Young Leeward Soccer Team Heads Off To Maui

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Samuel Hunt, Rayan Bahri and Garrison Lee of the boys
9-and-under Leeward Twisters practice in Ewa for an
upcoming Maui tournament. Photo by Byron Lee,
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In the all-important area of developing team cohesiveness, there’s nothing like an interisland getaway.

Twisters youth soccer coach Collins Takaki can be counted among the believers in team travel.

“It’s really a team-bonding thing,” said Takaki, who will take his under-9 (Leeward Soccer Club) Twisters team to Maui next week for the No Ka Oi Boys Soccer Tournament.“It’s an experience the kids will definitely enjoy. It is competitive (at that age). There’s a misconception among some that it is ‘win at all costs,’ but at this age it’s more developmental to us.We’re trying to get them ready to play U-13 and U-14. This will be our first trip away.”

With that in mind, rugged competition plays no small role in a team’s development, and a strong field will be assembled next week on Maui. Eight members of the Twisters’ 14-player roster are 8 years old or under,making them one of the younger teams in their division. Despite a youthful roster, the Twisters recently finished their Oahu League spring season with a 5-1-2 record, taking third place.

“We’ll have a lot of 8-year-olds playing against 10-year-olds,“Takaki said. “We’re still basically a young team, so we were definitely happy with the (spring) season. Some of the kids will stay down (in U-9) next year, but a lot will be moving up a division.

“When you move up (in age group), you have to learn to change gears and play quicker and make quicker decisions. Playing against older competition should be beneficial to us.”

Travel has long since been an attractive option in the local prep ranks, but increasingly youth teams are following suit for much the same reasons. Unlike in prep sports, where players often room with each other, members of the Twisters will stay with their parents, in large part because of their young age.

“It’s good for the kids to be around each other a lot,“Takaki said. “When kids get to know each other better,they play better.We have some shy kids on the team, so this is good for them, and your communication on the field should be better later on (as a result). It’s also good for the parents,if they like travel. All of our parents will be there. Hopefully,we can have a good experience.”

The Twisters roster includes Riley Asuncion, Cy Avilla, Rayan Bahri, Hunter Breault, Lucien Breault,Shandon Hopeau,Jayse Lau, Garrison Lee, Laufilitonga Lomu, Bryson Maximo, Chazzic Saito, Ricky Sandry, Kayla Afoa and Kristi Takaki. Takaki is assisted by coach Ryan Asuncion and team manager Sheryl Hopeau.