Achievement in youth sports often spans a local town, city or school district. Sometimes a team will shine at the regional or even state level. However, when a local team excels and wins on a national stage, it is time to take special notice.

Surf Cup is an internationally renowned soccer tournament held annually in San Diego, Calif. It has been the summer showcase for youth soccer’s “best of the best” for 35 years. The Redmond-based Crossfire Select B98 Warriors never qualified for Surf Cup until this year. The tournament typically admits only the top few premier teams from each state. Having won their regional tournament the past two years, and reaching the semifinals of their national tournament the past two years, catapulted this select team into the rarefied ranks of Surf Cup. Winning the U17 age bracket in their first attempt is a stunning accomplishment.

The 20 teams in the B98 Warriors’ division hailed from Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington. The locals won their bracket with two wins and a loss, then beat the team they lost to in bracket play, 1-0, in the finals by a score of 3-1. Of the final four teams, three came from their bracket, demonstrating that it was the most challenging bracket in the entire division. There were four other Washington teams participating in their division: Crossfire Premier B98A Simonyi, Crossfire Premier B98B Pingrey, Washington Rush and PSPL Surf Academy.

The team is coached by Larry Mana’o with assistance from Peter Bull. Mana’o trains his players to play every position on the field and then determines where they excel. He teaches a systems approach to soccer founded on teamwork over individual displays of skill, possession with quick passing, and a keen awareness of space on the field. He has traveled with his team to England and Barcelona to practice/scrimmage with European academy teams and play in tournaments.

The boys hail from Redmond, Woodinville, Kirkland, Bellevue, Sammamish, Mercer Island and Seattle.