FT. LEONARD WOOD— Although unusual for Missouri, an overcast and chilly June day was just the kind of weather that the Royal Engineers A.F.C. is used to.
The soccer team, comprised of active-duty soldiers from the British Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers, is visiting the United States as part of a week long tour.
And their first stop was Ft. Leonard Wood on Wednesday night, to face a Ft. Wood team playing in its first match.
British Army Col. Andy Phillips, a British Liaison Officer to Ft. Wood and coach of the new team, was a member of the Royal Engineers— the Sappers— and organized the match, which is the first of a four games they’ll be playing around Missouri this week in their first-ever U.S. tour.
The Sappers have a rich history. They won England’s prestigious F.A. Cup in 1875, when the game was an all-amateur affair, and proudly wear an image of the trophy on their red-and-blue striped uniform shirts.
Ft. Wood, on the other hand, hadn’t had a proper all-post club team so this was a chance to start one.
“Our team primarily started in intramurals,” Phillips said. “We identified who was keen to play and who had played before and worked from there.”
They’d been training for last month or so just to get ready for this match.
“We’ve been working hard but I know quality of opposition,” he said prior to the game.
The Sappers just completed their season, which runs from September to May in the U.K. They now compete in the Army Football Association, where they play against teams from various other British Army Corps.
“They’re a very good team,” Phillips said, “and they’ve come back off a long season. They’ve all played together for a while, whereas we [hadn’t] actually played a match together.”
The Sappers were a bit too physical for the Ft. Wood team— which the players informally nicknamed the “Tigers”— and controlled the tempo of the from the beginning. They didn’t allow the Tigers many shots on goal— the one they did get was from about 25 yards back and missed the Sapper net wide right.
Ft. Wood players knew they’d have a tough time against the British team, so the final 7-0 score wasn’t surprising. Nor was it terribly important.
“For the most part we did pretty well,” said Capt. Lance Fountain, the team’s field captain. “It was good to get out here. We haven’t been playing together very long, so what we did was great.”
“Its absolutely fantastic,” Phillips said. “And it was a real pleasure to have so many people turn out and watch it.”
Phillips said that he plans on keeping the team together permanently.
“We’re going keep having practice sessions, and I’m going to get us some games against local games,” he told the team after the match. “We’ve really started something here which we can now take forward with us.”
Fountain added that this game will help the team grow a little stronger. He’s excited about the all-post team being a permenant fixture for the Ft. Wood community.
“I know for me, coming out here gets my mind of work and helps me relax,” he said. “I think it’s the same for most of the guys.”
Although most of the players Wednesday night are active-duty military members, some weren’t.
Brothers David and Gehrig Haberstock found out about the game in the newspaper.
David, a former Waynesville Tiger soccer player, is currently a junior soccer pleyer at William Woods University. He said he liked the experience of playing against an international soccer squad.
“I loved it,” he said. “Those guys are really physical, but it was fun.”
Younger brother Gehrig is a junior at Waynesville High School and a current Tiger soccer player.
“I kinda followed David to practices,” he said. “It was a good experience. I think [playing against older, more experienced players] will help for high school. I’m not going to complain.”
After the game, both teams picked the “man of the match” from the other side. The Sappers chose goalkeeper Tony Hull as the Ft. Wood player of the game.
Hull, a Marine Corps corporal, might have encouraged his fellow Marines to lead the cheers.
There were about 20 of them in full uniform on the sidelines.
“Oh, the Marines are always great,” Fountain said. “They support well.”
Fountain was pleased with the turnout in general— about 75 strong.
“The word got out there. We were doing our best, and everyone else was giving their all. The fans kept out here until the end.”
The Ft. Wood team plans to play more matches in the future, while the Sappers will continue their tour on Friday against the St. Louis Lions, a United Soccer League Premier Development team.
They’ll also play against a Lindenwood University team and the Springfield S.C. U-23 team to wrap up the tour.
