KENDALL SC MEMBERS HIGHLIGHT MIAMI-DADE BOYS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER PRESEASON STANDOUTS
November 11, 2008 (MIAMI HERALD) - There was Sunset. Then there was Varela. The big question in Miami-Dade County this season is: "Who’s next?’"
Sunset and Varela gave Miami-Dade County a combined four state championships and three mythical national titles during the past five seasons.
Coral Reef? Ferguson? Columbus? All are among Dade’s top teams this season, and hope to supplant Varela as the county’s next soccer dynasty.
’’This year is wide open for sure,’’ Sunset coach Kevin Myers said. ``There are any number of teams that could put it together toward the end of the season and come out of Dade.’’
Gulliver, the only other team to win a state title during that span, figures to have the most experienced returning team in Dade, led by junior forward Nicolas Rodriguez-Fraile.
Rodriguez-Fraile had 26 goals and 14 assists and will be joined by returning starters Sebastian Evers (Miami FC Kendall U18), Camilo Ronderos (U17B White) and Rafael Faria (U18B White). The Raiders got to the Region 4-3A final and could make a run at the Class 3A championship if they get past Plantation American Heritage.
But in Class 6A, the race is wide open. Sunset returns one of the county’s top defenders in senior Danny Villegas (Miami FC Kendall U18). He will be joined by newcomer Francisco Barbella (Miami FC Kendall U18), junior midfielder Philippe Cury (U17B White) and forward David Santamaria (Miami FC Kendall U18), who scored 12 goals last year.
’’If we can get the offense situated we can get far,’’ Myers said. ``It’s going to be hard to score on us.’’
Coral Reef got to the regional semifinals last season and knocked Sunset out of the playoffs along the way despite fielding a squad of mostly sophomores and juniors.
STARTING AT THE TOP
Coral Reef opens the season ranked No. 1 in Miami-Dade and brings back nine starters, including junior forward Ryan Wilkinson and junior defender Andy Mills (U17B White), and is expected to contend for its first district championship since 2002. That season, Coral Reef advanced to the state championship match.
Coral Reef coach Andres Paz credited much of the team’s success to assistant coach Carlos Martinez, a former pro soccer player.
’’His assessments of where to position our players on the field helped us beat a lot of teams last year,’’ Paz said. ``Our kids developed a confident mindset that made them feel like they could beat anyone.’’
Ferguson had one of the best starts of any Dade team before its season ended abruptly in the district playoffs. The Falcons return one of the most talented teams in the county, led by midfielders Steven Seballos (Miami FC Kendall U18), Santiago Schmid (Miami FC Kendall U16), Borely Martinez (U18B White), Jonathan Lima (U17B White) and Jonathan Bidegain (U17B White). Their defense will be anchored by junior Anthony Amaya (Miami FC Kendall U16).
Both the Falcons and Coral Reef will undoubtedly be targeting Varela since it is still the two-time defending state champion. But the Vipers will have a very different look, both on the field and on the sidelines.
VARELA: HOLES TO FILL
Varela lost nine starters, including Miami Herald Player of the Year Luiz Yamashita, who signed with Virginia Tech. The Vipers do, however, have some untested young players, such as junior midfielders Victor Cortez (U17B White) and Johny Vidales, who could have breakout seasons and keep the Vipers in contention for another state title.
Varela will also have a new coach in J.C. Gonzalez, (Coach U18G Blue) who coached the Archbishop Carroll girls’ soccer team the past four seasons and helped turn them into a playoff regular. He is the Vipers’ third coach in three seasons.
Former Vipers coach Luchi Gonzalez, who guided the Vipers to the mythical national title last year, is trying to build a powerhouse at Columbus. Gonzalez, a Gulliver graduate, professional soccer player and former Hermann Trophy winner at Southern Methodist University, will have to turn around a program that has not made it to the regional playoffs since 2000.
