Mineola is once again the center of attention in the world of amateur soccer as the Mineola Portuguese Soccer Club marched into Randall’s Island on Sunday and eliminated last years finalists Central Park Rangers for the most prestigious amateur competition in New York, the Manning Cup.
Behind a goal from Shane Arikian and Frank Spanos, the MPSC easily moved through the semi-finals, dispatching the team that knocked them out in last year’s semi-final. Mineola’s 1st team now look to battle with 2008 National Open Champions NY Pancyprian-Freedoms (Astoria) up in Yonkers on June 12 (Portuguese Independence Day weekend) for the Manning Cup. Mineola last won the Manning Cup back in 1981.
Early Sunday morning, the Mineola Portuguese Reserve Team confronted past New York State champion New York Irish Rovers in the lower division state competition, the D’Alprino Cup. Even with four major players injured and sidelined for the game at NYIT’s President’s Stadium, Mineola managed to draw 1-1 at full time, and won in penalty kicks 4-3.
Team general manager Gabriel Marques cites the team’s new, and first-ever, national sponsorship with PowerBar as one of the contributing factors to today’s success.
“This new partnership with PowerBar has given Mineola the ability to push the envelope even farther, knowing that we have such strong companies supporting local youth and amateur soccer on Long Island.”
The club, which fields two division 1 teams, has seen incredible success this year, winning 30 games of 35 this season and scoring a total 110 goals so far with a 2.5 a game average.
The Mineola Portuguese Soccer Club is an amateur adult soccer club that was founded in 1936, officially registering with the Long Island Soccer-Futebol League (www.lisfl.org) in 1948. The MPSC is currently registered in the 1st division with the Long island Soccer-Futebol League, Eastern New York State Soccer Association, and the United States Adult Soccer Association.
