USA TO DEFEND TITLE AT WORLD CUP -- OF TABLE SOCCER
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ATTENTION: NEWS, EVENTS, SPORTS EDITORS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USA TO DEFEND TITLE AT WORLD CUP… OF TABLE SOCCER
Nantes, France – While the men’s U.S. National Soccer Team has made
tremendous strides in international competition over the last 15
years, they didn't quite meet expectations during last summer's FIFA
World Cup. On the positive side, the USA did in fact win the World
Cup last year – the World Cup of Table Soccer (a.k.a. "foosball").
And at this year's International Table Soccer Federation combined
World Championships and World Cup tournaments, to be held January
6-9th in Nantes, France, the U.S. men's team is looking to win it's
third title in a row!
But what's that you say? A World Cup... of foosball? As it turns
out, there’s much more to it than you might think, as some 500 of the
world’s most elite players from up to 40 countries will compete in the
culminating event of a year-long, 50-tournament World Pro Tour. This
year's U.S. National men's, women's, seniors and juniors teams, whose
players have captured a total of over 30 World and 100 Major tour
titles, remain the favorites to repeat their amazing 2009 and 2010
victories this week in France.
Not that the U.S. foosball team will have it easy: world #1-ranked
team Germany, #2-ranked Netherlands and USA’s arch-rival France have
their sights on an upset. Each team, having selected eight of their
nation’s very best players, will be competing in a combination of
doubles and singles events. In a true test of all around foosball
skills, competition will take place on five different official styles
of tables: Tornado Table Soccer™, Bonzini™, Garlando, Lehmacher Tech-
Ball, and Roberto-Sport. (Oh, and yes, foosball's that game with the
miniature soccer men attached to rods that spin around to hit a little
ball on a kitchen table sized soccer field!)
Meanwhile, in the World Championships portion of the tournament, top
name competition will include world #1 ranked Frederico Collignon of
Belgium and defending ITSF World Singles Champion Ryan Moore of the
USA. The women’s side of the competition is also expected to be
intense, with #1-ranked Sandra Ranff of Germany seeking to win her
first World Singles title against a strong field of tour veterans and
new challengers.
Preliminary rounds are on Thursday and Friday, with playoffs Saturday
and finals on Sunday the 9th. A special opening ceremony will be held
at 5:00 pm Friday. All press and spectators are invited to attend.
The tournament is sanctioned by the ITSF and hosted by the French
Table Soccer Federation (Fédération Française de Football de Table).
Sponsors include Region Pays de la Loire, Ville de Nantes and SUBWAY®
Restaurants, among others. Media partners include EuroSport2, Kozoom
Production, Nantes 7 and Presse Ocean.
This combined event serves as both the final event of the 2010 ITSF
World Pro Table Soccer Tour and the kickoff of the tour for 2011.
Other major tour events for 2011 are already scheduled for Austria,
the Czech Republic, Turkey and the United States. Even more
qualifying events are planned for countries as diverse as Lithuania,
Slovakia, Japan, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the United
Kingdom. Indeed, the 2011 tour is expected to be the largest world
table soccer tour ever!!
For additional details about this event and the sport of table soccer,
please see the following websites:
www.ustsf.org - USTSF official web site/Pro Tour & U.S. National Team
sponsorship opportunities
www.table-soccer.org - ITSF Website: World Rankings/Tour News/ITSF
World Cup & Championships Event Information
www.itsfworldtour.com/worldcup/videos.php - Live video feed begins
online January 6th!!
Or contact: Larry Davis, President, USTSF, Tel: +1-563-580-9485;
Email: larry...@ustsf.foosball.com
Christine Cabrera, ITSF, Tel: +33-240-479-084; Email:
in...@table-soccer.org
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