Newark’s only futsal team became U.S. Northwestern Regional Champions at the March 7 tournament in Santa Clara.
Jeff Aguilar, founder of Crush Futsal, created the club in 2023 after being an assistant coach for the Newark 1974 Soccer Club.
His two daughters began playing futsal in the South Bay. “My daughter was competing for a team in San Jose. When we went to the national tournament, I absolutely loved it and so did my kids. We thought it was amazing,” said Aguilar. “My dad joked after the tournament, he said, ‘Futsal is the best thing no one has heard about.’”
‘With this sport no matter where the ball is, you’re involved. You have to be ready.’
Jeff Aguilar
However, as time went on, it became a challenge to keep up with the commute. “As school started the practices were all the way in East San Jose, so getting to practice during the week or even a busy weekend was really challenging,” said Aguilar. “It prompted me to say, ‘Hey, let’s start our own club.’”
With the—at the time—12 Newark Club girls, the team began their first practice in August 2023 along with the team’s assistant coach Adrian Barross. A team of the top seven players was made. The team’s skill and potential was confirmed when they won second place at their first-ever tournament.
Although futsal is very similar to soccer it does have some differences. The fast-paced indoor game consists of five players on a small, hard-wood court. “The size and the dimensions of the court, and the five-versus-five nature of it lead to a different style of play; sometimes that makes it faster,” said Aguilar. “With this sport no matter where the ball is, you’re involved. You have to be ready.”
The Crush Futsal team proved how ready they were when they competed in the U.S. Northwest Futsal Championship in Santa Clara.
The 2015 team was in pool play of four teams. Beating clubs from Modesto, San Jose and Portland, sent them into the semifinal game. After a smooth win against Prodigy Futsal Club from Torrence 4-0 in the semifinal, the team continued to the final against TOQUE Futsal from Downey. The Newark team claimed their win with a final score of 2-0.
“We scored 25 goals and only gave up one throughout the entire tournament,” Aguilar shared proudly.
“It was a total team effort from start to finish, both offensively, defensively,” continues Aguilar. “I think that’s part of the reason they have success is the chemistry they have and the bond that they have to go out there and compete for each other.”
As one of the players said before a big game, “There is no Crush without ‘us.’”
The Crush team is now preparing to compete in two more tournaments—in Martinez and Sacramento in June—before traveling to Las Vegas for the U.S. Futsal National Tournament in July that they qualified for after taking home gold from Santa Clara.
