It'll be a soccer-filled weekend as playoffs take local spotlight

Wed Sep 28 2005

By Allan Besson

SOCCER fans can fill their boots this weekend as championship play takes centre stage at John Blumberg Soccer Complex and the Winnipeg Soccer Complex on Waverley Street.
Beginning Saturday, the big guys of the Manitoba Major Soccer League Premier Division will be playing their semifinals at Vince Leah Community Centre. The winners advance to the final, Sunday at 3:45 p.m. at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex on Waverley.
Also beginning on Saturday and extending into Sunday, with games at John Blumberg Soccer Complex and the Waverley Soccer Complex, is the Winnipeg Youth Soccer Association Cambrian City Championships.
Ital-Inter takes on Sons of Italy Lions and Lucania faces Maples Juventus in the MMSL semifinals. Both games begin at noon.

Lucania assistant manager Roman Pniowsky says they are not going to take Maples Juventus lightly. "The last time we played they were up 2-0 and we just managed to tie the game."

Sons of Italy Manager Gerald Olin isn't looking past Ital-Inter. "I think one of the things we look to is that we need the whole team to play as a unit and finish on the opportunities we get." "I don't think we had any rain at all for the fall season," said executive director Harry Harwood yesterday, predicting the warm weather would last throughout the weekend. "We have 64 games featuring all age groups from nine to 18 in both boys and girls."

The bulk of the games will be played at John Blumberg Soccer Complex, with games in the premier divisions going at the Winnipeg Soccer Complex Saturday at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Games at Blumberg begin at 9:30 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday and run until 3 p.m.

allan.besson@freepress.mb.ca