KIRKWOOD, Del. (July 19, 2008) – Round robin play wrapped up today at the 2008 US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup at the Kirkwood Soccer Complex in Kirkwood, Delaware, featuring teams in the Under-14 through Under-17 age groups for boys and girls.

The fitness level of all 32 teams was put to the test today as temperatures continued to climb throughout the day. All teams played two games, one in the morning and one in the afternoon to determine which teams would fill the championships slots.

From host, Kirkwood Soccer Club, the Kirkwood SC Freedom (DE) Under-14 Girls have advanced to the finals and will play for the title at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.

In the Under-17 Boys and Girls division, two teams remain undefeated. FSC Force (NC) Under-17 Boys and Alaska Rush (AK) Under-17 Girls will go into tomorrow's championship games as undefeated through preliminary games at the Presidents Cup.

In their early morning game, FSC started with the lead when Kenneth Praschan Jr. netted one in the 33^rd minute. They held strong and built their lead to 2:0 in the 79^th when Bennett Strickland put one past the keeper. After several missed shots on goal, the Croatian Eagles finally found the back of the net in the 87^th minute, but it was not enough to pull out a win. The final score was 2:1.

FSC keeper, Trey Mulvey said, "I think that might be the toughest team we have played so far. It has been really exciting to be here. If you would have told us we would come this far, I would not have believed it."

FSC continued their winning streak through round robin play with a 6:2 victory over West Virginia Chaos (WV).

Strickland said, "The tournament is high-intensity and I get the adrenaline rushing every single game. It's just a great experience."

Gaining intensity throughout the tournament has been a common theme for Alaska Rush 91. They have had to adjust to the climate changes and a four-hour time difference. However, that has not slowed down the momentum in their games.

Head coach Michael Montgomery said, "We emphasized fitness before we came. We're glad to be here and to be able to play in a national event. Obviously, the fields are perfect and it's a very well organized event. Also, the neat thing is to play teams from all three of the other regions."

Throughout the two games today, Alaska Rush only had one goal against. They will face off with FC Dallas Blue (NTX) for the championship title tomorrow at 10:15 a.m.

The Presidents Cup goes down in the book as Chesco Premier (EPA) Under-16 Boys' first appearance at an event of this scope. They wrapped up prelims with a 1-0-2 record and have advance to the finals.

Cory White of Chesco said, "This is our first time at a national event and it is really impressive. We were really surprised with the caliber of teams here. We came here expecting to do good, and it has really been a pleasure to see all of these teams from across the nation and see how we faired against them."

Chesco will play the championship game at 8:25 a.m. tomorrow against Texans FC (NTX).

The 32 teams have qualified for the Presidents Cup from 13 US Youth Soccer State Associations. The Presidents Cup provides teams a national tournament experience at an elite level, for teams not typically given the opportunity

For more information and updated scores and schedules for the Presidents Cup, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org/PresidentsCup/ or www.USYouthSoccer.org.