Jack Kampe, a 7th grader at Wellesley Middle School, traveled to Portugal over the holidays to play international games as part of the U.S. Youth Futsal Boys U14 National Team. The team competed in four matches in Lisbon between December 29th and January 2nd against top Portuguese Futsal clubs such as Sporting and Benfica, with a record of 3 wins, 1 loss.

Jack Kampe, a seventh-grader at Wellesley Middle School, traveled to Portugal over the holidays to play international games as part of the U.S. Youth Futsal Boys U14 National Team. The team competed in four matches in Lisbon between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2 against top Portuguese Futsal clubs such as Sporting and Benfica, with a record of three wins and one loss.

The sport of Futsal is a rapidly growing, small-sided, indoor version of soccer played on a hard surfaced court. Because the game is faster than soccer and played in a confined space, the game emphasizes high technical skills and demands quick decision making and accurate passing.

The U.S. Youth Futsal National Teams traveling to Portugal were led by Keith Tozer, U.S. Men’s Futsal National Team head coach, and organized by Soorena Farboodmanesh, director of FUTSAL I.D.

The U.S. Youth Futsal Boys U14 National Team was selected at National Trials in Overland Park, Kansas, last June. More than 520 players from 34 states participated in the National Trials, who in turn were invited from the players participating in the State Identification Trials held in 17 cities.

Locally, Kampe plays Futsal on the Safira Futsal Academy 2005 regional team based in Lowell. The Safira 2005 team was a finalist in the U.S. Youth Futsal Northeast Region Tournament last year in Hanover and a semifinalist in the U.S. Futsal Northeast Regional tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Kampe was also part of the Wellesley United U13 team that was the champion of the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions in 2018 and currently is rostered on the NEFC 2005 Boys U.S. Soccer Development Academy team.