TST final score, result, highlights as Newtown Pride win $1 million The Soccer Tournament championship

Kyle Bonn

TST final score, result, highlights as Newtown Pride win $1 million The Soccer Tournament championship image

Newtown Pride are your inaugural TST champions and $1 million winners.

Goals from Gabriel Costa and Kelvin Nunes, their two most potent attackers, sent the 2019 U.S. amateur champions home with the first-ever The Soccer Tournament title.

It was a deserved victory for Newtown Pride, who may not have had the star power of other teams in the competition, but managed to impress everyone along the way. Hailing from Connecticut in the Sandy Hook area of Newtown, the club has announced they will donate a portion of their winnings to Sandy Hook Elementary School charities.

Nunes scored the competition's first-ever $1 million goal, with his Target Score Time winner giving Newtown Pride the win in typical TST walk-off fashion.

The Sporting News followed the TST championship match between Newtown Pride and SLC FC live, providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happened.

TST Championship final score

  Score Goal scorers
Newtown Pride 2 Costa (35'), Nunes (TST)
SLC FC 0

TST Championship live updates, highlights, commentary

Newtown Pride vs SLC FC: Target Score Time

52nd min: GOAL! NEWTOWN PRIDE! THAT'S IT! THEY'VE DONE IT! THE WINNER FROM KELVIN NUNES SEES NEWTOWN PRIDE WIN A MILLION DOLLARS!

It's brilliantly done by Newtown Pride, who were the better team the entire way. With the game at just 5 vs. 5, Newtown Pride goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento was up above the midway line to help in possession. Daniel Ruggles does extremely well to keep possession under heavy threat, and he feeds Nunes in front of goal who dekes out the goalkeeper with a filthy move and then plucks it into the back of the net.

51st min: Kelvin Nunes picks the pocket of an SLC FC player and streaks away on the counter, but his effort is blocked by a defender who sticks with him well the entire way. Great defending!

-- 5 vs. 5 -- ONE PLAYER REMOVED --

49th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! THEY'VE HIT THE POST AGAIN! Excellent one-two play from Kelvin Nunes to Gabriel Costa, and as Nunes gets it back he fires a left-footed curler that clangs the woodwork. That's FOUR times Newtown Pride have hit the woodwork today!

48th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! WHAT A SAVE BY JOHN SMITS! Newtown Pride continue to hold nearly all the possession. SLC FC look to be a little more stretched than their low block from the second half. Kelvin Nunes is felled by Raheem Rose at the top of the penalty area to earn a dangerous free-kick.

It's very well worked, slid through to Gabriel Costa, and then Gabriel Ganzer's back-heel is somehow stopped by the SLC FC goalkeeper! SO CLOSE to one million dollars secured!

46th min: With one player on each side withdrawn after five minutes of Target Score Time goes by, we get our first yellow card of the match, and it's a bit of a harsh one. Quentin Swift applies nothing more than token pressure on the goalkeeper but slips and takes out John Swift late.

-- 6 vs. 6 -- ONE PLAYER REMOVED --

43rd min: Chance, SLC FC! There's a big penalty shout as Jarred Phillips is inches from meeting a cross with a diving header in front of goal, but instead he tumbles to the ground with what he claims to be a push. In truth, the ball was just out of his reach, and it looks like he went looking for the penalty. Good no-call from the official.

KickoffThe target is two! Newtown Pride need just one goal, while SLC FC need two. The Canadian side have struggled to even get on the ball in the attacking half, so they will need a pair of truly inspired moments to have a shot at a comeback.

END OF REGULATION: Newtown Pride 1-0 SLC FC

That's the end of the 40 minutes of regulation, with Newtown Pride holding a 1-0 lead. It's fully deserved, for as much as they were the better side in the first half, they completely dominated the second half.

