Sierra Leone’s ‘Leone Stars’ defeat Cameroon 2-1 in first annual ACST

LOS ANGELES – 384 semi-professional and amateur soccer players representing 20 African countries were featured in the first ever African Community Soccer Tournament that saw Sierra Leone’s  ‘Leone Stars’  defeat Cameroon’s  ‘L.A. Lions’  team 2-1 to capture the first ACST Cup title.  (Photo: The Los Angeles tournament featured 24 teams representing 20 African countries)

From the 24 team tournament that featured teams representing 20 African countries, including Jamaica, with some of Los Angeles’ best amateur soccer players,  Sierra Leone emerged victorious capturing one of the most prestigious and culturally significant title’s for the team of West African immigrants who never had the opportunity to actually play for their native country’s national team of whom they are named after.  The Championship match took place in front of over 2,500 people at the John Ferraro Soccer Complex in Los Angeles.

“Representing Sierra Leone in the African Community Soccer Tournament was important to us,” explained team captain and midfielder Brian George, 27, of Los Angeles.  “It’s been our dream to represent our national team back in Sierra Leone but because of certain circumstances we were not able to do that so to win this tournament it really means a lot to us and we’re proud of that.”

A graduate of Hamilton High School (2007), George, came to America from Sierra Leone’s Freetown when he was 11 years old.  He is set to graduate from Everest College next year with a degree in criminal justice which he hopes will help him pursue his dream of joining the Los Angeles Police Department as an officer.

In addition to George, the Leone Stars were represented in the 2011 ACST by midfielders Ibrahim Kebe, Christian King, Kedrick George, Mohammad Kamara, Osman Kamara, and Mickey Rickey; defenders Alimamy Kanu, Abdul Kamara, Tejan Kallou, Miguel Alvarez, and Francis Sesay, forward Salieu Fofana; strikers Adrian Hamilton and Albert Sapateh; goalie Joe Hernandez, and team managers Tejan Sesay and Thomas Kamara.

Midfielder Christian King was named MVP for scoring 3 goals throughout the tournament all while playing with a serious knee injury.

The Leone Stars, defeated Ethiopia’s L.A. Stars (0-2), Togo’s Black Hawks (0-1) in first round match ups before advancing to the quarterfinals to face Nigeria’s Black Eagles (0-2).  In the semi-finals, the Leone Stars sealed their place in the finals by taking out Ghana’s Africa United team 5-4 in penalties.

The Leone Stars was formed in 1990 by a group of Sierra Leonean’s living in Los Angeles.  The team plays in various local, state, and national tournaments including the Sierra Leone Old Athletics Association’s (SLOAA) annual soccertournament that assembles Sierra Leaoneans from all across the United States.

Sulaiman Turay, 33, an electrical engineer and former member of the Leone Stars before retiring due to an injury was at Saturday’s tournament to cheer on his team.

“We’ve never played in a tournament of this magnitude,” Turay explains.  “It was amazing to just be a part of it.  We didn’t care about winning, we just wanted to be a part of it and to represent our country.”

Turay joined the Leone Stars in 1996, two years after he moved to Los Angeles from Freetown.  He is considered a big brother to many of the team’s current members whose ages range from 17 to 29.

“Joining the team helped me grow as a person.  It gave me a sense of community—communitythat I had left behind in Sierra Leone.  Today, I give back and help out with the team as a mentor in the same way that I was mentored when I first joined.”

Turay still attends the team’s weekly Saturday practices in Hawthorne.

The tournament’s organizers Vuvuzela Media and Marketing, a niche marketing group that focuses on Los Angeles’ African and West Indian communities, believes that the ACST is paving the way for the recognition and contribution of Blacks in soccer in Los Angeles.

“Los Angeles has a vibrant African community,” explains Charlotte Kouassi, company co-founder and Republic of Côte d’Ivoire native.  “The African Community Soccer Tournament is an event that puts a face on our community and puts on display our love and passion for soccer while bringing us all together to celebrate our common bonds—Africa, soccer, and the city of Los Angeles.

According to the U.S. Census, it is estimated that the current population of African immigrants to the United States is about 881,300. In Los Angeles County there are about 26,000 Africans representing almost 3 percent of the black population.  African countries in Los Angeles County with the most immigrants include Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa.

The tournament’s presenting sponsors were Broadway Federal Bank, Soccer Shop USA, and MoneyGram International who sponsored the Cup and $3,000 first place prize money.

In addition, to the action on the field, off field Los Angeles’ African dignitaries, including South Africa’s consul general Cyril Sibusiso Ndaba, came out to root for their respective country’s team as well as support the overall event.

Looking towards 2012, the tournament’s organizers are hopeful that the ACST will attract soccer’s major league teams for scouting for potential players.

“We’re excited about 2012 and look forward to the return of this year’s teams and the addition of new teams,” says Isaac Appiah, Vuvuzela Media and Marketing co-founder and Ghana native. “We congratulate all of this year’s participants.  With the success of this first time event, we all are winners.”

For all of the 2011 African Community Soccer Tournament highlights including scores, photos, and videos, please log onto www.africansoccerla.com, the home of the ACST and online destination for Los Angeles area Blacks in soccer.

The 2011 ACST was produced by Vuvuzela Media and Marketing and was sponsored in part by: SoccerShopUSA.com, Christ Citadel International Church, Clear Essence, MoneyGram International, Turkish Airlines, and Broadway Federal Bank with media partners CaribPress, Immigrant Magazine, African Times, The African Trumpet, and Pacifica KPFK 90.7 FM.

The tournament was sanctioned by, the California State Soccer Association (CalSouth), the official youth and adult state soccer association of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer.

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