Oceanside, California was delighted to host the 9th consecutive edition of the Beach Soccer Championships from May 15th-17th and the action did not disappoint
For the first time since 2012 a new champion was crowned in Oceanside, and the latest winner was BSC Chargers from Switzerland. It should be no surprise that the Swiss club performed so well as they have a very healthy national league and their National Selection reflects that as well. However, the club itself is chock full of international talent and they were able to outperform a local team, Culture FC, 3-2, in the final.
Leading up to the final, there were a great number of cracking matches, which included upsets, suprises and of course goals. The quarterfinals had an ecclectic mix of teams from all over the world, including: BSC Chargers (SUI), Colosseum Roma (ITA), CD Nacional (POR), Portland BSC (USA), Tokyo Lequios (JPN), Shoreline Nomads (USA), Culture FC (USA), and FC Barcelona (ESP). The semifinals set up nicely for a global clash as the Swiss, Portuguese, Americans, and Spanish all had representing clubs. The individual awards saw players from all over win as well, The Golden Gloves, also known as the Best Goalkeeper, went to Victor Wheller of BSC Chargers. The Golden Toe, or Top Goal Scorer, was Goto Takasuke, playing for Tokyo Lequios, and the MVP was Paulo Gil from Culture FC.
The beautiful weather and beaches are common place in California, but from the 15th to the 17th of May, locals and international fans alike were graced with the colossal beach soccer tournament. Teams from all over the world gathered for this prestigious event on American soil, including 3,720 players from 310 teams. Amateur and professional teams both took part in the festivities that saw over 72,000 spectators enjoy the action.
Final Standings:
Winner: BSC Chargers
Runner-up: Culture FC
3rd Place: CD Nacional
4th Place: Tokyo Lequios
Individual Awards:
Golden Gloves (Best Goalkeeper): Victor Wheller (BSC Chargers)
Golden Toe (Top Scorer): Goto Takasuke (Tokyo Lequios)
MVP: Paulo Gil (Culture FC)
Final Results:
Quarterfinals
BSC Chargers 5 – 2 Colosseum Roma
CD Nacional 11 – 2 Portland BSC
Tokyo Lequios 4 -1 Shoreline Nomads
Culture FC 5 – 4 FC Barcelona
Semifinals
BSC Chargers 5 – 2 CD Nacional
Culture FC 5 – 4 Tokyo Lequios
Final
BSC Chargers 3 – 2 Culture FC