That makes the target score two, meaning first to two goals wins once Target Score Time begins. There will be no clock, but if 10 minutes goes by with no goal, one player will be removed from each side to open up play, and then again every five minutes from there. Either way, this game will win on a walk-off goal worth $1 million!

Newtown Pride vs SLC FC: Second Half

40th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! Again they come close, just seconds before the end of regulation! The goalscorer Gabriel Costa finds space past the SLC defensive line and hits a toe poke, but he puts it wide right. That should have been on target!

39th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! Little has changed since the opener, and John Smits has to make another good save as Isaac Somow rips one from outside the penalty area.

35th min: GOAL! NEWTOWN PRIDE!  FINALLY, NEWTOWN PRIDE HAVE A DESERVED LEAD! They're halfway to the million dollar prize!

It's Gabriel Costa who finds the back of the net, cutting from his left to his right as he charges through midfield and into the attacking third, firing a low strike into the bottom corner with an effort that John Smits has no chance against. The opener with five minutes to go in regulation!

31st min: Chance, Newtown Pride! Save, John Smits! A SLC turnover in midfield generates a counter opportunity for William Eskay down the right, and he has a hit but Smits comes up big to deny Newtown Pride again.

30th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! THEY'VE HIT THE WOODWORK FOR A THIRD TIME!! It's a perfect horizontal cross along the end line right to the feet of Marcel Berry, who slides in to meet it, but he gets under the ball and hits it up and off the crossbar. The ball pings out to a yellow shirt, but the follow-up is blocked out for a corner. They just cannot find a way past John Smits or the frame of his goal.

28th min: It's still all Newtown Pride, but they're up against a low block from SLC FC who have everyone behind the ball, and can't find a way through. They continue to poke and prod, but it's not happening at the moment.

24th min: Neither team pushing hard for the opening goal in the early stages of the second half, but Newtown Pride are controlling possession again. SLC FC coach Lorenzo Redwood is visibly frustrated on the sideline, as his team can't get a kick of the ball.

Kickoff: The second half is under way, with 20 minutes to go before Target Score Time. SLC FC coach Lorenzo Redwood said he wants his side to get on the ball more and have more possession. They'll need to make adjustments knowing Newtown Pride were knocking on the door throughout the first half.

HALFTIME: Newtown Pride 0-0 SLC FC

We expected a defensive battle, and it was overall, but that doesn't quite describe the opening 20 minutes. Newtown Pride had some exceptional chances, but just couldn't find the back of the net. Newtown Pride coach Quenton Swift describes the first half as "one way traffic" on the CNBC broadcast, and he's not wrong. SLC FC had one good chance, but otherwise it was all Newtown in the first half. Will they be made to rue their misses?

Newtown Pride vs SLC FC: First Half

18th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! HOW HAS THAT NOT GONE IN?!?! THEY'VE HIT THE POST AGAIN! Gabriel Ganzer produces an audacious back-heel shot, but somehow John Smits gets a boot to it, saving the ball off the post and out. An excellent effort and even better save, what thin margins in the hunt for $1 million!

15th min: Nunes nearly threads through teammate, but Daniel Gogarty does extremely well to clear at the last moment. There's no slide tackling in this tournament, with such a small field, but Gogarty went to ground to clear the ball, not to dispossess an opponent so it's a legal play.

12th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! KELVIN NUNES HITS THE POST! The Newtown Pride forward receives the ball with his back to goal and produces an outside turn that totally shakes his defender. His shot across the face of goal hits the inside of the post but does not direct in, instead pinging agonizingly out and no yellow shirt can latch on. What a close shave, nearly the opener!

10th min: Chance, SLC FC! The best chance so far for the Canadian side! It's from a very tight angle as Paulo Nascimento blocks off his near post on a hit by Kai Martin. A good rip, but it's hard to beat a well-positioned goalkeeper from that spot near the end line.

