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NFPL Championship Recap: BRUSA FC Wins it All in Penalties After Instant-Classic Final
NFPL CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP: BRUSA CROWNED CHAMPIONS AFTER PENALTY SHOOTOUT THRILLER
In front of a packed house at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, with hundreds in the crowd and the energy at a fever pitch, BRUSA FC and Futsal Factory Academy delivered one of the most dramatic, heart-pounding championship matches in league history. After 50 minutes of regulation, 10 minutes of overtime, and a penalty shootout that felt like it lasted a lifetime, BRUSA FC emerged as the 2025 NFPL Champions. Watch the full replay and highlights on the NFPL YouTube channel here.
The game began with an explosion. Just over four minutes in, Micah Vasey’s shot forced a save from Futsal Factory goalkeeper Robert Damron, but Yan Nascimento was there to bury the rebound, sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Futsal Factory settled in and responded before the break. With under nine minutes left in the first half, Thomas Dono whipped in a corner, and Cole Russell met it first time—his strike deflected off a defender and skipped past BRUSA’s Jared Wilson to tie the game at one apiece (see the goal here).
The final minutes of the first half brought more fireworks. Vasey, again, was the catalyst, collecting the ball deep in his own half and charging forward on the counter. With Futsal Factory stretched, he cut inside and fired low—Damron got a hand to it, but the ball still found the back of the net (see the goal here). BRUSA had the lead once more, but it wouldn’t last. Just 45 seconds before the break, a misplaced BRUSA pass fell to Gui Ramos, who calmly slipped the ball to David Magalhães. With one touch past a defender and a second under Wilson, Magalhães tied it at 2-2 going into halftime (see the goal here).
The second half started much like the first—with Nascimento capitalizing. This time, he picked the pocket of Renan Paiva and ripped a shot into the roof of the net just over a minute in, restoring BRUSA’s lead (see the goal here). But again, Futsal Factory had an answer. A careless BRUSA pass was intercepted at midcourt by Drew Ducker, who played a perfect ball to Russell on the break. Russell made no mistake, slotting it past Wilson at the near post to make it 3-3 (see the goal here).
Then came the goal of the night. With just under 10 minutes to play, a Dono shot was saved, then Russell’s follow-up was somehow stopped by Wilson. But Ramos danced onto the loose ball and delivered a moment of magic, backheeling it off the crossbar and in to give Futsal Factory their first lead of the night, 4-3 (see the goal here).
Just as momentum seemed to swing Futsal Factory’s way, BRUSA found a way back. With just over four minutes to play, Matheus Lima whipped a cross-court ball to Jared Ruiz, who lashed a shot from an impossibly tight angle. It bent into the side netting with precision, and the building nearly came unglued (see the goal here). 4-4.
Then, chaos. With less than one second left in regulation, Futsal Factory drew a sixth foul. Cole Russell stepped up to the penalty mark with the title on his foot—and rattled the crossbar. The championship would need more time.
In overtime, both teams had chances, but the goalkeepers—Wilson for BRUSA, Damron for FFA—were phenomenal, standing tall and keeping the game level. In the second overtime, Paiva was taken down in the box, and Russell redeemed himself, burying the penalty to give Futsal Factory a 5-4 lead with just minutes to go (see the goal here).
But BRUSA had one more twist in store. With less than a minute left, they flew the keeper, sending Christian Lima on to replace Wilson and give them a fifth attacker. Lima made his way into the box as Matheus Lima chipped a dangerous ball into the area—and Christian was there to poke it in from close range (see the goal here). 5-5. Absolute scenes.
And so it came down to penalties.
Russell scored first for Futsal Factory. Nascimento answered. Then, Wilson denied Thomas Dono with a brilliant diving save. Kaue Martins calmly gave BRUSA a 2-1 lead. From there, Wilson stole the spotlight, saving penalties from David Magalhães, Gui Ramos, and watching Iarley Martins’ final shot miss wide to end it.
The crowd exploded one last time. BRUSA FC were champions.
Goalkeeper Jared Wilson, with over 20 saves in regulation and overtime, and four stops in the shootout, was named Championship MVP. And for Futsal Factory Academy—undefeated all season, relentless to the very end—it was heartbreak in the most brutal of ways.
But for the fans? For the league? For the sport?
It was a final that will be remembered forever.
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