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Meet the USASA: Banat Arsenal
Not bad for a team "taking a year off"
There must be something in the water (or sand) in Arizona. For the second year in a row, a team from Arizona which had previously been a member of the NPSL has qualified for the U.S. Open Cup. Last season it was the Arizona Sahuaros, who knocked off the PDL’s BYU Cougars 5-1, before falling in the second round to the Virginia Beach Mariners of the USL First Division, 1-0. This year it’s Banat Arsenal, who fielded a team in the NPSL in 2006 as the Banat Storm. In a twist of irony, the team took the year off from the league to focus on building their youth program, and now they are in the Open Cup.
Banat Arsenal qualified for the Cup by winning Group B in the USASA Region IV qualifying tournament. After blowing out SudaCA FC 5-0 and the San Diego Pumitas 6-0, they were beaten by fellow Open Cup qualifier, El Paso Indios USA, 1-0 on the final day. However, they still won the group by goal difference, edging Sonoma County Sol by a single goal.
Banat would face off with Sonoma County Sol in the semifinals, and earned a place in the Open Cup with a 4-2 win. The win spoiled things for the Sol, who were aiming for their third straight tournament appearance.
The club was founded in 1998 by Jon Ruzan and several players from a Glendale, Ariz. Sunday league team, consisting of two teams, Arsenal, and a reserve team, the Banat Scorpions. The club has added a youth program as well, featuring 16 teams ranging in age from U-8 to U-18. The name Banat derived from the Banat region of Central Europe, an area spread over Romania, Serbia and a small part of Hungary. While the club name has ethnic ties, the players who make up the Arsenal roster are of no particular ethic origin.
The team has won their share of trophies, the most prestigious of which was the 2006 Silver Mug Invitation Tournament championship, or the "Bud Cup" as it is also known because of it’s sponsorship by Budweiser. The Bud Cup has been held since 1978, and has attracted teams from all over the country. Banat came close to winning it in 2003 and 2004, reaching the finals both times. They have also won many other state and regional tournaments, including the Copa Food City, Copa Tecate and Copa Budweiser, in addition to trophies from various leagues the team has participated in.
So close in the past
2007 may be the team’s first appearance in the U.S. Open Cup, but Banat have come very close to qualifying in the past. In 2003, Banat thrashed Southern California’s NuLab 7-1 in their opening match of Group A at the USASA Region IV finals. Next up, Banat faced the Chico Rooks, a longtime USL club that joined the new MPSL (now NPSL). Banat lost 3-2, and could only sit by helplessly while Chico thrashed NuLab 7-2 to advance to the final. The very next year, the Rooks were Banat’s nemesis yet again. Both clubs defeated the other two teams in their group, Universitario del Salvador and Club Marin, setting up a showdown for the group title, and a spot in the Open Cup. Chico once again prevailed, this time 1-0, denying an Open Cup spot for Banat once again.
The team is lead by player/coach Brad Moore, who has played in the A-League and D3 Pro League, as well as with clubs abroad. Moore took over the coaching duties from Ruzan this season. Esteban Bayona and Ty Hibbert lead the Banat attack. Bayona is currently playing with the University of Incarnate Word in Texas, while Hibbert has played at the University of New Mexico and also won an U19 youth national championship with the Cisco youth soccer club. Other key players are Jason Martin and Ryan Lockhart. Martin was selected as a 2006 NPSL All-Star, and Lockhart was drafted a few years back to play professional indoor soccer.
“There is a buzz…”
2007 was supposed to be a year to regroup, and build up their youth program, so qualifying for the U.S. Open Cup has the Banat organization excited. "There is a buzz amongst our club that is incredible", Club President Jon Ruzan says. "This was supposed to be a year for us to get our bearings as a club with the launch of the youth program, I have to admit this has come as a wonderfully pleasant surprise". The team hopes to be ready to re-enter the NPSL for the 2008 season.
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