Sports

Storm FC wins Top Rated UMBRO Showcase for the first time 

May 22, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Chris Broom

The Orangeville Minor Soccer Club’s Storm FC U15 Boys team made history over the May long weekend, going where no Storm team has gone before. 

The Top Rated UMBRO Showcase, celebrating 20 years in Canada in 2025, attracts over 400 top level teams annually from 20 different leagues across Canada and the U.S. as well as 300-plus college and university scouts. 

This season, the team has entered the iModel-West Region, one tier below the OPDL and the highest level of play in the province for soccer clubs. The coaching staff decided at the same time, to give the team an additional challenge by entering the group into the prestigious Top Rated series event, usually reserved for OPDL and regional teams. 

No team from Orangeville has ever won the event, but the coaches felt the time was right for these boys to experience the environment. 

The tournament format played out over four days across the Greater Toronto Area, with the Storm FC team playing Friday evening against a team from Ottawa City in Vaughan. Storm FC fell behind 1-0 in the first half, before an inspired effort in the second half saw them claw their way back on goals by Lane Cartwright and Jonah Traikos to secure a 2-1 victory to open the showcase.

Saturday morning, the team battled rough winds and rain, once again falling behind in Vaughan against the faster opponent from Ottawa TFC. Down 2-0 at the half, and with dark skies rolling in, Orangeville began the comeback, with Kameron Izzard scoring on a breakaway, followed by Damian Premus knocking in a rebound from a set piece taken by James Mallon to square the game at two apiece. 

Then, as thunder loomed in the background, a late free kick from Mallon went through the hands of the Ottawa keeper and Storm completed their second come from behind victory, 3-2.

Sunday’s game was played inside the Woodbridge Sports Dome against a physical squad from Ancaster Legacy FC. The boys from Orangeville fell 4-3 on two goals from Izzard and Traikos with his second of the tournament, but they had to wait until the end of the day to determine their fates. However, a surprising win by Ottawa City over Liverpool FC IA from North Mississauga left Storm FC in first place and sent them through to the final at the Zanchin Automotive Ontario Soccer Centre on Monday morning and a rematch with Ancaster.

Kameron Izzard’s breakaway at the seventh minute on Monday morning opened the scoring for Storm FC, and a free kick from Payton Deimling that skipped past the Ancaster keeper in the 20^th minute of play on the wet grass doubled the lead in the first half for Orangeville. 

Clutch goalkeeping by keeper Wade Myers, named the game MVP, shut down the Ancaster attack on several occasions and Storm FC held on to win the Gold Division UMBRO Showcase championship, and with it, a berth into the Desert Cup in Phoenix, Arizona in November. 

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