Sports
Soccer Invades Clearwater Beach
On a day when many soccer fans crowded air conditioned watering holes to watch the FIFA Women's World Cup, others brought their game to the beach.
It was a blazing hot Sunday on Clearwater Beach and that's not to describe the clientele.
The beach was more fit for broiling a chicken than relaxing, which was just fine with dozens if not hundreds of soccer players.
All around whistles could be heard piercing the sound of the Gulf of Mexico's waves. Cheers could be heard periodically. That's because beach soccer took over Clearwater Beach.
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More than 100 teams, many made up of local players but quite a few teams from outside the Tampa Bay area descended upon Clearwater for part of the Major Beach Soccer Tour.
And while the national finals of the tour is scheduled to be played later this year, a couple of members of Florida Beach Soccer FC, a team from South Florida that played its division's championship match Sunday, are all for more tournaments in Clearwater.
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"This competition here is great," said Chris Antonopoulos. "We won a national tournament in Virginia Beach earlier, and the competition here is pretty close."
Maybe not the heat. There was scarce shade but every sliver of shade was taken up by fans. Otherwise, the soccer fields, maybe a fourth of the size of a regulation soccer field each, was lined with tents and giant umbrellas fans brought so they could watch the matches and not melt away.
To hear Antonopoulos, a Miami native, talk, Clearwater Beach is one of his favorite places to play beach soccer.
"If they put on more tournaments here, we will come up," Antonopoulos said. "We love the area here. There are great restaurants, it's a great city. We will come up here every year."
Francis Farberoff was a team captain on the U.S. National beach soccer team also played with Antonopoulos and like his teammate, thought Clearwater could be one of beach soccer's best tour stops.
"There are some good local teams here," Farberoff said. "They play hard against us. They don't like it that we have come from another city. They are bringing out the best in us.
"This has been a great tournament. The beach is packed; the fans are having a blast. It's a beautiful day for soccer. "
