after scoring a goal and earning an assist.
The senior boys’ all-star match featured many high school players hitting the pitch to showcase their skills. No one’s star shone brighter than Team Europe’s MVP Giovanni Ghiringhelli who scored a hat trick to lead his team to a 3-1 victory over Team America. Jacob Berger scored the lone goal for Team America.
“I play for England in the CCO league, and my teammates helped me perform better today,” Ghiringhelli said. “This all-star game was a lot of fun, and we had some good talent out there today. This is my first year in this league as I was playing travel soccer. This all-star format is pretty cool with everyone coming together.”
