San Francisco CalHeat and New York City Team Handball win California Cup trophies

The 15th edition of the California Cup took place in Fremont, California, from 4 to 6 February 2022, with 12 teams – eight men’s teams and four women’s teams – at the start. It was the biggest indoor tournament in the United States of America outside of the US National Championships and it provided a glimpse into the development of American handball, as both the men’s and women’s tournament finals went into extra time.

30 matches were played during three days, with hosts San Francisco CalHeat, who represented the North America and the Caribbean Confederation in the IHF Men’s Super Globe last October, being the big favourites in the men’s tournament.

The eight teams in the men’s tournament were divided into two groups of four teams, played in a round-robin format.

Indeed, it was CalHeat who secured the trophy after sweeping their opponents New York City Team Handball, Chicago Inter HC and the US Air Force in the preliminary round, setting up a final against New York Athletic Club, who won the other group. 

It was a topsy-turvy game between two balanced teams with plenty of lead changes, but, eventually, CalHeat’s experience worked wonders in securing a 21:17 win after extra time.

The tournament’s top scorer was Robin Zöller from Los Angeles THC, while the MVP award went to Zuwed Akuro, who was crucial in helping CalHeat win the trophy.

In the women’s tournament, a group of four teams was also played in a round-robin format, with the trophy being decided after a tough clash between the top two sides in the group, a winner-takes-all final.

After the first three matches, it was clear that New York City Team Handball were favourites, as they had already clinched a 20:19 win against CalHeat in the preliminary round and another rout against Chicago Inter HC, 28:14.

New York City Team Handball and Chicago clashed again in the final on 6 February, but this time around the favourites had trouble in clinching another clear win. A 10-goal outing from Chicago’s Oihane Manrique, the top scorer of the tournament with 30 goals in four matches, set up her side well.

However, New York secured a 27:26 win, which helped them win the trophy in the 15th edition of the California Cup.

The California Cup also helped the US National Team Coaches Edina Borsos and Julio Sainz, who were present to scout new players for the upcoming international competitions, while the Chairman of the IHF Playing Rules and Referees Commission, Per Morten Sodal, reviewed the performance of US-based referee pairs and led education sessions to prepare them for continental competition.

For more information about the event, click here. 

Photos: San Francisco CalHeat