Déjà  Vu

27 July 2008

New York (Chinatown Newswire) — The seventh annual installment of the popular Adidas Fanatic tournament ended with a trio of familiar faces on top of the winnner’s podium last night.

Pre-tournament favorites Syrup Kidz once again showed their class by following up last year’s win and their recent success in Los Angeles with another victory.

In a stunning repeat of twelve months ago, Syrup was joined by the Chinatown Soccer Club and Psyop, who received a set of medals for the best jersey and the best fan support, respectively.

For the first since its inception in 2002, the event was held at Chelsea Waterside Park.

Opting for a new location turned out to be a masterstroke by the organizing committee as a huge crowd enjoyed the free beer and barbecue while taking in some sizzling soccer action on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Following is a photo essay by Coach Stochl detailing some of the tournament’s many highlights which was made available exclusively to the Newswire.

Joel Barnard and Dan “The Danimal” Funderburgh of the CSC model their award winning jersey design.

As always, Vikram “The Terror from Bombay” Kansara kept goal for the CSC.

Marco “The Berlin Wall” Spier joined Funderburgh and Kansara for a somewhat questionable warm-up routine.

Mike Messenie’s Pikesmen (on the left) were shrouded in controversy as their match against Spier’s (on the right) Psyop team ended in a thankfully short-lived brawl.

Psyop impressed both on and off the pitch and took home the award for best fan support for a second year in a row.

The Krauts were handed a tough group and failed to advance after a string of excruciatingly narrow defeats.

The CSC base camp turned into a popular lounge for the players and their families between matches.

An unidentified member of the Grand Life team had to ice his twisted ankle after the first game of the day.

Syrup’s Australian Paul was treated for a head injury but played on through the final.

Syrup were once again in inspired form and deservedly defended their crown.

The winning team moments after receiving their trophy, rounding off a great day on Manhattan’s West Side.