MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (July 13, 2019) – Championship matches are set after the final day of preliminary play concluded Saturday at the 2019 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Out of the 48 participating teams, 12 will be crowned following Sunday’s championship matches in the 13U through 18U Boys and Girls age groups.
Heading into tomorrow’s finals are three teams – 14U Girls DASC 05 (SD), 16U Boys Heat FC 02 AS (NV) and 17U Girls LVSA 02 Red (NV) – that have a chance at redemption after falling just short in last year’s final matches.
There are 20 US Youth Soccer State Associations represented at the 2019 National Presidents Cup and 13 of 20 have teams in the finals. Nevada leads the way with four teams in the hunt for a title with Cal South, Illinois and South Texas just behind with three each. Minnesota and North Texas each have two remaining teams and Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, PA West and South Dakota have one team each fighting for a National Presidents Cup title.
Competing alongside the championship matches will be 12 third place matches for the remaining teams.
Final Matches:
| Time | Field | Age Group | Home Team | State | Away Team | State |
| 7:00 AM | Field 5 | 15U Girls | Beach FC | CA-S | Sporting Iowa 2004 Academy 1 | IA |
| 7:00 AM | Field 1 | 16U Girls | Three Rivers Rampage | MN | Solar 03 Wells | TX-N |
| 7:15 AM | Field 6 | 15U Boys | R9 Ronaldo Academy | FL | Chicago Rush Select | IL |
| 7:30 AM | Field 11 | 18U Girls | CC Aztecs/Coast | CA-S | Rage FC | TX-S |
| 8:15 AM | Field 10 | 17U Boys | ZYSA 02 Green | IN | Players SC Elite 02 | NV |
| 9:30 AM | Field 1 | 14U Boys | Downtown LA SC 05 | CA-S | LG Celtics First XI 05 | IL |
| 10:00 AM | Field 6 | 13U Girls | Real Colorado Olympico | CO | Sporting Stl Academy-Bryant | MO |
| 10:30 AM | Field 11 | 18U Boys | Keliix Intra | MN | West Texas Rush Sharks White | TX-S |
| 11:00 AM | Field 5 | 16U Boys | Heat FC 03 AS | NV | Sporting United 03 | TX-N |
| 11:15 AM | Field 10 | 17U Girls | LVSA 02 Red | NV | Chicago Fire Juniors West Red | IL |
| 12:00 PM | Field 1 | 13U Boys | Miners FC 06 | TX-S | Las Vegas Pros Futbol LV Pros 06 | NV |
| 12:15 PM | Field 6 | 14U Girls | DASC 05 | SD | Century V East 05 | PA-W |
Third Place Matches:
| Time | Field | Age Group | Home Team | State | Away Team | State |
| 7:00 AM | Field 7 | 15U Girls | Valley SC Voodoo | PA-E | 04 CR WG Burgundy Rapids | NC |
| 7:00 AM | Field 9 | 16U Girls | Keystone FC Elite 2003 | PA-E | Crossfire Premier 03 A | WA |
| 7:15 AM | Field 8 | 15U Boys | Heat FC 04 AS | NV | SAC United Blue | MD |
| 7:30 AM | Field 2 | 18U Girls | Keliix-Intra U18 Premier | MN | CSA – Monmouth Showcase | NJ |
| 8:15 AM | Field 4 | 17U Boys | Dallas Kicks 02 Selecao | TX-N | Union SC Spartans | NJ |
| 9:30 AM | Field 9 | 14U Boys | OKC United FC Mejia | OK | Ukrainian Nationals 05 Red | PA-E |
| 10:00 AM | Field 8 | 13U Girls | Century V West | PA-W | Impact FC 06 Bertelsen | TX-N |
| 10:30 AM | Field 2 | 18U Boys | DC Stoddert Blue Metros | MD | California Rush 01 Cinza | CA-S |
| 11:00 AM | Field 7 | 16U Boys | TAFC 03 BATA | VA | Westside United FC 2003 Elite | IN |
| 11:15 AM | Field 4 | 17U Girls | Rage United SC Xtreme | PA-E | Plant City FC Lancers | FL |
| 12:00 PM | Field 9 | 13U Boys | SASA Spirits 2006 Blue | IL | Pipeline SC 2006 Black | MD |
| 12:15 PM | Field 8 | 14U Girls | AVSC Storm Academy | CA-S | FC Westlake 05 Red | TX-S |
National President Cup Final Match Previews:
13U Boys: Miners FC 06 (TX-S) vs. Las Vegas Pros Futbol 06 (NV)
Miners FC 06 (TX-S) and Las Vegas Pros Futbol 06 (NV) will face-off in the 13U Boys National Presidents Cup final. Las Vegas was on the outside looking in going into the third day of play but earned a, 2-1, victory over SASA Spirits 2006 Blue 1 (IL) to advance into the final. Vegas will face a Miners team who earned a big, 5-0, victory over Pipeline SC 2006 Black (MD). Vegas fell, 1-0, to the South Texas side on the opening day of play and will need to find a way to shutdown the two top 13U Boys goal scorers – Bryan Salas (4) and Christopher Mendez (3) – if they want to hoist the 13U Boys trophy.
