Plymouth United F.C. Scores Big at Canton Cup

— Submitted by Jennifer Arapoff

After an intense shootout with the Van Buren Wildcats '03 Black Team prior to the final match, the Plymouth United Girls U9 (Red Bracket) soccer team advanced to the championship game of last weekend’s Canton Cup tournament, winning 3-0 again the SOCS Storm 03 White for the 1st Place trophy.

Following the championship win, coach Sam Miller said that it was a competitive field and a hard-fought win. "I'm very proud of this team; they simply couldn't have played better than they did this weekend. These kids really deserved this.”

On another field, United’s Boys U11 White Team (Gray Bracket) played through a heart-stopping ending to earn a 2nd place championship finish, with Michigan Chill SBC White scoring a goal with just 10 seconds remaining. The East Lansing- based team took a 5-4 win, but the match was consistently back and forth. Coach Mario Ramirez wasn’t surprised at the team’s success. “These players have grown dramatically over the past few months, and earning a spot in the finals is the result of some really hard work.”

Not to be outdone by their club mates, the United 02 Girls Blue Team (Girls U10 Red Bracket) was faced with strong competition throughout the tournament, ultimately winning its way into the championship match against Michigan Rush Downriver Olympians. The U10 girls battled against a challenging offense, and earned a 2nd Place finish. Coach Kelli Donahue-List was thrilled with the results, noting, “With a team like this, that really hasn’t been playing together long, a trip to the finals is nothing short of outstanding. I could not be prouder of these girls.”

Plymouth United’s 01 Boys Blue Team also played extremely well, with a solid 2-1 record.

“For all of these teams to give such a great showing at the Canton Cup is incredibly rewarding for the coaches and the whole club,” says April Dono, club president.

Plymouth United was founded by families in the Plymouth community in the summer of 2010 with the goal of creating a player-focused club to develop passionate, confident, skilled youth players. As a quickly growing select club, it offers year-round, individual and team training, as well as competitive play in the select outdoor division of the Western Suburban Soccer League and the Michigan State Youth Soccer Association, as well as indoor play at area facilities.

The club’s mission is to continue to provide player-focused and team training with individualized attention to each player's physical, cognitive, and emotional development. Players train and learn at different rates and each youth player is unique. The club’s goal is to prepare each player to compete at the highest level of select and premier competition so that they can play with the best throughout their playing careers.