Brazil wins CISM championship; United States takes 3rd place

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Joel Mease
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Brazil defeated Barbados 3-0 in the Conseil International du Sport Militaire Continental Championship Feb. 27 at Shotwell Stadium. The United States won the 3rd place game defeating Suriname 2-1. 

The CISM tournament featured Brazil, Barbados, Canada, Suriname and the United States in a week-long soccer tournament with each respective armed forces playing against each other. The goal of the tournament is to allow friendly relations to foster by substituting the battlefield for the playing field, said Canadian Army Major Steve Kiropoulos, CISM Technical Committee president. 

The tournament brought together different cultures where representatives from Barbados' 18 members represented three percent of their armed forces, and where Suriname represented the smallest country in terms of area and population in South America. There also were language barriers and a nation's history of soccer to overcome. 

"A nation like Brazil, which has won multiple World Cups, has its own view of how soccer is played. What CISM really is about though is an opportunity for military members to meet with something in common a love for sport, military and country," Major Kiropoulos said. "Friendship and a better understanding are gained about each other throughout the tournament." 

"This was an excellent experience for our players," said Army Sergeant First Class Agustin Mendez, United States head coach. "It provides friendship through sport and also the highest level of soccer most of these guys (U.S. players) will ever get to play." 

The talent level across the field was very competitive as there were only a few blow outs. Brazil and Barbados were the favorites going into tournament, but the teams competed very well against them, Major Kiropoulas said. 

"All the teams have been well prepared, and it's been a great pleasure for us to play here," said Lt. Col. Davi De Souza, Brazil head coach. 

The Brazil team was focused on winning the Continental Championship again and finished the tournament undefeated. The head coach for Brazil said Barbados was a great challenge and all the teams were very competitive. 

"We only had 10 days to get our team ready for the tournament, while some of the other countries had a few months to prepare" Sergeant Mendez said. "With the short time we had to get ready, I thought we did real well to finish the tournament the way we did. A few breaks in our direction and we could have played in the championship. The Brazil head coach even told me if we had a little bit more time to prepare our players; he thought we would have been able to compete for the championship." 

The teams also enjoyed playing in an unlikely place to host an international football tournament, West Texas. 

"We are really happy with Dyess Air Force Base as our host," Major Kiropoulas said. "You can have a tournament in perfect weather, but have a bad host and the tournament will not be a good experience. We might not have had the best weather here, but the Air Force did an excellent job hosting us." 

"The weather temperatures being either high or low provided a tough challenge for us," Lt. Col. De Souza said. "However it was very nice experience to play here." 

Brazil finished the tournament undefeated, Barbados suffered two losses - both to Brazil. The United States finished the tournament with two wins and one tie. Suriname and Canada were the only teams unable to win in the tournament. Canada was seconds away from securing a victory in its last game against Suriname, but a last minute goal resulted in tie for the two teams.