LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Nearly 20 of Langley's best soccer players will travel to Texas Sept. 2 to participate in the Defender's Cup, a nationwide invitational military tournament over the Labor Day weekend, hosted by Joint Base San Antonio.
According to Dennison Frasier, the team's organizer, the varsity team will play three group games before entering a knockout-style round, guaranteeing each participating team will play at least four games in the tournament. The 20-team tournament will be held at the STAR Soccer Complex in San Antonio Sept. 4-6.
Frasier, who works with the Air Force Public Affairs Agency, organized open tryouts for Langley's team earlier this summer, evaluating the strengths and skill sets of individual players and assigning positions based on practice assessments. After paring down 40 potential players to the current 19-man roster, Frasier held practice a minimum of twice a week leading up to the tournament.
Frasier called the cumulative experience and camaraderie the "X factor," as many team members are seasoned veterans of local leagues.
"Playing together in the local leagues has built chemistry and served as a free practice for us, so we're ready," he said. "We have experienced people that know the drill and what we need to do to be successful."
The team, known as the Langley Soccer Club, includes a diverse amalgamation of players from different personal and professional backgrounds, including officers, enlisted Airmen and civilian contractors.
"Our players range in grade from junior Airmen to colonel," said Maj. Steven Robertson, the 633d Dental Squadron chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery and one of the team's coaches. "It's nice to break down the rank structure for a bit and just be teammates."
"We've got a nice balance of young, eager players and more experienced players who bring invaluable wisdom to the table," he added.
The team will be playing for more than bragging rights and a trophy to display in the Shellbank Fitness Center. The head coach of the All-Air Force Men's Soccer Team will be at the tournament, scouting players to recruit for the elite squad.
"The chance to be evaluated to play all over the world adds a lot of incentive for these guys, especially our younger players," said Major Robertson, who played with the All-Air Force team in the past.
As the team prepares to make the trip, Frasier and Major Robertson agreed that the squad's critical strength is its work ethic and motivation.
"We've come a long way in the three months we've practiced. It says a lot about the heart with the players balancing busy careers and families and still making the time to come out and give it their all," Major Robertson said.
"It takes a lot of work to get everyone on same sheet of music; time is valuable," added Frasier. "It's a deep love of sport that keeps it together."
The excursion, while expected to be a great experience for the team, is also costly. Players are on permissive temporary duty status for the trip, meaning all costs are the responsibility of the player. However, Major Robertson hopes a successful run in the tournament may garner more financial support from base agencies for future events.
"The trip is really expensive, especially for some of our younger enlisted guys," he said. "Hopefully we'll win out and earn more financial support from [the 633d Force Support Squadron.] We'd even like to see the tournament hosted here at Langley in the future."