Former WVU player, coach back in the Mountain State for tourney

BARBOURSVILLE -- It has been nearly eight years since Paul Marco coached in the Mountain State, but as he drove to the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships, it still felt like home.

Marco, who spent 13 years as a player and coach for West Virginia University, returned this week to lead the BC United Fusion U-17 and U-18 teams from Binghamton, N.Y., in the tournament.

"When I came back and drove through Morgantown, I stopped to see some friends and was wondering when I was going to be able to go home again because this felt like home," Marco said. "Now, seeing these great fields, it's just fantastic."

Friday was a homecoming for Marco on several different fronts. He got to meet with good friend and former on-field foe Bob Gray, who leads Marshall University men's soccer and also has a U-15 team in the field.

Marco even teased Gray that with the tournament in town, Gray could continue to hit the golf course and work on his game before his team takes the field this week.

He also reunited with good friend Jack DeFazio, whom he had dinner with. They had spent numerous times -- even years -- talking about how to elevate the game of soccer in West Virginia.

On Friday, they all got to see it first-hand as 282 teams took the 22 soccer fields at Barboursville Soccer Complex and the Scott Orthopedic Soccer Complex at the YMCA Kennedy Center for the first day of competition.

"Things that were put in motion years ago, now you are starting to see it," Marco said. "A lot of credit goes to the people who are behind the scenes and put in the countless hours, but only get to see the fruits out here on the field instead of getting the recognition they deserve.

"Len Rogers comes to mind, Dave Laraba, the likes of the Jack DeFazios and Bobby Grays -- those are guys that have put their heart and soul into West Virginia soccer. I was privileged to be a part of that group for 13 years."

The group which Marco referred to welcomed him back with open arms, although they might reconsider if his teams keep performing at the level which they did on Friday.

Unfortunately for the opposition, Marco's teams also looked right at home in West Virginia, posting a 6-0 win over Vermont's Capital Soccer Club in U-17 while also netting a 3-0 win over Rhode Island's Bruno United at the U-18 level.

Aside from the joy of his team's play on the first day, Marco said he took joy and a sense of pride in seeing the tournament take place in West Virginia.

He went on to show the parallels between the tournament and the status of soccer in West Virginia.

"I wished and had hoped that it would come here because the West Virginia people work so hard," Marco said. "There are thousands more kids playing in the other state associations, but our ODP teams were strong and we built good teams like the regional champion that was honored yesterday.

"You see them improving similar to this complex. The grass needs to grow a little bit more, but I see that in our players too. This weekend is going to be great for all the teams and for the state of West Virginia."