BLUE DIVISION
One of the 19U Boys Blue Division’s two berths to the National Championships has been claimed, as FC Dallas 01 Premier (TX-N) secured a top-two finish when it completed its season in Tampa. The North Texas side will now have to wait for the games in Las Vegas to be completed to see if it holds on to the top spot or finishes in second place.
FC Dallas earned five wins and a draw from its seven league games to post a total of 16 points in the standings. The lone loss for the current division leader came against OC Surf Armour 2001 (CA-S), which claimed a 2-1 win when the two sides met in Panama City Beach. That victory was part of a 4-0-0 start to the season for OC Surf, which puts it just four points behind FC Dallas ahead of its three games in Las Vegas. The Cal South side allowed just two goals in its first four matches, and a similar strong defensive effort could boost the team in its pursuit of the Blue Division title.
Sitting between FC Dallas and OC Surf in the standings is PPA KSA 01 Pro-Profile (GA). The Georgia side secured 14 points from its seven league games, which left it in second place when play completed in Tampa. OC Surf is just two points back of KSA and owns the head-to-head victory between the two, which means the Cal South side can secure a top-two finish with a single win or two draws during the weekend in Las Vegas.
Game to Watch
March 13, 01 Club CUP (OH-S) vs. OC Surf Armour 2001 (CA-S)
The first game of the weekend for OC Surf presents it with an opportunity to secure a top-two finish and ticket to the 2020 National Championships. However, Club CUP will be standing in its way. The Ohio South side played four tight games in Panama City Beach and came away with four points from those contests. It will look to continue that trend and keep things tight against OC Surf while potentially taking all three points. But if the Cal South side is able to secure a win, it will bump it to second place and put it just one point away from the division title.
RED DIVISION
The race for the top two spots in the 19U Boys Red Division is wide open heading into the final weekend of play. Solar 01 Stricker (TX-N) is currently in first place, having picked up 12 points from its seven league games. Each of the teams playing in Las Vegas are capable of passing that mark, as it looks highly likely that both of the division’s berths to the National Championships will be claimed by teams with games remaining.
Two teams — LVU-FPA 2001 Boys Black (PA-E) and Sparta 01 Premier JK (UT) — have an edge in the pursuit of the division title, as they each went undefeated in their opening four games of the season. Both sides picked up 10 points from three wins and a tie during the action in Panama City Beach, leaving LVU-FPA and Sparta just two points out of first place prior to the Las Vegas weekend.
Both LVU-FPA and Sparta have a high likelihood of passing Solar, but they’ll also need to hold off SLSG Elite 01 (MO). The Missouri side has seven points in the standings — putting it five behind Solar and three behind LVU-FPA and Sparta. The matches in Las Vegas will give it opportunities to gain on those teams and potentially make a move into the top two. KHA 01 Red (OH-S) also has a chance to finish as one of the top teams in the division, but it will need to win all of its games in Las Vegas to have a shot at doing so.
Game to Watch
March 15, Sparta 01 Premier JK (UT) vs. LVU-FPA 2001 Boys Black (PA-E)
How the first two days in Las Vegas play out will determine exactly what is on the line when Sparta and LVU-FPA meet on the final day of the season. It’s possible that both teams may already have a top-two finish secured and this match will be primarily to decide which side wins the Red Division. On the other hand, there are scenarios in which one or both teams may still need a result to guarantee a berth to the National Championships. No matter what circumstances are at play, the prior results for both teams suggest that this should be an entertaining matchup.