LAUDERHILL – South Florida’s top league-the CASA Super League crowned a new champion last week as FC Internaxionale defeated Juventus FC in a dramatic penalty shootout at the Lauderhill Sports Complex.
Regular season top-team FC Internaxionale advanced to the final after avenging last year’s semi-final defeat to two-time Champions Lauderdale Lakes Blazers. Goals by Adrian Brown, Brandon Collins and Alvin Murray were enough to see off a spirited Blazers outfit as FC Internaxionale advanced to their first final.
Juventus FC’s Digicel Premier League star forward Carlington Smith found a clinical winner to extinguish the hopes of a first trip to the final for Carib United FC, and set the defending champions on course for an unprecedented defense of the title. Their run to the title last season had also started with a penalty-shootout Quarterfinal win over Carib.
It was the first time in the history of the league that the regular season’s top two teams were meeting in the final, and as such an exciting game was anticipated. Despite finishing behind FC Internaxionale in the regular season standings, defending Champions Juventus FC entered the final with the favourites tag. They boasted much attacking firepower lead by league top-scorer Shaun Simpson, and the always dangerous Terrence Goldson, in addition to well known Premier League campaigners George Vernal, Ray Graham, Nicordo Folkes, Shane Crawford, and Carlington Smith.
The first half was an even affair with FC Internaxionale’s Triston Thompson and Juventus’ Terrence Goldon coming closest to breaking the deadlock. The pendulum appeared to swing the defending champions way when Internaxionale’s Kemar Bramwell was red-carded minutes into the second half for what the referee deemed a dangerous tackle. Surprisingly, it was Internaxionale that would fashion the best chances even with the numerical disadvantage. In the dying moments Juventus’ Junior Innocent almost made FC Internaxonale pay for their profligacy when he crashed a volley off the bar from a full 40 yards.
The dreaded penalty shootout was the only way to separate the teams. In the only regular season matchup between the teams, FC Internaxionale’s custodian Jose Romero had saved both penalties awarded to Juventus in open play. It was to be a battle of the Honduran shot-stoppers, with Juventus also employing a Honduran goaltender in Carlos Quezada. Quezada sprawled to his right to save the third FC Internxionale kick after Alvin Murray and Ricardo Ximines had exhibited their composure from the spot. Boys Town’s George Vernal was the only Juventus kicker to successfully convert as eventual MVP Romero spectacularly denied the other three kicks.
Adrian Brown stepped up to the spot to emphatically crown FC Internaxionale as 2011 Champions, completing the most dominant season in the 7-year history of the tournament, as Internxaionale defeated all of the other 9 teams that took part.
CASA 2011 Champions
