The Thunder Bay Chill U17 Boys brought home the gold medal at the recent Target USA Cup at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.
The Chill defeated Global FC from Kansas City, Missouri 4-2 in the final match. Two goals from Alexandro Iossa, and single markers from Fennmore Meo and Prestyn Popovic. This is first Thunder Bay team to win the prestigious international tournament since 2017.
The Chill advanced to the final on a 1-0 win over Rockford Olympic FC from Illinois - Matteo Bosch slotting home the game winner off of a Leevi Swearengen cross-crease pass. Erik Aegard recorded his fifth clean sheet in the match. The Chill put up a stingy defence in front of Aegard, conceding only two goals in all six matches in the three day tournament for a 0.33 Goals Against Average.
The quarter final was an equally compelling match, another 1-0 victory, this time over Interstate FC from Nebraska. A lunging header from Parker Mork off of a free kick delivery from Matteo Bosch sealed the deal with less than three minutes remaining.
The Chill boys, coached by Marco Colistro and Mattia Rolli, reached the playoff round with round robin wins over Global FC (2-0), Fusion FC from Plymouth, MN (2-0) and a 0-0 draw with JSC Jaguars from North Dakota.
Global FC was an interesting story for the tournament, as they are currently the subject of an upcoming Netflix documentary on the club’s activities. All of the players are refugees or immigrants from Africa and Central America and the club uses sport, specifically soccer “as a vehicle for transformative impact, supporting under-served youth with the tools to overcome obstacles to success by providing resources, opportunities and relationships towards a brighter future.” The two teams developed a very positive relationship over the weekend, and were supporting each other in their other matches. Global FC reached the final by defeating Ballaz FC from Kingston, Jamaica in their semifinal in penalty kicks.
The Chill U17 will now refocus on their next task, the Ontario Cup on July 29, when they take on Milton Magic in Milton. Ont. Two other Chill clubs will also be travelling to the GTA for Ontario Cup matches - the U16 Girls are visiting Rexdale, and the U14 Boys will be hosted by North Toronto.
