On a rainy but exciting weekend in Wynwood, the women’s and men’s national titles in the Neymar Jr’s Five were awarded. Los Zorros of Fresno won the ladies title, while TC Broders from Los Angeles claimed the men’s title.
The two-day event was a festival of soccer, with a particular focus on five-a-side futsal and freestyle soccer tricks. The highlight of Friday night’s festivities was a celebrity pick-up game with former U.S. Men’s National Team captain and current YouTube celebrity Jimmy Conrad.
With @JimmyConrad at the Neymar Jr’s 5 in wynwood. Reppin that @BocaRatonFC kit 😂 pic.twitter.com/mtF74fupnJ
— Housman. (@itshousmanlol) June 8, 2018
While there were qualifiers held on Friday, the nitty-gritty of the competition was saved for Saturday. The Round of 16 games kicked off at 11:30, with the national finals for the men and women finally kicking off around 4 pm. Before the kickoff of the finals, fans were treated to a freestyle trick exhibition.
In the first final, the women from Fresno, known as Los Zorros, squared off against One Love FC from Los Angeles in an all-California final. Los Zorros swept to the national title and a trip to Brazil.
The rules of the tournament, which take one player off a team that concedes a goal, lends games to end rather lopsidedly. Despite the 5-0 scoreline, One Love FC was competitive for most of the match.
Los Zorros are affiliated with Fresno FC Ladies, members of the Women’s Premier Soccer League.
In the men’s final, TC Broders, which won the 2016 national final and finished in second in 2017, squared off against Miami’s Santos. Despite the home-field advantage, TC Broders showed their experience on the big stage and earned another trip to Brazil with a 5-0 scoreline.
Both of the winning teams now head on an expenses-paid trip to the world final at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr, Brazil in São Paulo.
Around the games, there was plenty for fans, including an exhibition from artists entitled “Creators of the Game” and speaking sessions from “Influencers of the Game.”
