Regions' Cup team of the tournament (so far)
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Article summary
We have met almost too many exciting players here in Dublin, but – with the UEFA Regions' Cup group stage over – we jam our favourite XI into a crude 4-3-3 formation.
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There are no technical observers at the UEFA Regions' Cup, and so it falls to UEFA.com's reporters to decide on the makeup of our – 100% unofficial – team of the tournament. The 4-3-3 formation could potentially be a 4-3-2-1 given that two of our forwards play off a main striker. Six of the sides are heading for home; use #RegionsCup to give them a shout on Twitter.
Goalkeeper: Brian Neeson (EasternRegion NIR)
Up against some skilful teams, the Northern Irish might have struggled but for Neeson's many interventions; a 2-2 first-day draw with Württemberg might have been a 6-2 loss without him.
Left-back: Benjamin Sturm (Württemberg)
A tall and powerful full-back who was difficult to get past, Sturm showed excellent footwork. Any player he could not beat with skill could be overcome by brute strength.
Centre-back: Jacek Mądrzejewski (Dolnośląski)
The Polish side lost several players to professional football before the finals, and had their struggles in Dublin, but Mądrzejewski came out of the tournament with a rugged reputation enhanced.
Centre-back: Paul Breen (Eastern Region IRL)
The hosts qualified for the final after two matchdays having not conceded a goal. Breen was the stand-out central defender and scored a thumping header from a corner, too.
Right-back: Meris Mešanović (Tuzla)
The mining student reckoned he was a natural forward, but the 25-year-old sparkled as an ultra-attacking right-back – super-swift as he rampaged up the right and great at one-on-ones.
Left midfield: Radim Záruba (South Moravia)
Our Czech futsal star was a thorn in the side of defences – sharing the workload among opposing defenders by unexpectedly switching to the right at times. Skilful, aggressive and with a good eye for a pass, too.
Central midfield: Darren Dunne (Eastern Region IRL)
Eastern Region IRL's Lionel Messi, Dunne kept their midfield engine revving. He scored a penalty on his birthday on matchday one and struck again in the second game.
Right midfield: Arjan Rexhepi (Zagreb)
Zagreb's supersub, 20-year-old Rexhepi scored the goal of the group stage, volleying in from distance against Dolnośląski. His positional sense made him a nightmare for tiring defences. Evidence? Three goals in 49 minutes played.
Forward: Marian Asch (Württemberg)
The captain is a veteran of a previous UEFA Regions' Cup finals and showed ability and a single-minded thrust for goal. But for his strike against Dolnośląski, Württemberg would have bowed out on matchday two.
Forward: Salim Uzun (Ankara)
The top scorer at the finals with four goals – two against Tuzla and two against South Moravia – the predatory forward woke up in some style after a quiet first outing, earning the Turkish selection a bronze medal single-handedly.
Forward: Božidar Karamatić (Zagreb)
The power behind the throne for Zagreb, Karamatić plays off the frontman and pulls defences out of shape with perceptive passing. Also scored an unbelievable free-kick against Eastern Region IRL.
Reporters: Tomáš Čunčík, Dmitri Mamykin, Jim Wirth
Key stats
Top scorer: Salim Uzun (Ankara) – 4
Most attempts on target: Božidar Karamatić (Zagreb) – 10
Most fouled player: Joel Cooper (Eastern Region NIR) – 17