C-C's Brugger is midfielder

It has been a dizzying month for the U14 boys Jr. Rhinos soccer team, which is currently ranked #1 in the United States. Over Memorial Day weekend, they were the champions at the U.S. National Nike Premier Cup outside Philadelphia, where 24 of the top U14 teams from throughout the nation were invited to play. They defeated nationally ranked Middletown (New Jersey) and F.C. Delco (Philadelphia) on penalty kicks and Lou Fusz (St. Louis) in the finals (2-1).

Nike is sending the team to Berlin, Germany, to represent the U.S. in the Nike Premier Cup World Finals in July. Over 6,100 teams from 41 countries have competed to become one of the 20 teams invited to play in Berlin. The Jr. Rhinos, coached by Howard Allen, may be playing teams from such countries as Argentina, Brazil, Spain, China, Nigeria, Japan, and Germany. Churchville player, Chris Brugger, is a midfielder for the Jr. Rhinos.

The weekend after winning the Nike cup, the team defended their state cup title at the Snickers U.S. Youth National Championships in Binghamton. The Jr. Rhinos defeated the Syracuse Blitz in a grueling final. After playing with only 9 players for part of the second half and two overtime periods, they won on penalty kicks. Now the team will play in the Snickers U.S. Region 1 tournament in Niagara Falls over Fourth of July weekend, where they will face State Cup winners from 15 states.

To top it off, the U14 boys New York State West Olympic Development team won the Region 1 ODP tournament at Rider College in New Jersey. Chris Brugger of Churchville, along with six other Rochester area players, are on that team. They defeated a tough team from New Jersey in the semifinals and Virginia in the finals.