As the World Cup swings into gear in Brazil, Milwaukee will play host to another kind of futbol. The World Futsal Fest is being held at the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Kern Center, from June 12-14. Futsal, a close cousin of soccer, is played by five-man teams on an indoor court. The smaller dimensions and hard floor create a much faster-paced and more aggressive game, requiring technical perfection and superior speed.
The U.S. futsal team will take on France in two matches over two days. Both matches are free and open to the public. Adding another dimension to the futsal activities taking place in Milwaukee, the U.S. Youth Futsal Leadership Summit will also take place from June 12-14. A meet and greet with U.S. and French players of being held Tuesday, June 10 from 5:30-7 p.m. on the rooftop of the Milwaukee Athletic Club.
Soccer’s presence in the U.S. has always been negligible compared to, really most other countries. Making it to the World Cup both four years ago and this time around, the U.S. national team and soccer in general have begun to gain attention in the U.S. as the small group of soccer aficionados has begun to expand. Futsal is a fast-paced and more importantly, year-round, take on soccer that is being used by U.S. Soccer as a player development tool, according to Keith Tozer, coach of the U.S. Futsal National Team. Bringing Futsal to the U.S., and to Milwaukee specifically, should hopefully draw some much needed support for the sport, and for our national soccer team as they face a tough first group in the World Cup.
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