On December 2-6, 2011 the Tampa Bay area, once again, played host to the prestigious Super Y-League National Finals with 130 teams, (79 boys and 51 girls), vying for top honors in the U-12 to U-17 age group divisions The teams had either won, and/or were runners-up in their respective Regional leagues during the summer of 2011 and represented competitive soccer clubs stretching from the North-West, Mid-West, South and Mid-Atlantic, South East, New England and Canada. The introduction of the U-12 divisions playing in the 11 v 11 format was introduced for the first time.
The 2011 All-Tournament teams were selected by United Soccer League (USL) Staff based on Tournament statistics, Olympic Development Program (ODP) nominations submitted by tournament coaches and recommendations from the USL Technical Staff.
As the Southeast Regional champions in the boys U-12, U-14 and girls U-13 age groups and runners-up in the boys U-16 division, West Pines United FC continued its tradition of placing four teams in the National Finals in each of the three years the club has competed in the League. Injuries sustained while playing in the local leagues and at their respective schools depleted the rosters of both the U-12 and U-16 boys, while the thought of missing up to three days of school hampered the availability of girls for the U-13 squad.
Glory was snatched from the U-12 and U-14 boys when they, after having the better of play during regulation and over-time periods of their semi-final games, were defeated in the dreaded penalty shoot-out phase.
The U-12’s path to the semis included 2-1 and 6-0 victories over the Long Island Rough Riders and Match Fit Chelsea respectively Led by ace-midfielder Jacob Montes, both games produced excellent soccer from West Pines with strikes coming from mid-fielder Juan Moreno and defender Sebasthiot Vaval in the first game before the team erupted in the latter match to score two early goals from forward Dilan Perrin and mid-fielder Christopher Sanchez. Sanchez would notch his second, sandwiched between the two goals of fellow mid-fielder Rubertini “Tino” Eugene with forward Marcos De Medeiros completing the rout. Giving nothing away, the defensive unit of Richard Snyder, Bevan Baker, Kristopher “Gage” Richard, Darien Hall, Hunter Warner and goalkeepers Marvin Alvarez and Jared John preserved the shut-out of a very surprised Chelsea squad. The six points was enough to earn them top spot in the group as their opponents proceeded to cancel each other out of contention.
The semi-final encounter with the Cleveland Internationals was a thrilling affair with West Pines having to side-line the injured Perrin and Eugene mid-way in the first half. A goal down, West Pines fought back to tie the score at the resumption of play, courtesy of a magnificent header by forward Nicholas Guilloid from a Vaval cross. Overtime produced a back and forth affair with West Pines seeming the stronger team and goalkeeper Marvin Alvarez producing a game saver just before the final whistle. A questionable second yellow card issued to Vaval late in the game saw West Pines entering the penalty shoot-out with three of its slated penalty kickers on the sideline.
Cleveland went on to win the game 4-2 on penalty kicks, taking the championship the following day by a 2-0 margin. West Pines coach, Anthony “Tony” March had nothing but praise for his team saying. “The boys played really well, given the lack of practice time leading up to the Nationals and the fact that five top-quality players were unable to make the trip”. He added. “Baring the two key injuries suffered in the semis I firmly believe we would have won the Nationals”. Christopher Sanchez, Rubertini “Tino” Eugene and Sebasthiot Vaval were selected to the boys U-12 All-Tournament team.
The fate of the U-12’s would re-visit the West Pines U-14 boys later that day when, with the score tied at 1-1 against the Brandon Flames through regulation and overtime play and, leading 3-1 in penalty kicks, the sky came crashing down when an apparent fourth and winning goal by West Pines was disallowed by the side-line official. Brandon drew within one and evened the score when West Pines failed to score on the final shot of its five attempts.
The team was left to ponder on what had just happened when their sixth attempt also failed and Brandon scored, snatching victory from what had seemed to be certain defeat. Brandon would go on to easily win the finals and the coveted crown by a 3-0 score. West Pines coach David Cunningham was heard to comment –“It’s going to be a long drive home. I doubt anyone will be interested in spending the next 4 hours with me”.
In group action the U-14’s had defeated the Alliance Academy 3-0 with forwards Ricardo Oliveiros and Luis Brown doing the scoring. A 0-0 tie with group favorites Blackwatch in their second game meant the team had to win their third and final group game by a whopping six goal margin. Undeterred by the formidable task ahead, West Pines exploded out of the gates to thrash Parsippany 6-0. Establishing an early two goal lead from forward Luis Brown but with time running out in the second stanza, West Pines received a much-needed boost when National team player Jean Orvil, increased the lead to three. The successful attempt resulted in a major blow for West Pines as Orvil was injured on the play, taking no further part in the tournament. His absence was especially noticeable in the team’s semi-final game the following day. Embarking on a one-man rampage, Brown blew through the opponent’s defense to score two additional goals with mid-fielder Steven Ghittis getting the all important sixth goal as the clock ticked down. With his six goal tournament performance Luis Brown was awarded the coveted Golden Boot Award and along with fellow forward Ricardo Oliveiros, was also selected to the boys U-14 All-tournament team.
Though not making it to the Final-4, the U-16 boys and U-13 girls exited the tournament with win-tied-loss records of 2-1-1 and 2-0-2 respectively. With goals from mid-fielder Nicolas Souberville and defender Jonathan Beale, the U-16’s first secured a 2-0 victory over the New Jersey Stallions. This was followed by a 2-2 result against the Damascus SC with Souberville and Donald Tomlinson supplying the goals for West Pines. Their championship efforts came to an end when going down to a 2-0 loss against the Northeast Division champions, Coquittlam Metro-Ford. The team would bounce back in the consolation game to roll over New England’s MPS Crusaders by a 4-1 margin. Souberville was joined on the scoring sheet by forward Andres Payne with two goals and Juan Rion. Coach Henry Pedraza remarked that - “The boys played some good soccer throughout the tournament and results really should have been better”. The absence central defender Owen MccCorkle, (injured), was sorely felt by the team. Ace-midfielder Nicolas Souberville was named to the boys U-16 All-tournament team.
The depleted U-14 girls’ team lost their first two games by 2-1 and 3-2 margins against the Midwest’s Rage SC and Cleveland Internationals. Missed scoring opportunities ruled the day as the team dominated play in the opening matches, missing game tying penalties in both games. Daniella Antieu, Alexys Novak and Mikayla Plummer provided the scoring for West Pines. Knowing that they should have been on their way to the final, the girls re-grouped to score six unanswered goals in their two remaining games, notching identical 3-0 victories over Mid-Atlantic’s Perugia Griffos and the New Jersey Rangers. Antieu found her form to lift her tally with four more goals with Sabrina Cordona and Gabriela Moreira accounting for the other two. “We had it in our grasp”, said coach Richard Chin. He added. “We just blew so many of the opportunities we created”. Daniella Antieau’s outstanding performance earned her the team’s lone selection to the girls U-13 All-tournament team.
Eleven West Pines players were nominated and selected for the 2011-12 Super Y-League Development Program National Camps. Each nominated player has been identified as one of the top players in their birth year, and 
