On March 31, PHS’s futsal tournament commenced once again after COVID-19 put the tournament on hiatus last year. Run by Nico Carusone ’22, Joe Borovoy ’22, and Breno Azevedo ’22, and supervised by PHS Social Studies Teacher Katie Dineen, 24 squads are tussling for the proclaimed prospect of being the best team this year.

Futsal is very similar to soccer, but unlike soccer, which is played outdoors, futsal is played inside. While the basic rules of soccer are maintained, one main difference is that there is a lot less contact. For example, unlike normal soccer, no side-tackling is permitted. The games are also designed to be a lot quicker since the New Gym is much smaller than an outdoor soccer field. To succeed on the small courts and fast-paced games, players need to have good passing and dribbling skills as well as good game strategy.

The PHS futsal tournament is split up into two parts. In the first stage, the 24 teams each played one game against each other. At the end of the first stage, they were ranked on a points table, where teams earned three points for a win, zero points for a loss, and one point for a draw. The 16 teams who racked up the most points advanced to the second round. The second stage is a single elimination bracket in which teams get eliminated until there is a winner.

The club was started 10 years ago by a group of PHS soccer players, and has been passed down to players from each year’s senior class. Now that the club has become a staple of the PHS community, Carusone, Borovoy, and Azevedo want to keep the club’s energy alive.

“Futsal is a way to get away from the normal stresses of school,” said Azevedo. “It brings different types of people together. People like to cheer for each other so it builds a closer-knit PHS community.”

The leaders believe that the club has brought the athletic community and those who like watching sports much closer together. After remote learning canceled many PHS traditions, the club has been a great way to introduce school spirit to the underclassmen.

“The [Futsal Club] has always had a rich history of people coming and supporting the club,” said Azevedo. “Obviously we couldn’t [have a tournament] last year because of COVID-19, but every year other than that it’s been going strong.”

Thomsen Lord ‘25 is a frequent spectator, and loves cheering on teams. His love of soccer comes from his family, who regularly travel to Germany to watch professional games.

“Everybody is really invested in it,” Lord said. “It reminds me of a pro sporting event.”

For players, the large crowd tests their ability to perform at their best. Many futsal participants are experienced soccer players, but for many of them, the crowd of up to 200 spectators test their expertise.

“The crowd makes you much more excited but also much more nervous,” said Meloni. “The first game I felt out of breath, but it wasn't [from] running; it was more because I was nervous.”

Despite the massive size of the crowd and the skill of many of the players, the leaders want everyone to feel welcome on the field. Ultimately, they believe the most important aspect of futsal is putting yourself out there.

“[Futsal] is open to all,” said Borovoy. “It’s fun to have a competition with your friends and everyone’s just looking to have a good time.”