On Monday, the 1999 and 2000 age groups wrapped up play at the US Youth Soccer Thanksgiving Interregional ODP event in Casa Grande, Ariz. The oldest from this age bracket will graduate from high school in 2017, putting them on the fringe of college recruiting season. With that on the horizon, a number of players and teams acquitted themselves well on the road to bigger and brighter things.

The event lasted three days with each of the eight teams - four from each age region - getting in three games apiece. The teams were broken up by region, with Region I starting in the east and Region IV dead-ending at the Pacific Ocean. While most of the players involved had more immediate concerns in mind than college, it’s never too early to state your case as an up-and-coming player to monitor.

With that in mind, here are some of the teams and players that left an impression in Arizona.

Teams

Region IV 2000s: Of the eight teams and two age brackets, no team looked more dominant than this Pacific coast juggernaut. In three games, Region IV was the only unbeaten team at the event, going 3-0-0 with eight goals and just two surrendered. Both of those were the best tallies in Arizona from either age range. A pair of 3-1 wins and a 2-0 shutout put the team made up primarily of players from California and Washington on the top of the heap. 

Region I 1999s: While the West Coast owned the 2000s, the 1999s were the purview of the East Coast. This age group was considerably more even, as Region I snagged the top spot in the group by just two points. That came despite a 2-0 loss to Region II on the last day of play. Despite only scoring three goals, the team of boys from states snaking down the Atlantic coast from Connecticut to Virginia only surrendered three and came out with the top spot in the event. 

Players

Jacob Bloomfeldt and Tristan Weber, Region IV 2000s: The dominance displayed by Region IV was thanks in large part to the fearsome duo of Bloomfeldt and Weber, who were as consistent as you like over the span of three games. They had two goals apiece in Arizona to make up half of the side’s scoring output for the event. They also tied for the most goals scored by any individual over the three-game span. Bloomfeldt, who plays for FC Spokane in Washington, scored the opener in a 3-1 win over Region III and the eventual winner in a 3-1 win over Region I. California native Weber added the final tallies in both those games.

Diego Guerrero, Region I 1999s: The 1999 age bracket was balanced in the race for the event’s golden boot. Three regions had a player topping out at two goals over three games, including Minnesota native Samuel Lee from Region II and Dallas area striker Aldo Quevedo from Region III. But Guerrero’s goals mattered most for a Region I team that won the event with only three goals in the bucket. Two of those belonged to Guerrero, who was easily the MVP of the Region I tourney.

In what was the match of the tournament, Quevedo scored early to put Region III up on Region I on the first day of the event. But Guerrero equalized three minutes later, and Edison Giron put in the game-winner to give Region I the 2-1 victory. A day later, Guerrero put in the only goal in the 28th minute in a 1-0 win over Region IV. That tally proved to be the goal that allowed Region I to capture first place for the 1999s in Arizona.

Daily recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3