MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
(Editor’s Note: The Michigan Soccer Network will continue its series about an assortment of Michigan-based youth club teams that competed in various age groups at various regional and national tournaments and playoffs during the months of June, July and August for all levels of the youth soccer pyramid. Send all pertinent information including results, stats, photos, and coach’s contact information to MSN Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com or call the news department at 248-525-2349.)
BY DAN STICKRADT
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST | WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Michigan Soccer Network | Premier Media Group
CELL PHONE: (248) 884-1051
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork
WICHITA, Kansas – Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Pick your cliché, but one Michigan-based youth club soccer team just kept finding ways to stay alive and ended up taking home the grand prize even when at times the odds were against them.
Detroit City FC South Oakland-Rouge 08 completed an unbeaten 2024 campaign with a national championship at the U.S. Youth Soccer (USYS) President’s Cup National Tournament July 12-16 at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kansas.
South Oakland-Rouge put the finishing touches on the amazing five-month run with a 2-0 victory over Colorado-based Vail Valley SC 2008 Boys-Navy in the national championship match on July 16.
Courtesy Photo | Detroit City FC South Oakland
“We beat them in the finals after tying them in the (group stage),” said South Oakland-Rouge coach Dougie MacAulay, whose team finished 3-2-0 at the national tournament. “More than once (in the regional and national tournament) it went down to the last kick and we found a way to tie or win games. In our last (group stage) game we had to win just to make it out to the semifinals and we found a way to win 1-0 against a team from (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania).”
On the previous day, South Oakland cruised past Louisiana Fire SC 08 Boys-Red by a 4-1 count in the semifinals to set the stage with a second contest in the tournament against Vail Valley S.C.
Overall, over the past six months, South Oakland-Rouge finished undefeated at 20-0-5.
Between the state cup, Midwest regional and national tournament, South Oakland finished 13-0-3 with a 44-14 scoring edge with seven shutouts.
Nathan Calio, a junior-to-be at Berkley High School, was the starting goalkeeper throughout the entire tournament run – state, Midwest and National – and a key part of the South Oakland success story.
“I don’t know if it set in right away, but it is an amazing experience winning it all,” said Calilo. “It was an amazing (run) for us. We are all close friends and our chemistry is great. But we had to win our last game (of group stage) and that was only 1-0. Without that, we don’t even make it (the semifinals). Once we got to the (semis and finals), we really started to play better. We really wanted it.
“It all went back to the regional semifinals (back in June) when we came back and won 5-4,” continued Calio. “I think it was there that we really started to believe we could do it.”
Benjamin Sandborn and Harry Dixon finished as the leading goal scorers at the national tournament with two goals apiece. Sanborn added two assists, while Baylor Browning added a goal and three assists. Several other Rouge players reached the stat book at the national tournament, while South Oakland posted a team 0.40 goals-against-average in five games at the national tournament. The 16-game totals combining the state, regional and national tournaments saw a 0.88 team-goals-against-average, seven shutouts, 14 goals allowed and some memorable defensive and offensive plays to last a lifetime.
South Oakland-Rouge went 5-0-1 at the MSYSA State Cup Tournament back in May and June, posting a 20-3 scoring edge with three shutouts. Rouge followed that up with a perfect 5-0-0 record at the Midwest regional June 13-18 in Sioux Falls, S.D., outscoring the opposition 16-9 with one clean sheet.
In Group B pool play at the national tournament, South Oakland-Rouge went 1-0-2 but needed a 1-0 victory over Keystone FC Elite-Blue 08 Boys on July 14 in the final game of group stage to qualify for the semifinals. A loss or a tie in that contest would not be enough for the team to advance.
South Oakland-Rouge opened group stage with a 0-0 draw against Vail Valley SC 2008 Boys-Navy on July 12 and followed that up with a 1-1 stalemate against Laredo Youth Soccer Association Heat-08/09 Red on July 13.
Whatever the opposition threw at South Oakland-Rouge or whatever the adversity the side faced over the last few months, South Oakland-Rouge rose to the occasion on numerous occasions to capture a MSPSP Premier-1, MSYSA State Cup, USYS President’s Cup Midwest Regional and USYS President’s Cup National Tournament championship and never tasted defeat along the way.
There were five ties, some late-game comebacks and some incredible battles between the State Cup, Midwest and National tournaments.
“This is a special group of young (players),” said MacAulay. “They played great together, and they kept finding ways to win or earn ties. Whatever it took for us to advance to the next round. Whether that be a great save by our goalkeeper, a clutch goal, a blocked shot by one of defenders...These guys stepped up and were rewarded for it in the end.”
Made up of 17 players from a wide variety of area high schools in southeastern Michigan – Bloomfield Hills, Berkley, Detroit U-D Jesuit, Royal Oak, Royal Oak Shrine, Birmingham Roeper, Birmingham Groves, Grosse Pointe South and North Farmington – South Oakland-Rouge 08 has put up the impressive numbers. Nathan Calio (Berkley), Baylor Browning (Royal Oak), Benjamin Sanborn (Berkley), Brody Cain (Berkley), Camden Bartalino (Grosse Pointe South), Damon Richmond (North Farmington), Harry Dixon (Bloomfield Hills), Jackson Bofferding (Royal Oak Shrine), Javier Antaran (Detroit U-D Jesuit), Joshua Mackay (Royal Oak), Will Meja, Zach Bajorek (Royal Oak), Mitchell Sobeck (Detroit U-D Jesuit), Anthony Xicotencati (Royal Oak), Joseph Atto (Bloomfield Hills), Nathaniel Brunette (Royal Oak), Simon Dixon (Bloomfield Hills), William Qualman (Berkley), Joshua Mackey (Royal Oak Shrine), Nicholas Kollman (Birmingham Groves), Lucas Schroeder (Royal Oak) and Kal Vanderhoek (Birmingham Roeper) make up the roster in terms of players that saw action over the last five months.
MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer of teams or players with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com, or call 248-884-1051. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com.)
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