Ukrainian Nationals Memorial Weekend Youth Soccer Tournament
Friday, May 28 to Sunday, May 30
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Ukrainian Nationals Invitational Youth Soccer Tournament
163 Teams Competed in the 7^th Annual
Memorial Day Weekend 2008 Tournament
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Horsham, Pa. – The Ukrainian American Sport Center – "Tryzub", County Line and Lower State Roads, hosted its seventh annual Ukrainian Nationals Invitational Soccer Tournament. The competition not only drew a strong representation from local Philadelphia area clubs, but also had a decided interstate and international character. Nearly half of the 163 teams competing in this year’s Memorial Day Weekend tournament haled from the Lehigh Valley, Central Pennsylvania, Northeast Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and from the Caribbean island of Bermuda.

Ukrainian Nationals President, Taras Kozak, presented "Our Clubs" philosophy of running the best soccer tournament in the U.S. We believe that we are on the right path to achieving this goal. A dynamic soccer club from North Central Pennsylvania, "Second to None", on the other hand, sent a group of strong teams into the competition. Gene Luciw, represented Tryzub in presenting our team pennant to the visiting select U-14 girls’ team from Bermuda." In exchange, the "Gombey Warriors" presented The Gombey Warriors also presented the Ukrainian Nationals with a team jersey and a pennant from the Bahamian Soccer Federation.

Notably, the Tryzub pennant is from a series of banners that Tryzub had prepared for exchange during its years as a professional soccer team, formally representing the City of Philadelphia. The Nat’s had presented similar mementos to opponents in its multiple U.S. Open Cup and American Soccer League championship games and in its significant national and international exhibitions. More recently, Tryzub’s opponents in noteworthy U.S. Amateur Cup and Open Cup tournament play have received such a pennant.

Tournament play in age brackets from Under-8 through Under-19, boys and from U-9 through U-19 girls, progressed over the weekend on not only the Ukrainian Nationals’ seven home fields at "Tryzubiwka" in Horsham, Pa., but also on 13 more fields located at 4 other sites: Windlestrae Park and Zehr Fields in Montgomery Township, IPW in Warrington, and Turk Fields in Doylestown.

The competition began on Friday night May 23, 2008 under the lights of three Tryzubiwka fields, progressed throughout the day on Saturday and culminated in a long sequence of "finals" on Sunday May 25, 2008. A soccer Mom’s and Dad’s appreciation night also highlighted the event as hundreds of parents and competitors gathered in the Ukrainian American Sport Center’s clubhouse and lighted festival grove and pavilions. These events would not have happened if we did not have the help from our devoted workers: Cheryl Mannato, Tom Milewski, Joe Hosack, Marshall Miller, Donna Serratore, Tony Somma, Dave Bateman and Terry Simmons. Their attention to detail makes this tournament one of the best!