Good Morning, Box State Footy Fam
I return to you recharged having enjoyed a relaxing and unplugged weekend of camping in the beautiful Box State. After a much needed detox from the footy world, the dopamine fueled feed of online news, and my day to day life in Denver itself, I return with a renewed energy for Box State Footy. Part of this energy comes with my informal decision to post the newsletter on Tuesdays instead of Mondays to allow myself just the extra day to fully research and gather my thoughts. Beyond that, the camping trip did inspire my next Rapids piece so that will be published sometime soon as I still workshop the Ku-DiPietro piece. Beyond that, it’s fun to be back at my desk here as I scour the web for Colorado footy stories. Lets get into it.
Topics:
- Gatorade Player of the Year
- Colorado Premier League Champions
- International Check In
- Pics of the Week
Gatorade Player of the Year (Again?)
I highlighted Xavier Sevian in last week’s newsletter for winning the Gatorade Player of the Year; an award given to top high school athletes across the country. Sevian won the award for Colorado Boys Soccer. For High School Girls Soccer, the distinction goes to Teagan Myers from Fossil Ridge High School. Myers was pivotal to Fossil Ridge’s backline and helped lead them to their first 5A Girls Soccer title-also covered in an earlier newsletter.
Myers has committed to playing for the University of Kentucky. Myers joins a stellar list of former winners including Mallory Pugh (now Swanson), Janine Beckie, and Jordan Angeli. Also notable for the defender is her 4.18 weighted GPA. Impressive stuff!
ADDITIONAL READING: Press Release (PDF)
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Colorado Premier League Champions
Azteca FC 5280 have won the Spring Colorado Premier League Championship. The team beat Harpos FC in a replay matchup following a 3-3 draw the week prior. Azteca won via a score of 1-0. Their Instagram features some clean shots from photographer Brian Martagon De La Rosa.
International Check In
A total of five players were called up from the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and the Colorado Rapids for international footy.
Zack Steffen - GK - USA
- Steffen had his time with the national team cut short due to injury. He has since been out following successful knee surgery earlier this month. The Rapids projected Steffen to miss four to six weeks.
Wayne Frederick - M - Trinidad and Tobago
- Frederick played just four minutes of international footy. His late minutes came in T&T’s World Cup Qualifying Match against St. Kitts and Nevis where they led 6-2 upon his substitution into the game. He did not see any time in the Gold Cup even after Trinidad and Tobago’s poor start to the tournament. One would have hoped to see him get some minutes against Saudi Arabia, but alas.
Duke Lacroix - D - Haiti
- Lacroix played all 90 minutes in Haiti’s 5-1 World Cup qualifying loss against Curacao. Lacroix did not feature in any of Haiti’s Gold Cup matches.
Garven Metusala - M - Haiti
- Unlike Lacroix, Metusala had more minutes for his national team than his fellow Switchbacks teammate and national team compatriot. Metusala played a total of 139 minutes for his national team and most notably started and played all 90 against the United States.
Steven Echevarria - M - Puerto Rico
- Echevarria has been back for the Switchbacks since his international call up. Stevie was utilized across all of Puerto Rico’s international matches; a friendly against El Salvador and two World Cup qualifying matches against Suriname and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Echevarria scored the game winner in their matchup against St. Vincent- a well placed, close ranged, half-volley inside the box secured the win, but Puerto Rico ultimately fell short of advancement to the final stage of qualifying.
Honorable Mentions
Real Gill & Noah Powder - Trinidad and Tobago
- While they may no longer be playing within the Box State, I wanted to highlight former Northern Colorado Hailstorm players Real Gill and Noah Powder who each had some time with the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Neither had a standout moment or anything too defining to write about, but this game continues to surprise. From playing in Windsor, Colorado to then lining up against the USMNT and Saudi Arabia; soccer really does take you to random places.
Pics of the Week
No Box State Baller this week. Instead, I looked through some of Sharon Mendoza’s photography of the Rapids match the week prior. Here are some really cool shots from that game I wanted to highlight:
Sharon Mendoza - @wednesdayaddamx
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And that’s it! Another short one this week. If you have a story or want to reach out about content, feel free to DM us on whatever platform you see fit! For the quickest reply, be sure to email us boxstatefooty@gmail.com
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