13U Girls: Real Colorado Olympico (CO) vs. Sporting Stl Academy-Bryant (MO)
Real Colorado Olympico (CO) went undefeated in group-play, earning a, 2-0, victory over Sporting Stl Academy-Bryan (MO) on Saturday. The win moves Colorado to the top of the table and may give it a mental edge heading into tomorrow’s rematch for the 13U Girls title. Along with the 13U title, the golden boot race for the age group could also be decided tomorrow with both Real Colorado’s Raleigh Kotzker and Sporting’s Calli LaBarbera each having two goals. Sporting will look to turn its fortunes around as it moves into tomorrow’s rematch while Real Colorado will be heading into the match confident from today’s win.
14U Boys: Downtown LA SC 05 (CA-S) vs. LG Celtics First XI 05 (IL)
LG Celtics First XI 05 (IL) did its part to seal a spot in the 14U Boys final with a, 3-2, victory over group leading Downtown LA SC 05 (CA-S). Celtics’ defense has been stellar all event, allowing just one goal per game. Despite holding the best goals for average so far in its group, Downtown struggled to replicate its offensive power against Celtics. The Illinois side had only scored one goal per game until Larry Martinez Jr. scored a hat trick to power his team to victory in today’s match. Downtown will look to bounce back to its winning ways, as today’s loss was its first of the event.
14U Girls: DASC 05 (SD) vs. Century V East 05 (PA-W)
After falling just short in the last year’s final, DASC 05 (SD) is back in the final this year after three straight group play victories. Through its three matches, DASC has accumulated twelve goals while securing three straight shutouts with its most recent victory being a, 2-0, win over AVSC Storm Academy (CA-S). Century V East 05 (PA-W) got the job done to secure its spot in the final with a, 4-1, victory over FC Westlake 05 Red (TX-S). Not knowing what the score of the other game was going to be, Century V knew that goal differential could come into play and made sure its scoring boots were on as it had four different goal scorers help propel it to victory. The final will be a rematch of the opening day game where Century V fell, 2-0, after allowing a last minute goal in each half. Century V will need to carry its momentum from today’s game into the final in hopes of breaking DASC’s shutout streak.
15U Boys: R9 Ronaldo Academy (FL) vs. Chicago Rush Select (IL)
The 15U Boys chase for a spot in the final came down to a three-way tie on points and R9 Ronaldo Academy (FL) and Chicago Rush Select (IL) will move on with the best goal differentials. Heat FC 04 AS (NV) held the top spot in the group heading into the last day of group play, but fell, 4-2, to Chicago Rush. Chicago knew it would most likely need a win to advance, and led from the start with a goal in the fourth minute of play. R9 got the goal differential it needed with a, 5-1, victory over SAC United Blue (MD). R9 came out victorious in the first meeting against Chicago, but it was in a tight, 2-1, win. R9 will look to lean on its defense that has allowed, an age group best, three goals against to help it win the 15U Boys title.
15U Girls: Beach FC (CA-S) vs. Sporting Iowa 2004 Academy 1 (IA)
The 15U Girls title pairing was already decided heading into today’s match, but Beach FC (CA-S) will confidently move into the final after a, 2-0, victory over Sporting Iowa 2004 Academy 1 (IA). Beach has allowed just one goal against during its three games with the defense earning two shutouts on the way to the final. Sporting started off the event with a close game against Valley SC Voodoo (PA-E) but followed that up with a, 3-0, victory over 04 CR WG Burgundy Rapids (NC). Sporting’s Jocelyn Bice and Beach’s Tessa Simmons top the scoring chart with three goals each heading into the final and could both play a big factor on which team claims the 15U Girls title.
16U Boys: Heat FC 03 AS (NV) vs. Sporting United 03 (TX-N)
After falling in kicks from the mark in last year’s final, Heat FC 03 AS (NV) has earned its way back to the final with three straight victories through group play. Heat has compiled 15 goals so far, including a, 5-0, victory today over Westside United FC 2003 Elite (IN). Alongside its high powered offense, Heat FC’s defensive core has allowed just one goal against. Sporting United 03 (TX-N) advances for a rematch in the 16U Boys final after a, 3-0, win over TAFC 03 BATA (VA). With Heat’s victory, TAFC needed just a tie to advance but Sporting scored three second half goals to send the North Texas side to the final. Sporting heads into the final having been the only team to score a goal against Heat and will need to replicate that in the 16U Boys final match for a shot at lifting the title. Sporting will also need to find a way to stop the age group leading goal scorer, David Villanueva, who is averaging two goals per game.
