Patrick Sheridan from Colorado won the 2024 Copa de la Rocha staged on January 27 by the BUSL 95 club in the Boise, Idaho, area. The Copa de la Rocha is one of the ASA’s oldest tournaments, debuting in 1997.
Sheridan, 2024 Copa de la Rocha winner
Organizer Lenny Foster reports that this Copa set a new record for participants (16) and featured three u20 and four u16 competitors. “It is rewarding to see our club’s continued growth after nearly 30 years of existence,” Foster said.
In the semifinals, Sheridan defeated Jonathan Smith 4-0 while Foster nipped Eric Garza 1-0. Sheridan claimed the title with a 1-0 victory in the final. In the consolation tournament, Eric Foster defeated Andrew Rice 3-2 on shots after a scoreless draw in regulation.
A strong field of 32 players from 10 states competed in the 2023 U.S. FISTF International Open event. The Maryland tournament organized by Paul Eyes is known as the “Holiday Silver”—a prestigious event in the U.S. table soccer calendar.
Open finalists Cranston and Tillman
Play began on Friday with a friendly Travelers Cup featuring 16 players from out of state. Michael Tillman (Minnesota) defeated Benny Nuger (Virginia) in the final match.
Saturday saw the main event take place at the Long Reach Community Center in Columbia, MD. A key match up was a semifinal clash between Daniel Cranston and Christian Filippella, the U.S. National Team captain and World Cup semifinalist. Cranston recorded an impressive 2-0 victory. He took his fine form into the final where he defeated Tillman 5-0. In the Veterans final, Alex Batacchi (Florida) defeated Gregg Deinhart (Virginia) on shots.
Batacchi (left) vs. Deinhart in Vets final
In the U20 event, Chris Belcher defeated Mason Lilly 2-1 (OT). In the final of a very competitive Mary Jane (consolation) tournament, Scott McCaulley (Outer Banks) edged out Jonathan Smith (BUSL95) on shots.
Sunday play was highlighted by a Team Event. Maryland retained the team title, defeating Tampa Bay Mountaineers in a tight final. Play concluded with an FA Cup-style knockout individual event. Cranston defeated Tillman in the final to secure his sweep of the weekend.
Morgan Croce vs Christian Filippella (right): 2022 World Cup semifinal (Traditional subbuteo), Rome
The ASA Board of Directors has selected Christian Filippella as the 2024 Team USA World Cup team captain.
Filippella returns as team Captain after leading the squad in Rome in 2022. He is a deeply accomplished and experienced player: a two-time ASA National Champion, twice World Cup semi-finalist (2018 in the Open and 2022 in Traditional Subbuteo), and a regular competitor in the Italian Serie A. He has played in the last four World Cups as a core member of Team USA and is the only ASA player to have ever won a World Cup medal.
“I’m honored to be the captain once more,” Filippella said. “I’m proud to represent a growing movement in the United States. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the game and it is great to see so much improvement in the last few years.”
The 2024 FISTF World Cup will be staged in Tunbridge Wells, the area where Peter Adolph invented the game in 1946. “I’m excited to play in England again,” Filippella said. “Last time I played there was in 2000 with Italy at the European championships at the old Wembley stadium. I reached the semifinals and it was an amazing experience.”
The USA captain tells us the World Cup squad is about to be announced. Stay tuned!
