Bremen, Cristo Rey meet
for Windy City Ram Classic glory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Bremen junior forward Ricardo Avalos jetted down the left edge of the field and blasted in a left-footed ball with 15 seconds remaining in double overtime for the Braves' 2-1 victory over Bolingbrook on Tuesday.
The victory propelled the Braves into the title game of the Rams Windy City Classic on Monday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview against Chicago private school power Cristo Rey.
Avalos said the late-game heroics only affirmed the team's sense of personal destiny.
"We worked for this all the time," he said. "We practiced for it."
The teams are ostensibly mirror images of each other, making for a very interesting matchup in the deep open spaces of Toyota Park. Both teams are possession-oriented sides that like to play two-touch soccer and use their speed and quickness to spread the field.
"We're obviously pretty quick on our feet," Bremen coach Steven Granat said.
For the Braves, junior midfielder Cristian Lopez is the jet that makes them go. Granat has called him one of the best players in school history. He scored one goal and assisted Avalos' game-winner against Bolingbrook.
He is a team leader. He pushes the ball forward and sees the field with great vision and touch. He has complete freedom to be either a scorer or facilitator.
"He can do a lot of things with the ball," Granat said. "His 1 v. 1 skills are fantastic, and so is his shooting.
"When he is on the field he will find success."
Keeper Jose Chavez is quick and agile inside the box. He was excellent in thwarting the aggressive forward attack of Bolingbrook in the second half and both overtimes. Fabian Lopez and Jorge Villanueva provide support and other attacking players in the middle for the Braves.
As well as the Braves have played, they are still finding their stride. The team has struggled finishing. Against Bolingbrook, Bremen dominated much of the first half only to watch the Raiders tie the game with a late first half goal.
Bremen has a tendency to go through lulls, Granat said. Lopez said the team realizes the importance of sustaining effort.
"It gets frustrating, to dominate a game like we did and still be tied because we struggle sometimes around the box," he said. "You just have to keep your head together and come out with the win."
Bremen qualified for its first final since 2007.
By contrast Cristo Rey is a virtual unknown. The Cristeros are competing in just their third year in the tournament and survived Joliet Central after a 1-1 tie by winning the penalty kick phase 5-4 in the second semifinal.
The victory was equally dramatic. The shootout was tied at 4-apiece when Joliet Central appeared to take the upper hand when its keeper smothered the Cristeros' fifth shooter. Sophomore keeper Tony Vasquez made a game-saving lunging stop with his left hand. After Cristo Rey's Noel Ruiz buried the sixth attempt, Vasquez blocked the Steelmen's final shot to pull out the victory.
Cristo Rey coach Manuel Chevez was exhilarated by the result, happy for his players and also thrilled by the opportunity to play at Toyota Park.
"I know that any team that makes it this far is very good," he said and commented that his side's teamwork has been the most gratifying part of the Cristeros ournament run.
"Everybody's sticking together," he said. "At halftime of this game, all the guys cheered each other and that gave them encouragement."
Tony Vasquez's older brother Andres, a senior forward, is the team's offensive catalyst. He scored the team's only goal in regulation. He uses speed, quickness and relies on an uncanny ability to separate in space to operate in tight windows.
Cristo Rey is a small, tight-knit private school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. The camaraderie Andres Vasquez references is a function of many of the players having grown up together and played as a group since they were little. They are looking forward to the challenge.
"You score or you get scored on, that's how soccer is," Andres Vasquez said. "But you hold on until the end."
If the semifinals were an accurate indicator, expect the championship to go down to the very end.
Argo and Oak Lawn play for the consolation championship at 10 a.m. Monday at Toyota Park.
for Windy City Ram Classic glory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Bremen junior forward Ricardo Avalos jetted down the left edge of the field and blasted in a left-footed ball with 15 seconds remaining in double overtime for the Braves' 2-1 victory over Bolingbrook on Tuesday.
The victory propelled the Braves into the title game of the Rams Windy City Classic on Monday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview against Chicago private school power Cristo Rey.
Avalos said the late-game heroics only affirmed the team's sense of personal destiny.
"We worked for this all the time," he said. "We practiced for it."
The teams are ostensibly mirror images of each other, making for a very interesting matchup in the deep open spaces of Toyota Park. Both teams are possession-oriented sides that like to play two-touch soccer and use their speed and quickness to spread the field.
"We're obviously pretty quick on our feet," Bremen coach Steven Granat said.
For the Braves, junior midfielder Cristian Lopez is the jet that makes them go. Granat has called him one of the best players in school history. He scored one goal and assisted Avalos' game-winner against Bolingbrook.
He is a team leader. He pushes the ball forward and sees the field with great vision and touch. He has complete freedom to be either a scorer or facilitator.
"He can do a lot of things with the ball," Granat said. "His 1 v. 1 skills are fantastic, and so is his shooting.
"When he is on the field he will find success."
Keeper Jose Chavez is quick and agile inside the box. He was excellent in thwarting the aggressive forward attack of Bolingbrook in the second half and both overtimes. Fabian Lopez and Jorge Villanueva provide support and other attacking players in the middle for the Braves.
As well as the Braves have played, they are still finding their stride. The team has struggled finishing. Against Bolingbrook, Bremen dominated much of the first half only to watch the Raiders tie the game with a late first half goal.
Bremen has a tendency to go through lulls, Granat said. Lopez said the team realizes the importance of sustaining effort.
"It gets frustrating, to dominate a game like we did and still be tied because we struggle sometimes around the box," he said. "You just have to keep your head together and come out with the win."
Bremen qualified for its first final since 2007.
By contrast Cristo Rey is a virtual unknown. The Cristeros are competing in just their third year in the tournament and survived Joliet Central after a 1-1 tie by winning the penalty kick phase 5-4 in the second semifinal.
The victory was equally dramatic. The shootout was tied at 4-apiece when Joliet Central appeared to take the upper hand when its keeper smothered the Cristeros' fifth shooter. Sophomore keeper Tony Vasquez made a game-saving lunging stop with his left hand. After Cristo Rey's Noel Ruiz buried the sixth attempt, Vasquez blocked the Steelmen's final shot to pull out the victory.
Cristo Rey coach Manuel Chevez was exhilarated by the result, happy for his players and also thrilled by the opportunity to play at Toyota Park.
"I know that any team that makes it this far is very good," he said and commented that his side's teamwork has been the most gratifying part of the Cristeros ournament run.
"Everybody's sticking together," he said. "At halftime of this game, all the guys cheered each other and that gave them encouragement."
Tony Vasquez's older brother Andres, a senior forward, is the team's offensive catalyst. He scored the team's only goal in regulation. He uses speed, quickness and relies on an uncanny ability to separate in space to operate in tight windows.
Cristo Rey is a small, tight-knit private school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. The camaraderie Andres Vasquez references is a function of many of the players having grown up together and played as a group since they were little. They are looking forward to the challenge.
"You score or you get scored on, that's how soccer is," Andres Vasquez said. "But you hold on until the end."
If the semifinals were an accurate indicator, expect the championship to go down to the very end.
Argo and Oak Lawn play for the consolation championship at 10 a.m. Monday at Toyota Park.