16U Girls: Three Rivers Rampage (MN) vs. Solar 03 Wells (TX-N)
Three Rivers Rampage (MN) went a perfect 3-0-0 to punch its ticket into the 16U Girls final where it will face Solar 03 Wells (TX-N). Rampage has allowed just one goal against on its way to its three straight victories. Rampage will lean on that tough defense as it looks to secure a third shutout in four games. Solar 03 Wells (TX-N) needed a victory against Keystone FC Elite 2003 (PA-E) to advance to the final and Faith Adje was the hero, scoring the game’s lone goal in the 80th minute. A tie would have pushed through Keystone, but the Adje goal sends Solar through for a shot at the 16U Girls title. The last time the two teams met, Rampage earned a, 2-0, victory on two Ava Johnson second half goals.
17U Boys: ZYSA 02 Green (IN) vs Players SC Elite 02 (NV)
The 17U Boys age group came down to a crazy final day where there was no shortage of goals scored. ZYSA 02 Green (IN) looked poised to take a big, 4-1, halftime lead and cruise to a win all while possibly knocking Players SC Elite 02 (NV) out of contention for a spot in the final. With its back to the wall, Players battled back with a vengeance in the second half knowing that its spot in the final was on the line, scoring four second half goals to earn an incredible, 5-4, comeback victory. Dallas Kicks 02 Selecao (TX-N) earned a, 4-3, victory over Union SC Spartans (NJ) but it was not enough to secure a place in the title as both Players and ZYSA advance to the final for a rematch. With the three teams finishing tied at six-points each, Players and ZYSA move on wthe goal differential tiebreaker. With nine goals in today’s match, we’re poised to see another high scoring game in tomorrow’s 17U Boys final.
17U Girls: LVSA 02 Red (NV) vs. Chicago Fire Juniors 2002 Red (IL)
After falling in last year’s final, LVSA 02 Red (NV) has a chance for redemption after securing its spot with a, 3-2, victory over the previous group leaders, Chicago Fire Juniors West 2002 Red (IL). LVSA took the lead in the second minute and held off Chicago late to ensure that no other teams in the group had a chance to catch up in the standings. A loss today would have opened LVSA up to get leapfrogged by Plant City FC Lancers (FL), but the Florida side ended up losing, 2-1, to Rage United SC Xtreme (PA-E). LVSA now has a shot to complete what it couldn’t last year, but will have to once again defeat the highest scoring team in the age group to do so. Age group leading goal scorer Nina Bradshaw got on the scoreboard late in today’s game but will be looking to add to her five goals and help Chicago win the 17U Girls title in tomorrow’s rematch.
18U Boys: Keliix Intra (MN) vs. West Texas Rush Sharks White (TX-S)
After losing its first game of the event, Keliix Intra (MN) knocked out two consecutive victories to top the group after a three-way tie with West Texas Rush Sharks White (TX-S) and DC Stoddert Blue Metros (MD). Keliix defeated California Rush 01 Cinza (CA-S), 3-0, to secure its first clean sheet of the event, which played a big part in the tiebreak. In the other game, DC Stoddert just needed a tie in order to stay on the top of the group and punch its ticket to the final but West Texas got a second half goal from Joaquin Maud to earn a tight, 1-0, victory. The win leapfrogged West Texas over DC with goal differential and secured its spot in the final. West Texas scored first in its group play match against Keliix, but ultimately surrendered two second-half goals in a, 2-1, loss to the Minnesota side.
18U Girls: CC Aztecs/Coast (CA-S) vs. Rage FC (TX.S)
CC Aztecs/Coast (CA-S) secured its spot in tomorrow’s final, while ousting Keliix-Intra Premier (MN) in the process, with a, 2-2, tie in today’s final group play match. With Rage FC (TX-S) winning against CSA – Monmouth 2001 Showcase (NJ) on the next field over, Keliix needed a victory to stay in the running. After going down, 1-0, Keliix clawed its way back to a, 2-1, lead. Haley Obenshain tied up the game for the Cal South side in the 75th minute as the clock continued to wind down. With Keliix unable to find a game winner before the final whistle, Rage’s victory leapfrogs it over Keliix for a spot in the 18U Girls final. In the day one meeting between the two sides, Aztecs/Coast earned a, 2-0, victory over Rage. The Cal South side will look to replicate that success while Rage will need to break down the tight Aztecs/Coast defense that has earned two shutouts before finally conceding in today’s match.
The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup offers teams the challenge of experiencing different types of play by competing from state to regional to national levels. The Presidents Cup provides teams with a progressive, competitive experience that highlights competition, camaraderie and community.
