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For the second-straight season, a local U16 boys soccer team will compete with the sport’s elite.
The Braden River Soccer Club players want do a lot more than just show up. They want to make a statement.
The team is preparing for one last national tournament under the Braden River Soccer Club moniker. Through a partnership between Braden River Soccer Club and Florida Premier Football Club, Braden River’s competitive teams will play as Florida Premier FC SWFL starting next season, while recreation teams will keep the Braden River name. For now, the U16 boys team took a vote and decided to remain known as Braden River at the US Club National Cup, to be held July 18-22 in Denver. The Rage qualified for the event by taking first place at the Florida State Cup in Melbourne in May.
The same group qualified for the Elite Clubs National League’s Regional League Finals in Norco, California, a season ago. It was the first time a BRSC boys team had played in an event of that caliber, though a U18 girls team did represent the club at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship Series in 2021. At the time, the Rage viewed itself as David-like small team taking on a bunch of Goliaths. The Rage won one game at the Regional League Finals before being eliminated.
At the National Cup, the team has bigger plans.
“We’re feeling good,” David Rogers said. “We have all been a part of this group for a long time. We work together, train together. We stick together. That chemistry is one of the most important things you can have.”
Rogers said the team plays an attacking style under Head Coach Luis Salazar. That’s where the team’s chemistry comes into play. The core of the team has been together for six season, some players knowing each other even further back. By now, Rogers said, they know each other well. Their passes connect. They make runs at the appropriate time. In general, they play as one unit. When going against more recently constructed teams, that can make a world of difference.
Kael Kohrman, who has played with the team for eight seasons, credits Salazar with elevating the team’s level of play.
“He comes through for us,” Kohrman said. “He’s always pushing us harder, even if we hate it. He says, ‘You can hate me if you want, but if you’re getting better, it doesn’t matter,’ and he’s right. We do sprints, and he makes us give 100% even if we are tired and we have a game soon. It helps.”
Both Kohrman and Rogers said playing in the California event last season taught the team what it takes to compete against the best. The step-up in competition was real, they said. They also learned that they have the talent to compete if they play their best. They have also been working on their stamina, as playing in the high altitude of Colorado means they will likely get tired faster.
Antonio Saviano, the executive director of the newly-named Florida Premier FC SWFL, said he believes the U16 team has a strong chance to advance past the group stage of the Denver event, which would put the group among the nation’s elite — assuming they adjust to the altitude in time. After that, Saviano said, things get difficult, as the team will be going against the age level’s elite every match.
Regardless of how this group finishes, it should only be the beginning for the organization’s travel teams.
“The goal now is to build on what Braden River had by offering opportunities to more players,” Saviano said.
To that end, the organization will expand. The club had two U16 boys teams this season and Saviano said it expects to have four next season. More teams means a larger pool of players for the club to use when selecting rosters for national tournaments like the National Cup. It also gives more players the chance to prove themselves.
“If one of these teams qualifies next year, we can put the best (team) together to go,” Saviano said.
In theory, this would put the club on a more even playing field with teams from California and other soccer-heavy states, most of whom also have large organizations. The David-vs.-Goliath narrative would be gone. In time, it may even be Florida Premier that becomes a Goliath.
For one final tournament, the team remains Braden River, a name tied to memories for players on the team. Kohrman said the off-field times the players share together matter just as much as the on-field victories. They always have fun at hotel pools, he said. Rogers said he’ll never forget the trip the team took to California last season — not because of the Regional League Finals, but because of a boat ride the players took, where they witnessed whales and dolphins leaping out of the Pacific Ocean.
In Denver, the players will have a chance to make even more memories. Sending off the Braden River name — at least for this group — with a strong showing will be a bonus, one it believes it can achieve.
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Ryan Kohn is the sports editor for Sarasota and East County and a Missouri School of Journalism graduate. He was born and raised in Olney, Maryland. His biggest inspirations are Wright Thompson and Alex Ovechkin. His strongest belief is that mint chip ice cream is unbeatable.
