As Armed Forces soccer tournament nears, Air Force team kicks into high gear

  • Published
  • By Steve Warns
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  Themselves. That’s the only thing holding back the All-Air Force men’s soccer team as it prepared to enter the Armed Forces tournament May 6-14 in Fort Benning, Georgia, head coach Lt. Col. Derrick Weyand said.

“The key to airpower is to be flexible, and that’s what this team is,” said Weyand, of the 39th Mission Support Group at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. “These guys are razor-sharp right now. We have the best athletes across the United States Air Force, all the way from Germany, Japan, England, and we have Italy.

“These guys are synching, they can score at will and the defense is absolutely solid. You have some of the best players representing their units and squadrons. I couldn’t be prouder of them,” he said.

The All-Air Force team capped its 2½-week long training camp at JBSA-Lackland with a 3-0 loss to San Antonio Football Club of the United Soccer League on May 4 at San Antonio’s Toyota Field.

The final score wasn’t indicative of the game, said Weyand, whose 18-man squad outscored its competition 73-15 enroute to a 12-4 record in training camp. 

“We played them foot for foot,” he said. “We came out a little gun-shy, to be honest. The game plan was to sit deep on them and to let them come at us for a little bit, but we sat a little too long. Once we found our rhythm, we felt really comfortable. They felt their groove and realized they could keep up with these professionals.”

The game also showcased the team’s resiliency and cohesion, something other Airmen across the service can follow, said Tech. Sgt. Victoria Saenz, Air Force fitness program manager with the Air Force Services Activity.

“They compete as a family,” Saenz said. “These guys come out here in a short amount of time, get to know each other and build a team. They foster teamwork and camaraderie. This is something they would also do in a deployed environment. You join together as one team whatever that mission is.”

The next mission is the Armed Forces tournament. What separates the Air Force team from its sister services, Weyand said, is the skill level and dedication.

“We train three times a day whereas other teams only train one or two times a day,” Weyand said. “We play a 16-game schedule while other teams are only playing seven or eight games. We live to play soccer.”

Team captain 1st Lt. John Melcher of the 94th Intelligence Squadron at Fort Meade, Maryland, said the squad is “100-percent confident” it’ll win the title. Last year, the U.S. Army beat the All-Air Force team 1-0 for the championship.

“The one thing we try to establish here in camp is to make sure everything we do has a winning mentality to it,” said Melcher, a midfielder. “Coach really instills that preparation is one of the keys to success, coming out and training hard three times a day and then everything we do after practice as well. One of the sayings we have is champions do extra. 

“When we’re out here we jog in and do all the little things that make us more prepared to play in those games and win those games.”

The 2012 All-Air Force team was the first in Armed Forces tournament history to go undefeated. This year’s team might be better than the 2012 team.

“We have more goal-scoring threats, great defenders and a solid core in the middle of the field with a bunch of returning players and some new faces that have highlighted the strengths of the team,” Melcher said.

One of those new faces is Senior Airman J.R. Guillan of the 944th Civil Engineer Squadron at Luke AFB, Arizona. Guillan, a wing, scored twice in the first half during a recent 11-0 exhibition victory.

“I actually coach part-time, I train all the time and I play indoors in Arizona,” said Guillan, who was in Mississippi during last year’s training camp. “It’s something I love to do as a hobby.”

While the soccer team is a prime example of building and sustaining readiness and resilience among Airmen, Saenz stressed the opportunities within Air Force sports.

“We’ve got a lot of great athletes out there,” she said. “We have 18 different sports, and they can come out, try out, compete, and be the best of the best.”
Weyand echoed that sentiment.

“It builds resiliency in people to know that not only can you be an Airman at work every day turning wrenches, flying jets, being a crew chief and being a defender on a front line. It tells you that you can still chase your dreams,” he said. “Building that teamwork shows that you can count on each other, and that resiliency just makes you stronger every day. To be able to chase your dreams and still perform in the Air Force speaks volumes about our Airmen.”

For more information on trying out for one of the Air Force Sports Program teams, Airmen can submit an Air Force 303 Form found here.