After the end of the regular season and before the playoffs begin, things always get a little quiet.

But as playoff-bound teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy know all too well, it’s crucial to use this calm period to prepare for the madness of the playoffs.

Here’s a look at how preparations are going for the top teams in the Southeast Division.

Cruise control: Safe at the top of the Southeast Division, Concorde Fire wrapped up their regular season with a mixed bag of results over the weekend.

In Saturday’s game against McLean Youth Soccer, both teams were missing players to graduation-related activities, but the Fire substitutes came out swinging, attacking relentlessly to earn a 3-2 win.
Carlos McCrary was a monster, scoring all three Fire goals, while central midfielder Chris Duvall and winger Arturo Cruz were instrumental in building the attack.

On Sunday it was a different story, as the Fire faced a desperate Clearwater Chargers team fighting to earn a wild card berth in the playoffs.

Despite an early goal from Sean King, the Fire could not match the Chargers’ energy in this one.

The Chargers overcame a red card to Jagger Martinez and got goals from Wesley Sever (31st minute) and Wesley Charpie (47th) to earn the 2-1 victory.

Despite their uninspiring results over the past several weeks, the Fire will be one of the top eight seeds when the Development Academy playoffs kick off on June 25.

If key players like goalkeeper Brendan Moore and forward Malcolm Miller continue their stellar all-around play, the Fire appear well positioned to make a run at the Academy Finals in July.

Academy in session: Second-place IMG Academy used the Showcase as a final exercise before the playoffs, and it was a success by almost any measure.

In their first game, Zachary Steinberger and Andres Acevedo scored to earn IMG a 2-1 win against D.C. United, while goalkeeper Mark Bixler and defender Matt Glodack stood out in a scoreless draw against Colorado Rapids.
 
In IMG’s third and final game of the Showcase, defender Jon Eckford helped stymie the San Diego Surf attack, while midfielder Martin Ontiveros (of U18 National Team fame) was his usual superb self. Both players scored as IMG won 2-1.

But now, their attention turns to the playoffs.

IMG has invited some promising players up from their U16 squad – U15 BNT member Pablo Aguilar, Michael Allizzo, Joseph Hutchinson and Cameron Baskett among them – as their 20-man playoff roster begins to take shape.

It will be a quiet few weeks in the Academy, as playoff-bound Academy teams work themselves into shape for the four-day, three-game tournament at the end of June.

Top teams like Concorde Fire and IMG have the advantage in seeding, but all things will be equal once they hit the field.

And they’ll have to work as hard as any other team to make it to the Academy Finals in July.

TOMORROW: PACIFIC NORTHWEST