6th min: Chance, Newtown Pride! Newtown Pride get a dangerous free-kick just at the edge of the SLC penalty area, as Raheem Rose absolutely bodies Tavoy Morgan in the air, sending Morgan tumbling to the ground. The free-kick is taken almost on the penalty area line, and Gabriel Costa squares it for Drew Ruggles who rips a shot, but it's saved by John Smits at his near post! Good positioning by the SLC goalkeeper.

4th min: A scrum in the SLC penalty area is somehow cleared! There's a faint penalty shout as SLC goalkeeper John Smits takes down a Newtown attacker, but replay shows there was little contact and the referee correctly waves it away. The best moment for either side so far!

2nd min: SLC FC's Daniel Chamale has the first shot of the match, but it's a tame one and collected easily by Newtown Pride goalkeeper Paulo Nascimento. These two teams are quite defensively stout, and it's been slow as expected early on.

Kickoff: The first-ever TST final, worth $1 million, is under way! Remember, each half will be 20 minutes long, before Target Score Time will decide the tournament champion in walk-off fashion.

Newtown Pride vs SLC FC: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

3 mins to kickoff: We're moments away from getting started with a match to win $1 million! And it's a genuine championship prize, because the loser goes home with nothing. How nervous would you be in pre-match warmups?

10 mins to kickoff: Just how much emotion goes into a match with $1 million on the line? Well, take it from Raheem Rose of SLC FC, who scored their game-winner to send them to the final. His celebration didn't exactly go planned, as he tried to take his shirt off in jubilation, but couldn't quite make it happen. Here's to the celebrations going better this time!

Thanks to the Target Score Time format, someone on one of these two teams will score a goal to end the match and seal a million dollar payout. How about that for a lifetime memory?

15 mins to kickoff: This $1 million final isn't the only prize given out at TST over the weekend. Kenneth Perkinson of Raleigh Rebels won the Goalkeeper Wars challenge, earning himself a cool $2,000 cash prize. The competition is a goalkeeper skills challenge that pits players against each other, similar to what they did at the MLS All Star Skills Challenge last summer in Minnesota.

30 mins to kickoff: The lineups are in. SLC will play with three midfielders and one forward, while Newtown Pride deploy a 2-2-2 formation in front of their goalkeeper. How would you set up a team if you were contesting a 7-on-7 match with $1 million on the line?

45 mins to kickoff: Obviously, the ruleset of TST makes it quite unique, from the 7-on-7 format, no offside, kick-ins instead of throws...but the thing that stands out the most is Target Score Time (there's a primer on how this works further down the page if you're new).

Target Score Time derives from the Elam Ending which was introduced at TST's parent competition, The Basketball Tournament, and received rave reviews. In TST, every match ends on a walk-off goal no matter the score, ensuring no team is effectively out of a game until the final goal is scored.

The largest Target Score Time comeback through the inaugural tournament was a four-goal turnaround from Zala FFF in the quarterfinals, entering the golden goal period down 3-0 to Como 1907 before eventually winning 4-3. Will we see another shocker like this in the final?

1 hour to kick off: Neither one of these teams was supposed to be here, playing for a $1 million prize, yet here they are. It speaks to the advantage that current professionals have against bigger-name athletes who are past their prime, and in many case retired.

The Sporting News spoke to former USMNT striker and retired MLS player Chris Wondolowski after his Team Dempsey was eliminated in the group stage, and Wondo expressed that it was physically taxing for someone like him who has reached 40 years old. Both teams reaching the final feature mostly current professionals or amateur players, which speaks to the importance of the physical element of this tournament.

TST Championship rosters & key players

Newtown Pride is an amateur club hailing from the Sandy Hook area of Newtown, CT. They won the 2019 National Amateur Cup, which is a tournament-based competition across the United States run by the U.S. Adult Soccer Association (USASA), with the winner gaining entry to the U.S. Open Cup, although Newtown Pride never got to compete in the U.S. Open Cup after its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The side lost its first match of the tournament, a 2-1 defeat to Kingdom FC, but have won every single game since, conceding just one goal or fewer in every single victory, an impressive feat through such a high-scoring style of competition.

