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Sports<\/a>Local Sports<\/a>Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n That Sudbury Sports Guy: Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League draws players from varied backgrounds, cultures for love of the Beautiful Game<\/p>\n Published Dec 24, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 5 minute read<\/p>\n With just days until Christmas, some folks still find time to step away from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to keep themselves physically active.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Given that a good number of the gents who assemble at the Lancer Dome every Sunday evening are also busy on the soccer pitch every spring, summer and fall as well, the devotion of this group to the Beautiful Game is hardly unexpected.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In fact, many of the same teams who compete either in the Sudbury Regional Competitive Soccer League Open Men\u2019s Division, or the 40-plus bracket, or the 50-plus grouping simply transition twice a year from the turf at the James Jerome Sports Complex to the indoor facility at Lasalle Secondary \u2014 and back again, later in the year.<\/p>\n The big matchup on the Open Men\u2019s slate sees Croatia Adria spot a younger, but undermanned Cambrian College side an early lead before fighting back thanks to a four-goal effort from Youssef Rifi, downing the Shield 5-3 to secure first place heading into the Christmas break.<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI think we needed to focus on what our strengths are,\u201d Croatia veteran Kaleb Mikic noted.<\/p>\n Though just 25 years old, the mechanical engineer by day has \u201cbeen playing indoor for as long as they had a facility to play indoor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a squad of guys who have played at some pretty high levels, so we have to play to that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew that the Cambrian team were young and could run all game \u2014 so we had to let them run. Don\u2019t let it get to a game where it\u2019s north-south, north-south all the time. If we can slow it down and dictate the pace of play and impose our game plan, then we have the ability to create scoring chances.\u201d<\/p>\n Playing five a side plus a keeper crossways on what amounts to roughly one third of a standard soccer pitch, the task at hand is a little bit more challenging that when one is working with more than 100 yards of field length, even if the move is to 11 v 11.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a different pace of play,\u201d Mikic noted. \u201cIt\u2019s a smaller field with fewer players, changes on the fly and constant substitutions. But it is nice because it may allow some players who are better in close quarters to excel. It forces you to play in tighter spaces with shorter passes.\u201d<\/p>\n For as much as the young man who has stepped up to help coach his old alma mater at College Notre-Dame is more than happy to chat tactical soccer, the truth is that when it comes to donning the jersey of Croatia Adria, this is about so much more than simply the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were one of the original clubs,\u201d Mikic beamed. \u201cRepresenting the Croatian community is a big point of pride for our soccer team. To still have the club active and participating winning games is a point of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In fact, a quick glance at the standings reveals the cultural diversity of our city, with Seleccion Colombia FC, Honduras FC, Afro-Heritage and Latinos United FC all among the 11-team field.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it speaks to the fact that even though the clubs and the cultures may have changed, we all still unite around the love of the game,\u201d Mikic said. \u201cYou play against the Honduras team and hear Spanish being spoken. You play against us and hear some Croatian.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, even those groups who do not boasts obviously cultural ties are still likely to bring together folks with common bonds that go back several generations. Seven Stars FC is a relatively new entry, with a team comprised mostly of post-secondary or former post-secondary athletes who have made their way to Sudbury from India.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a really great experience as we are playing against different playing styles, different athletes,\u201d said Sanjay Sibi, a 20 year-old second year Cambrian PSW major.<\/p>\n The young man who leads his team in scoring with five goals today noted that the Indian youth soccer landscape most likely differs greatly from that which many of the Seven Stars\u2019 opponents came to know in their youth.<\/p>\n \u201cOur play style is different, with small street games,\u201d Sibi said. \u201cMost of us have played in small areas. Football is cultural, football is emotional for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the pragmatics of their time in Sudbury does not make it any easier for this particular crew to be as competitive as they probably would like.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to spend more time practicing \u2014 but all of us are here with our studies, so it\u2019s kind of hard for all of us to meet.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cBut we need to spend more time together.\u201d<\/p>\n That innate, year-round chemistry is more evident with the likes of the Sudbury Stallions (5-2-2, third place), the outdoor soccer powerhouses who boast the top two scorers in the league in the form of Marcel Diro (12 goals) and Samim Massoom (11).<\/p>\n The Cambrian crew (6-0-2) is sure to benefit from a winter spent together as some of its top scoring talent \u2014 Elie Yoma (10 goals), Josh Vivero (9), Josiah Stone (6) \u2014 hopefully reconvene on campus next fall.<\/p>\n As for Mikic and the Croatia side, the first-place squad leans on the likes of Mason Steen (9), Jaiden Santos (7), Youssef Rifi (7) and Evan Phillips (6) to provide the offence as names like David Barahona (Honduras, 9 goals), Samuel Ekicki (College Boreal, 8), Stan Pankiewicz (Seleccion Colombia, 7) and Ibrahim Sissko (Sudbury Stallions, 7) round out the top 10 scorers.<\/p>\n With Mauricio Matamala (19 goals) leading the way, SC Italia (21 points) tops an over-40 division that seems the Afor Stars (17), Toros Latinos FC (16) and Afro-Heritage Seniors (15) all tightly bunched behind the league leaders.<\/p>\n SC Italia is also at the top of the table in the four team 50-and-over cluster, with the goal-scoring race currently featuring Tony Nuziale (SC Italia, 10), Bobby McKinty (Move Medicine Hawks, 8) and Rodney Kasunich (SC Italia, 8) all in the top trio.<\/p>\n![\"Sudbury](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Sudbury-Regional-Competitive-Soccer-League-logo-SRCSL-e1754073223494.jpg\"){kind=logo}
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