August 1, 2010 – A clinical display of skill, technique and determination capped off the Challenge Sports 3v3 National Championship for the Red Hots with an 8-0 win. 

After two consecutive finals – 2008 and 2009 -- as tournament bride’s maids, the Red Hots players celebrated their first 3v3 National Championship.

The Red Hots recovered from their sluggish start in group play to tear through the elimination rounds with wins over the Hurricanes (FC Elite) 5-1,  Earthquakes (Ponte Vedra Storn) 5-2, and Fire Power (Gwinnet Soccer Academy, Georgia) 8-0.

Searing Semi-Final

The temperature in Orlando hovered at 96 degrees with a heat index near 106 degrees for the Semi-Final between the Earthquakes and Red Hots. This was to become the game of the tournament as the two teams had played to a draw during group play.    The Red Hots were confident that they had the right game plan to defeat the Earthquakes and the ideal players to implement it.  

Playing suffocating pressure defense, the Red Hots forced the Earthquakes to turnover possession.  They succeeded in reducing the space in which to “hunt” for the ball by applying high pressure in the opponents half.  It was a risky strategy given the searing heat, but the players were up for the task. 

After commanding possession and dictating tempo, the Red Hots took a 2-1 half-time lead.  The pressure would be too much for their opponents, as the Red Hots came out after the break with three more strikes to win 5-2.

Champions

Celebrations were in order after the Red Hots dominated the tournament Cinderella team, Fire Power, in the final.  The 8-0 victory sealed the National Championship for the Red Hots. 

The Red Hots won 5 out of 5 tournaments during the 2010 3v3 Challenge TOUR, culminating with the 3v3 Challenge National Championship this summer at Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Complex! 

The Red Hots are Taylor Dobles, Maya Gordon, Mandy Kopecki, Chloe Laureano, Avery Nowak, and Alyssa Vazquez.  The team is coached by Juan Laureano and managed by Al Dobles. 

3v3 soccer is an ideal developmental structure for youth players designed to put players into continuous one-on-one situations improving ball control, game awareness and speed of play.