The roster features a wide variety of attacking players, noted by the fact that 10 different players have scored goals in this tournament, led by five each from Gabriel Ganzer and Kelvin Nunes.

Newtown Pride roster: 1. Quantrell Jones (GK), 21. Paulo Nascimento (GK) — 4. Filipe Dutra, 16. Drew Ruggles, 17. James Thomas-Cruz, 20. Tony Wells, 23. Marcel Berry, 24. Stefan Mijatovic, 51. Robert Palmer — 7. Onua Obasi, 10. Gabriel Costa, 11. Jean Ferdinand, 14. William Eskay — 8. Issak Somow, 9. Tavoy Morgan, 15. Gabriel Ganzer, 44. Alencar Ventura-Junior, 77. Kelvin Nunes.

Hailing from the Canadian city of Toronto, SLC FC (which stands for Sports League Canada) feature a number of players from the Canadian national futsal team.

SLC FC have just one loss on the tournament in group stage play, winning their other four matches. To reach this stage, SLC FC had to take down more than one team that featured USMNT senior team, MLS, or even Premier League experience, including Blade & Grass FC (Danny Drinkwater, Stephen Ireland, Leon Best, Brek Shea, Zat Knight, Geoff Cameron) and Zala FFF (A.J De La Garza & Lee Nguyen) in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively.

Like Newtown Pride, SLC are also built on defense first, having conceded more than two goals in a match just once (their 3-1 group stage loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv). Their goalscoring is spread around the side, with the three from Raheem Rose leading the way amongst a list of nine goal scorers in this tournament.

SLC FC roster: 1. John Smits (GK), 30. Filip Zendelek (GK) — 2. Daniel Gogarty, 4. Jarred Phillips, 7. Sammy Ssebaduka, 17. Kai Martin, 25. Mihai Hodut, 92. Josh Kohn — 5. Raheem Rose, 10. Daniel Chamale, 14. Emmanuel Zambazis, 18. Joe Di Chiara, 95. Abdallah El-Chanti — 9. Damion Graham, 15. Vitali Tymofiienko, 22. Omar Marzouk, 36. Mario Kovacevic.

How to watch TST Championship match

  • Date: Sunday, June 4, 2023
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CNBC
  • Streaming: Fubo, Peacock (subscription required) 

The TST final between Newtown Pride and SLC FC will be broadcast on CNBC and streamed on NBC's premium platform Peacock.

CNBC can also be streamed via Fubo, with a free trial available for new users.

TST rules and gameplay

For those new to the tournament, here's a brief overview of how The Soccer Tournament is played, via the official tournament rules

  • 7-on-7 (six outfield player, plus a goalkeeper)
  • Rosters of 10-18 players
  • Unlimited subs which can be made at any point in a game
  • No offside rule
  • No slide tackles
  • No throw-ins
  • No draws
  • 20-minute halves followed by an Elam Ending (called "Target Score Time")

TST's most notable rule quirk is drawn from their innovative ending to basketball games, known there as the "Elam Ending" and here referred to as "Target Score Time."

Here's how it works in TST: Matches consist of two 20-minute halves, after which the game is not over, regardless of score. It enters "Target Score Time" which does not adhere to a timed clock.

To win the game, one of the teams needs to hit the target score, which is always one more goal than the winning team's total at the end of 40 minutes of regulation. For example, if the score is Team A 3-1 Team B at the end of regulation, the target score for either team to hit becomes 4 (one more than 3), and the first team that reaches 4 goals wins the game.

Should 10 minutes elapse in this untimed period without the target score reached, one player will be removed from each team to create a more open game. An additional player will then be removed from each side every further five minutes until one of the teams reaches the target score.

This ending ensures there are no draws, and every game ends on a goal being scored, known as a "walk off" in most U.S. sports.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.