Americas News
Tucson takes the Crown again...
Posted by: Newswire, 2024-08-26, 216 ViewsThe chants began in the 23rd minute as Juan Pablo Gil struck the goal that sealed Tucson's 2nd ever Division 1 Crown. Despite being an away match, all that could be heard was MVP reverberating throughout the stadium. Gil not only scored his league leading 18th goal of the season, but also topped the assist chart with 9 this season. The entire team embraced Gil at the end of the match, walking him around the stadium as the fans showed their love and appreciation for the superstar. Veteran midfield Sulaiman Ghani, who had 4 assists and 5 goals himself, said after the match, "Gil is amazing. He is the perfect balance of shot taker and unselfishness. We scored 38 goals this season, and 27 of those are on JP."
With Tucson claiming it's 2nd title in 3 seasons, fans eyes are now turning to the WES Cup. Tucson is making a 3rd straight appearance, a team record. The last two season have not ended well. The team was unable to get out of the group stage with 3 losses this past season. The season before, everything seemed great. Tucson ended the group stage with top seeding when disaster struck in the first leg of the knockout round. Star Keeper Brozzetti was injured leading to a 3 nil loss they were unable to come back from. Fans are hoping for a better showing this season.
Adding a twist to the Cup, sister team Seoul is making its first appearance, and in the same group. It will be the first time the two teams play each other in a competitive match. The 'experts' are actually leaning towards Seoul having the advantage. Tucson was hit hard with retirements including losing their starting keeper of the last 3 seasons. Meanwhile, Seoul has kept the team intact. Their star keeper, Hobbart, allowed only 9 goals in league helping to finish 3rd this season. Seoul also has a rising star taking the shots in Fontana. In his first 2 seasons, he has scored 35 league goals. Should be an epic match up when the two teams meet in Tucson for the 2nd round of the group.
Paul McCartney reporting for the Tucson Weekly
