Small-sided tournaments have highlighted area soccer play over the summer months.

Local soccer club FC 814 held its 5-on-5 Summer Shootout at the Hollidaysburg Urban Air Soccer Complex on Saturday, July 12

Approximately 50 teams took part in play with age ranges from u-8 to u-19 with maximum roster size of 10. There was to be an adult open tourney, but lack of entries scratched that division.

Each team was guaranteed three 25-minute games for a $350 entry fee. There were gold and silver divisions for each age group. The Summer Shootout helped players by raising funds for the Strawberry Hill Outdoor Complex and Keith Athletic Field upgrades, as well as helping to improve other current fields. There were various sponsorship opportunities available.

The tourney had teams made up of individual players which signed up but did not have a team on which to play. The tourney had some gap in age groups like u-16 boys, which had to play up with the u-19 group.

Players generally love these small-sided tournaments as they end up being shooting galleries, and offensive play is showcased.

Elsewhere:

– Alex Bartlett of the Northern Blair County Soccer Club put together a 3 v 3 summer tourney, the Summer Showdown, for ages u8 to u14 at the Northern Blair County soccer complex with 26 teams turning out for play.

The 3 v 3 play is very fast-paced and usually high-scoring play. Tourney champions were: u8 boys-FC814 Venom, u10 boys-Celtic Verde, u10 girls-FC814 Slam, u12 boys-Celtic Gray and u14 boys-Tyrone.

n Penn State Altoona men’s soccer is facing a familiar problem, in need of a head coach. The coaching position is only a part-time position, and as a result, PSU Altoona has had trouble holding onto a coach since the departure of Maurice Taylor, who was there for several decades.

Aside from the demands of handling the team, demands are really year-round in the position as recruiting incoming players goes on all year. Similar programs like Juniata College all have full-time coaches. It is time for PSU to rethink the structure of this position.

– Girls Team Energy, the only team in our area playing in a national conference in the Great Lakes Conference in premier 1, finished in second place, going 6-1-1. The Energy was just at Eastern regional play where it defeated the FC Stars (N.H.), 5-1, and the Virginia Valors, 4-0, but lost in a 1-0 heartbreaker to Rockville (N.Y. East), which prevented the Energy from going to the semifinals.

The Energy was also in Connecticut for the Northeast Regional ODP ID camp. Three of the team’s players made it here: Ava Frye, Meghan Andersen and Alexis Prestash.

– The U.S. Men’s National team dropped a tough 2-1 decision to Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final at NRG stadium in Houston. Mexico has won back-to-back Gold Cup titles.

The U.S. won in 2013, 2017 and 2021. Mexico has taken it in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023 and 2025.

“Obviously, we are disappointed to not come away with a win,” 37-year-old U.S. defender Tim Ream said after the match.

The U.S. team was playing without captain Christian Pulisic and several other starters. The team should have a different look for the World Cup next summer, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Tom Schmitt writes a monthly soccer column for the Mirror.