The István Kocsis International Memorial Tournament was held in Csorna for the fourth time on 13 June, with our club's U9 team among the invited participants.
The tournament's namesake, István Kocsis, played for Honvéd from 1975 to 1981, became Hungarian champion in 1980 and was named Footballer of the Year in 1978. He became a Hungary international while playing in Kispest, earning a total of twenty caps for the national team. He began his career in his hometown with Csornai MEDOSZ, moved from there to Pécs, then after Kispest played abroad in Belgium and, following a spell in Sopron, finished his career in Austria. He was struck by an incurable illness at a young age and died in Csorna in 1994 at the age of 44. His son, Zoltán Kocsis, a basketball player who won a championship with Honvéd, was also there on Saturday to cheer on our team.
Our U9 side finished second in its group, beating every opponent apart from UTE. With 18 points and a 24:5 goal difference, we advanced to the quarter-finals, where eventual winners DAC edged us by a single goal. Unfortunately, UTE and Király SE also got the better of us in the placement matches, so we finished the tournament in eighth place.
Head coach Zsombor Polónyi's assessment:
“We took part in a very well-organised tournament. We started well and reached the top section from the group with only one defeat. Lunch did not do us any favours – the breaded meat seemed to go to our heads a little – and after that we were unable to achieve good results. Overall, in terms of our play, I assess the tournament positively. It was very useful for our development, while the result itself is secondary.”
Group A – Budapest Honvéd's matches:
Budapest Honvéd FC–FK Raca 2–0
Budapest Honvéd FC–UTE 1–2
Budapest Honvéd FC–Hévíz SK 8–0
Budapest Honvéd FC–MTE 1904 4–1
Budapest Honvéd FC–Inter Bratislava 2–1
Budapest Honvéd FC–Csornai SE 4–0
Budapest Honvéd FC–Pápai ELC 3–1
Quarter-final:
Budapest Honvéd FC–Dunaszerdahely 1–2
Match to determine who would play for 5th or 7th place:
Budapest Honvéd FC–UTE 0–5
Match for 7th place:
Budapest Honvéd FC–Király SE 1–2
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