Wednesday December 12, 2007
          San Diego Silverbacks, one of 13 teams in the Atlanta Silverbacks Amateur Club, won the Liga Lawrenceville Summer-Fall Tournament Championship with an exciting overtime goal to beat Portugal FC by a score of 1-0 in front of more than 1,000 fans at RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium.  San Diego joined the Atlanta Silverbacks Amateur Club in 2005 and has established itself as one of the top amateur teams in the region.
 
          The Liga Lawrenceville Final was played on Sunday, December 2nd, and pitted the two best teams during the league's "Torneo Otoño."  San Diego Silverbacks was the regular season champion, posting a record of 7 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, with the draw a 4-4 thriller against fellow-finalist Portugal back on November 11 – Portugal finished in 2nd-place in the regular season standings.  The Silverbacks’ latino amateur-side reached the championship after an 11-0 aggregate win in the two-leg quarterfinals against Alianza, followed by a 5-2 aggregate win over Olimpia in the semifinals.
 
          The final against Portugal featured not only one of the best Silverbacks amateur squads in San Diego, but also showcased several current and former Silverbacks on both teams.  Rodrigo Rios, team captain for the Silverbacks’ USL First Division team, is the former coach for San Diego and plays a key role in their midfield.  The Chilean re-donned the red-and-black for San Diego's regular season matches and playoff run upon the end of the Silverbacks' professional season and historic run to the USL-1 final in September.  Also on San Diego's roster is former Silverbacks defender Adilson DeLima.  Two other Silverbacks’ notables wore the Portugal colors for the Liga Lawrenceville championship game-- current goalkeeper Felipe Quintero and former-fullback Gilbert Jean Baptiste.
 
          The match was hard-fought, with excellent play by both squads, but no goals in the first 90 minutes.  During the overtime period, San Diego finally broke through after the referee awarded them a penalty kick after a foul in the box.  Brazilian forward Felipe Martel took the spot kick and converted against a sprawling Quintero.  As the final seconds ticked-off, controversy ensued when De Lima may have handled the ball near the San Diego goal, but the referee initially did not award the penalty.  Portugal's players cried foul and a commotion ensued while the referee sorted out the potential infraction and its aftermath.
 
          After the mêlée was pacified and the offending individuals sent-off, the 4th official convinced the referee that a penalty was due.  Baptiste took the shot, but San Diego's netminder parried the effort.  The referee immediately blew for time, ending the affair.  With the victory, the San Diego Silverbacks reasserted their claim as one of the best amateur squads in Atlanta, not only among Latino teams, but also top non-Latino leagues, like the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League.  In addition to its four Liga Lawrenceville titles in three years since joining the red-and-black, San Diego Silverbacks also has a Copa Disney title and an Atlanta Silverbacks Champions League trophy to its name. The squad is sponsored by Party City, Mundo Hispanico, and local businessman Senobio Rivera.  

FALL YOUTH SEASON CULMINATES IN SUCCESSFUL TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

          The Atlanta Silverbacks Elite Youth Club held the second annual Tournament of Champions last weekend (12.8-12.9) at Atlanta Silverbacks Park. The all-boys invitational marked the end of the fall season for the Silverbacks’ two-year-old youth club. The tournament included competition in the U13, U14, U15, U16, and U17 age groups.
    “It was a well-received tournament with competitive games. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we had perfect weather,” commented Silverbacks' Director of Coaching Ted MacDougall. “Overall, during the fall season, we saw improvement in not just our individual players but in the teams as well. The standard of competition is better and as we improve we’re looking for stronger and stronger teams to test our abilities.”

U13 Champions: Silverbacks Elite
U14 Champions: Alianza
U15 Champions: GFC Elite
U16 Champions: 92 Fusion Gold
U17 Champions: Alianza Premier

Click here for complete results from the Atlanta Silverbacks Tournament of Champions.

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