More than 800 soccer players and thousands of their supporters descended on the Madison area’s two indoor soccer facilities over the weekend for the 30th annual President’s Cup.
Fifty six teams in men’s and women’s open divisions, women’s over 30, and men’s over 30, over 40 and over 50 competed for glory. Tournament director Chris Rumbelow said most teams are from the Madison area, but five states were represented.
“It’s bragging rights,” said Henry Aiyenero, a longtime Madison area soccer coach and striker for Jake Stars, the Men’s Over-50 division champions. “Everyone that comes in here, they all want one thing. To be a champion.”
“At least in the Madison soccer culture, everyone knows that this tournament is just kind of a staple,” said Mary Casey, whose Madison United over-30 team bowed out in the semifinal to eventual champion Wombats. “The energy is crazy—it’s just high energy all day.”
And so is the talent level, Rumbelow said. Many players previously played at the highest levels of college and some in the professional ranks.
“If you live in Madison, aside from the Flamingos (of the professional team Forward Madison), this is going to be the highest level of soccer that you’re going to see in this town,” Rumbelow said.
Jonah Garcia of Minneapolis-based Aguillas, which won the men’s open division for the second consecutive year, said the level of competition is high, noting that the team got knocked out in the early rounds the first six or seven times they participated.
“This is one (tournament) that we would come to every winter and just could not win it,” he said. “(The skill level is) definitely better than what I’ve seen in the Minneapolis area.”
“Let’s do more soccer”
The President’s Cup – so named because it takes place on President’s Day weekend – is organized and hosted by Madison United, the oldest continually running adult soccer club in the city. Originally taking the field as the second team of the Madison 56ers in 1970, United spun off as its own club in 1974.
When Rumbelow came to the US from England in 1980, he organized a five-on-five tournament similar to one he’d played in back home. This one was outdoors, though.
“I can’t tell you how many times we wrecked Warner Park outdoors fields,” he said. That tournament moved indoors at Kicker’s Corner and eventually grew into the President’s Cup.
“I think it really was, ‘let’s do more soccer,’” Rumbelow said, adding that Madison United doesn’t turn enough profit to even consider it a fundraiser.
“A little bit out of control”
This year the President’s Cup consisted of 104 games played on four fields over two days. The only way to get that done is to play at a breakneck pace – every game had two halves of just 12 and a half minutes each.
At that pace, things can get a bit rough, too.
“People who have not seen a super high level of indoor amateur soccer may look at it and go, ‘Wow, this is a little bit out of control,’ but the skill level is really high,” Rumbelow said.
Every team is guaranteed three group-stage games, and eight teams in each bracket get through to the knockout stage.
“There aren’t very many adult competitive soccer tournaments in the Midwest, especially in the dead of winter, so this one attracts people who just want to get out there, sweat, have some fun with their friends, and win a game or two,” Casey said.
“If someone from the 70s or 80s came back and saw the President’s Cup today, they would be blown away by how much the quality has improved,” Rumbelow added.
FINAL RESULTS
Full results are available here.
Men’s Open
Aguillas 4, Eagles 0
Womens’ Open
Wombats WFC 4, Jada Jada Pi 1
Men’s Over 30
Oshkosh Alumni 3, Madison Fire 0
Women’s Over 30
MadWaukee 1, Bardoles Ballerz 0
Men’s Over 40
Madison Fire 3, LG Celtics 2
Men’s Over 50
Jake Stars 2, LG Celtics 0
