Soccer enthusiasts find warm haven in Cape Girardeau

The Show Me Center and two other sites will play host this weekend to the largest one-weekend indoor soccer tournament in the Midwest.

The ninth annual St. Francis Medical Center Indoor Soccer Tournament will begin at 5 p.m. today with 107 teams from Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky invading Cape Girardeau for the three-day event. The marathon tournament will feature 173 games and 35 hours of soccer for local fans.

There will be five games played each hour of the tournament. There will be two fields in both the Show Me Center and Student Recreation Center and one field in Houck Field House.

"We may have 15,000 people through the turnstile in the weekend," tournament director David Ross said.

The tournament will feature pick-up and recreational teams, as well as year-round teams.

"There are some select teams and traveling teams that do play," Ross said.

Over 1,400 players ranging from ages 8 to 18 will compete in the tournament. There will be no shortage of familiar faces for local soccer fans with 40 teams entered from Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

The under-18 bracket, featuring strong local teams on the boys' and girls' side, should be of particular interest. The Road Runners out of Jackson are considered one of the top girls teams in their age division, while Cape Girardeau has two boys teams that should compete for first. Several top high school players, including all-state Central player Heath Orr, will be featured in the tournament.

Ross said the tournament continues to draw such a strong field because it's the only game in town.

"There's not a lot of indoor in this area," he said.

Win or lose, Ross said the tournament is really all about having a good time.

"Because there is a range in the competitive levels, we really try to emphasize the fun aspect," he said.