Girls

The 15U-19U Girls teams kicked off their USYS National League P.R.O. games for the National League Florida event on Saturday at the Tournament Sportsplex Of Tampa Bay, while the 15U-18U/19U girls showcase teams continued play for their second day of competition.

With this being the second National League P.R.O. event for these teams, they continued their pursuits of National League P.R.O. titles and berths to the 2022 USYS National Championships.

MORE: U.S. Youth Florida National League Friday Recap

Marcus Jenkins, head coach of Galaxy 2007 Girls Blue (IL), talked about his team’s win Saturday afternoon and what he attributed to the win.

“We are very happy with the win today,” Jenkins said. “We haven’t been outside since December with the weather in Illinois and it was a tough, physical game and the girls really battled it out to get the win. You have to be good technically and tactically if you want to win here at National League P.R.O. and you have to outwork your opponents and want it more and I think that’s what we did today.”

Jenkins also talked about the importance of preparation for a competition like National League P.R.O.

“Preparation is the key,” Jenkins said. “You have to make sure you are very prepared when you come into competition like this and have to face good teams in every matchup. It’s great to see the competitive level of teams and the player development in this league. It’s tough to play against and coach against it, but it sets a great example for our players to see other quality teams and players we aren’t used to playing and get the experience of facing off against them.” 

Some notes on the National League P.R.O. Groups:

15U Girls 

Group A: Evolution 07 Girls Mercurial (IL) currently leads the group with 13 points.

Group B: Nationals Union 07 Girls Black (MI) holds the top spot in the group’s standings with 10 points.

16U Girls 

Group A: Chicago Inter 2006 Red (IL) leads the group’s standings with 12 points.

Group B: Libertyville FC 1974 Elite 06G (IL) picked up a close win on Saturday to take the lead in the group’s standings with 13 points.

Group C: NJ Premier G2006 (NJ) leads the group’s standings with 12 points after 5 games played by all teams.

17U Girls 

Group A: Chicago Inter 2005 Red (IL) has earned 13 points over its first 5 games and currently holds the top spot in the group’s standings.

Group B: North Shore United 2005 Girls Blue (WI) leads the group’s standings with 8 points.

Group C: DKSC 05G Weir FDL (TX-N) leads the group’s standings with 10 points.

18U Girls 

Group A: Legends FC 04 Girls Black (MI) has won their first 4 games and holds the top spot in the group’s standings.

Group B: Galaxy SC 2004 Blue (IL) picked up the win Saturday to take the lead in the group’s standings with 15 points.

Group C: Team Chicago SC 2004 Elite (IL) leads the group’s standings with 15 points.

19U Girls 

Group A: North Shore United 03/04 Girls Blue (WI) currently holds the top spot in the standings with 16 points and clinched a trip to the National Championships with its win Saturday.

Group B: Michigan Jaguars 2003 NLC (MI) and Chicago FC United Girls 2003 Pre-Academy Red (IL) are currently tied at 15 points each at the top of the group’s standings.

National League P.R.O. games will continue for the girls age groups on Sunday while the girls showcase teams will be finishing up their three days of competition.

Boys

National League Florida continued on Saturday, as the first boys’ National League P.R.O. games of the weekend took place at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Saturday also represented the second day of action for the teams competing in showcase games in Florida.

Top-finishing National League P.R.O. teams (12 per gender age group) earn direct advancement to the USYS National Championships, and many of the results in Florida will determine which teams punch their tickets.

Take a brief look at where the National League P.R.O. boys teams stand after Saturday’s matches…

15U Group A – SC Vistula Garfield 07 Lewandowski (NJ) scored two late goals to earn a 3-1 win and remain at the top of the table with a 3-0-2 record. FC Bucks Dominion 07 Boys (PA-E) is also undefeated and just behind with 10 points.

15U Group B – Libertyville FC 1974 Elite 07B (IL) picked up a 3-0 win against Toca FC 2007 MLS (KS) in a matchup of the co-leaders to take control of the top of the table.

16U Group A – In-state foes JB Marine Academy McKeon (MO) and LFA Mueller 06 (MO) both have 3-1-0 records to lead the group. JB Marine’s loss came on Saturday, as Total Futbol Club 06 Gold (MD) picked up the win to pull closer to the leaders.

16U Group B – KC Athletics Academy Elite 06B Galacticos (KS) came back to tie Dix Hills EST Ultimatum (NY-E), 2-2, in a back-and-forth matchup of the group’s co-leaders. The Kansas side holds a narrow edge in overall goal differential to have current hold of the top spot in the standings.

16U Group C – A 2-0 win on Saturday allowed Nationals Union 06 Boys Black (MI) to keep ahold of the top spot in the standings. The Michigan side is tied at 12 points with Augusta Arsenal 06 Gold Boys (GA) but has a game in hand.

17U Group A – In a matchup of 3-0-0 sides, Phila Ukrainian Nationals 05B Black (PA-E) secured a key 3-0 win over MSC Academy 05 (IL) to move into sole possession of first place after four games played.

17U Group B – BVB International Academy Pittsburgh 05B Premier (PA-W) remains in first place despite dropping its first points of the season in a 1-1 draw against JB Marine Academy 2005B (MO). Chicago FC United Boys 2005 Pre-Academy Red (IL) and Michigan Jaguars 2005 Boys NLC (MI) are each just one point back of BVB.

17U Group C – Libertyville FC 1974 Elite 05B (IL) took possession of first place with a win on Saturday — moving the Illinois side to 3-0-1. Galaxy 2005 Boys Blue (IL) is also undefeated after playing to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.

18U Group B – CUP 04 Gold (OH) moved to 4-0-0 with a shutout win on Saturday. It sits in first place, while fellow Ohio side Team Challenger FC B04 Black (OH) is still undefeated and starts its weekend of play on Sunday.

18U Group C – CSA Newark 2004 NL (NJ) and FC Bucks Dominion 04 Boys (PA-E) each secured decisive shutout victories on Saturday to remain tied atop the standings. CSA currently holds the tiebreaker edge, as its potent attack has helped create a significant goal differential advantage.            

19U Group A – FC Dallas Premier 03B (TX-N) and Ohio Galaxies FC 03 Elite (OH) remain in first and second, respectively, with both sides still to play their first game of the weekend.

19U Group B – It’s a tight race for the top spots in the group, as Nationals Union 03 Boys Black (MI), LVU-FPA 03B Black Gorni (PA-E) and Century Boys 2003 Gold (PA-W) all have the maximum of 12 points from four games. Phila Ukrainian Nationals 03B Black (PA-E) is also undefeated and just behind with 10 points. 

Showcase games will wrap up on Sunday, while the National League P.R.O. action will continue for its second of three days of play.