By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
April 28, 2015-The times, they are a-changing including in the historic State Open Cup. Since the 1970’s, the best teams in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) have been playing in this tournament.
In 2014, Eastern New York introduced group play in the State Open Cup so every team that enters plays multiple games. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are still knockout rounds with two overtime periods and possibly a shootout to determine a winner if still tied.
New for this year, the State Open Cup finals will be played in May for the first time ever as the championship games are scheduled for May 30 and 31 at Stringham Park in Lagrangeville. More significantly, the cups in seven age groups are being named after soccer icons who have all been inducted into the Eastern New York Hall of Fame:
The Boys-Under-19 cup is being named the Peter Collins Cup, after the U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer and U.S. Soccer Life Member who volunteered as President of the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) from 1977 to 2004. The Bethpage resident coached the Hicksville Minutemen to the Boys-Under-19 national finals.
The Boys-Under-17 cup is being named the Jose Vargas Cup, after the longtime volunteer who passed away in 2010. Jose was an enthusiastic ref who served as State Referee Administrator, State Youth Referee Administrator and State Director of Assessment as well as President of the East Hudson Youth Soccer League and East Fishkill Soccer Club.
The Boys-Under-16 cup is now the Livio D’Arpino Cup. Livio was a beloved Vice President of Eastern New York who was involved in seemingly every level of local soccer before his untimely passing in 2002.
The Boys-Under-14 cup is being named the Rocco Amoroso Cup, after the U.S. Soccer Life Member. The Melville resident started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980 and it has since been copied around the world.
The Girls-Under-19 cup is now the Barbara Rodriguez Cup. The Northport resident served as Chairperson of the State Cup for 23 years, from 1992 to 2014.
The Girls-Under-16 cup is being named the Peter Masotto Cup, after the Region 1 Hall of Famer and U.S. Soccer Life Member who volunteered as President of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association from 1984 to 2006. The current resident of Babylon coached the Massapequa Falcons girls team to the 1988 national championship.
The Girls-Under-15 cup is being named the Jack Bauman Cup, after the man who is considered the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. Jack was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club, Eastern New York and making sure that girls had as many opportunities to play soccer as boys did.
“Eastern New York has a lengthy history because of our wonderful volunteers and we are very happy to honor some of our greatest volunteers by naming a State Open Cup competition after them,” commented Eastern New York President Richard Christiano. “It’s our hope that the players competing for these cups will learn what these icons have done for youth soccer.”
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.