Group Preview

With each 13U Boys side making its first appearance at the US Youth Soccer National Championships, the teams’ paths to this point provide the only indication of what to expect when they meet on this stage. Two of the teams — TSC Hurricane 04 Umelo (OK) and Heat FC 04 ET (NV) — showed mental toughness by winning Regional final matches against teams who had beaten them earlier in the year. Meanwhile, Real JFC (NJ) needed overtime to win the Region I title, and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Pre Academy 04 (MO) came back from an early deficit to claim the Region II crown. Each side has overcome all the challenges to get to Frisco, Texas, but just one will maneuver around the remaining obstacles to become the National Champion.

Region I: Real JFC (NJ)

How they got to Nationals
Real JFC (NJ) outscored its opponents, 14-to-3, to win Group B at the Region I Championships. It followed that up with a 3-1 win the semifinals that set up a challenging matchup with LMSC Invictus (PA-E) in the final. After taking a second-minute lead, JFC conceded later in the first half and needed overtime to grind out a 2-1 victory to secure the Region I title.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2016, 2017
Region Champs: 2017
Player Accolades
State ODP: Joseph Cino, Ryan Kuldanek, Andrew Kitch, Charlie Kitch, Braden Short, Thomas Napoli
2017 Region I Champs Top Scorer: William Clewell (3rd)

Coach
Jon Kopytko

Region II: St. Louis Scott Gallagher Pre Academy 04 (MO)

How they got to Nationals
After winning the Missouri State Cup, St. Louis Scott Gallagher Pre Academy 04 (MO) started its Region II Championships with three straight wins to finish atop Group B. Four first-half goals helped it cruise to a semifinal win, but the final against SOFC Elite 04 (NE) was a different story. After going down in the second minute, SLSG needed two second-half goals to earn a comeback 2-1 win to book its spot at Nationals.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2017
Region Champs: 2017
Player Accolades
2017 Region II Champs Top Scorer: Giuseppe Gereau (T-4th)

Coach
Matt Mueller

Region III: TSC Hurricane 04 Umelo (OK)

How they got to Nationals
A little bit of payback in an Oklahoma State Cup rematch allowed TSC Hurricane 04 Umelo (OK) to advance to Nationals. At the Region III Championships, TSC won Group A with three wins and followed that with a comfortable quarterfinal victory. A second straight shutout helped the Oklahoma side to a 1-0 semifinal win, which led to a meeting with Oklahoma FC 04 (OK) in the final. Having lost, 3-1, to OFC in the State Cup, TSC flipped the script and secured a 2-0 win in Greensboro to claim the Region III title.

National Championship Series History
State Finals: 2017
Region Champs: 2017
Player Accolades
2017 Region III Champs Top Scorer: Martin Martinez–Leyva (2nd)

Coach
Michael Umelo

Region IV: Heat FC 04 ET (NV)

How they got to Nationals
A high-powered offense helped Heat FC 04 ET (NV) advance to the Region IV quarterfinals as the second-place team in Group A. The Nevada side won, 4-2, in the round of eight before scoring a last-minute winner in a 2-1 semifinal victory against Scottsdale Soccer Blackhawks Zelin (AZ). A Group A rematch awaited in the final, when Heat FC made up for an earlier group play loss to Tuzos Academy 04 (AZ) by beating the Arizona side, 2-1, in the championship match.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2016, 2017
Region Champs: 2017
Player Accolades
2017 Region IV Champs Top Scorer: Donald J. Kiernan (1st)

Coach
Esad Morina