After a week of scrimmages and two-a-days, the All-Army Soccer Trial Camp, currently underway on Fort Huachuca, is one step closer to formation of the ultimate All-Army Soccer Team for 2012.
Twenty-seven Soldiers were here when tryouts began, but now cuts have been made leaving only 20 as of last week.
“We still have two slots that are up for grabs,” Locklear added.
“We have guys from all over the world … from Japan, Korea, Germany, a big group of guys from Hawaii, and then the rest of the guys come from bases located here in the continental U.S.,” he added.
Scrimmages between the All-Army team and different youth soccer clubs have been held at Fort Huachuca and in Casa Grande.
“We’ve been scrimmaging [with] a local team in the Sierra Vista area and they’re pretty talented, but yesterday we actually went to Casa Grande and we played Real Salt Lake Academy … and that was a real challenge for us,” said 1st Lt. Brendan McKeague.
He laughed when he mentioned they lost their scrimmage to the youth academy, but is certain of a victory if they were to play against the academy students again.
“Yesterday we were still in the trial phase … so it wasn’t really the core team. I think if we play[ed] them again we’[d] give them a run for their money,” McKeague added.
During their daily practices and scrimmages, the players showcase both their skills, and their camaraderie on the field.
“I enjoy playing with these guys,” said 2nd Lt. Sean Kim. “These guys come from different backgrounds but they’re really, really good.
“They have a lot of things to teach me, and I can teach these guys a lot of things. We’re just all learning from each other and getting used to each other, so it should be good,” he added.
After practices end on Sept. 22 the AA team will travel from Fort Huachuca to Camp Pendleton in southern California to compete in the Armed Forces Soccer Championship.
“The post has been very receptive,” Locklear added. “Les Woods, who’s the sports director here, him and his staff have been more than gracious giving us all the resources and everything that we need.
“It’s great that the community has come out to some of our scrimmages to watch, and we look for that to continue for the duration, … and we’ll continue to enjoy our time here,” he said.
