Taco Rice Mafia wins it the hard way

Photo By Cpl. Brianna Christensen | Players with the Taco Rice Mafia and Chivas MC battle for the ball Aug. 27 during the Southern Shoot-Out Soccer Tournament held on Camp Foster Aug. 26-28. Marine Corps Community Services holds at least two tournaments a month to boost the morale of service members and families and to increase positive interaction between the military and Okinawan communities.  

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JAPAN

09.01.2011

Story by Pfc. Brianna Christensen 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan - As the whistle blew, Taco Rice Mafia let out exhausted cheers of joy, beating Chivas MC, with a score of 1-0, during the Southern Shoot-Out Soccer Tournament held on Camp Foster Aug. 26-28.

“We hold [these tournaments] for the morale and welfare of our service members. It gives them something to do,” said Gerald Sharber, an athletic director with Marine Corps Community Services.

Ten teams entered in the tournament and battled it out for the first-place trophy, but in the end, it came down to Taco Rice Mafia and Chivas MC.

Taco Rice Mafia was made up of a mixture of service members, family members and Okinawan community members. They had been playing together for more than a year, while some members of the team had been together for almost three years.

Chivas MC consisted of Marines who have been playing tournaments on different camps throughout the year.

Both teams endured hours of heat and exhaustion as they played back-to-back games during the three-day tournament.

The first championship game ended in a tie, which led the two teams into another game to determine the top soccer team.

Taco Rice Mafia lost to Chivas MC on Saturday, putting them in the loser’s bracket. Sunday began with four back-to-back games for Taco Rice Mafia, so when the final championship game came around, it was time for revenge.

“We won all four games, and we did it all with only two substitutions on the bench,” said Michael Garcia, the captain of Taco Rica Mafia.

The final championship game was all strategy for Taco Rice Mafia.

“Tinashe Ngwenya dribbled across the field before completing a beautiful pass to Yuri Watari, who calmly kicked it into the top corner of the goal,” said Garcia. “Once we had that goal, Ian Jones and I organized the defense that held throughout the rest of the game with the help of Austin Gagner, our keeper. Meanwhile, Liam Neill and Nelson Vasques maintained a great defensive midfield.”

Though his team did not win the tournament, it was still a good game, said one Chivas MC team member.

“It’s a disappointment, but you win some, and you lose some. It was still a good game,” said Anez Ortiz, the captain of Chivas MC.

• Date Taken: 09.01.2011
• Date Posted: 09.01.2011 02:32
• Story ID: 76277
• Location: CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, JP