The AFGHAN BRISHNA CUP I – 2010, was a great success. With 7 teams playing a round robin style first round and an elimination style second round, Brishna F.C. and Afghan United of V.A. came out on top to play an extraordinary final. Of the 7 teams 4 came to New York City from Virginia. Brishna F.C. thanks them for helping in making the soccer tournament a success. All players, coaches and fans of Afghan United (V.A), Ariana (V.A.), Khorasan (V.A.), and Afghan 11 (V.A.) showed true sportsmanship and love for the sport. The other three teams were from New York, Itihaad, Ariana, and Brishna F.C.

After a tough first round 6 of the 7 teams made it to the elimination round. Brishna F.C. and Afghan United of V.A. went straight to the semi-finals as the number 1 and number 2 teams through the first round. Brishna F.C. had 12 pts and Afghan United of V.A. had 7 pts. In the quarter-finals Ariana of V.A. played Khorasan of V.A. and Afghan 11 of V.A. played Itihaad of N.Y.

In the semi-finals Itihaad of N.Y. faced the host Brishna F.C., while Ariana of V.A. played Afghan United of V.A. Brishna F.C and Afghan United of V.A. came out on top in their matches and faced eachother in the Finals. After taking a 3-0 first half lead, Brishna F.C. ended up winning the game 5-1. The score doesn’t tell the complete story. Afghan United played an extraordinary game and fought until the last minutes of the game. Their fearless fight to the end was enjoyed by all the fans. In the words of Ibrahim Mashriqi, coach of Brishna F.C.- ” I wasn’t sure that we were going to win until the final whistle blew.”

Idris Mashriqi was nominated the MVP of the Finals, scoring a goal and giving a pair of assists. His relentless fight for every ball, and great decision making helped Brishna F.C. take home the 1st place trophy.

After the game, a live performance by Timor Jalani and Ehsan Amaan, put the cherry on top of a great soccer atmosphere across the river from the beautiful view of the skyline of New York City