With a league title already to their name, the Estrella de Chile FC Burnaby (EDC) under-21 soccer team would like nothing better than to wrap it up with a Cup.
The squad will have that opportunity tomorrow (Saturday, April 2) when they square off against the upstart Guildford FC in the U21 Cup final, with kick-off at 10:30 a.m. at Burnaby Lake West 3.
Although they cruised comfortably into the final, EDC carries the weight of the favourite and has the memory of last year’s U21 final loss as a motivator, and club president Claudio Ramirez is eager to see them ramp it up prior to next month’s Provincial Cup.
“They are a fantastic young group, mostly (‘97s) who’ve had a killer season,” noted Ramirez, who coached a handful of the players as call-ups to his premier EDC team. “We expect a good run, but you can’t take any game for granted.”
While the Burnaby boys edged out rival Coquitlam Metro-Ford by two points for the regular season title, with a 12-4-2 record, the fact that Guildford upset Coquitlam 1-0 in the opening round of U21 Cup play can’t be perceived just as a gift.
In head-to-head action, EDC won both times the margin grew closer in their last meeting – 4-1 over Guildford in October, and 3-2 in January.
“It was a close game but not without controversy,” said Ramirez. “(Guildford) is a pretty competitive side and they came at us hard. They play a similar style as we do, with lots of ball control, quick passing, but they were more physical.”
EDC opened the playoffs with a 6-0 sweep over the Burnaby Select White Eagles in late February, then had a bye through to the final.
Guildford, who placed fifth in the regular season, followed up its win over Coquitlam by dispatching the third-best team, the Surrey Extreme, 4-1 in the semifinal.
Ramirez said the experience a handful of EDC u21 players got playing for his premier side the past month should be beneficial in preventing any rust or slow start.
“I think they’ll be in very good form,” he said. “Although the team has basically been off for a month we had five players up with us, nearly all starting.”
Those getting tested at the higher level were Kuroush Faritous, Daniel Morello, Edris Najm, Joel Padmore and Glen Zheng.
The EDM Burnaby u21s are coached by Zico Najm.
