USL Feature

Monday, November 23, 2009

GROUP A
TSF Academy
TSF Academy won the Mid Atlantic Division with a record of 9-0-2. Their two ties were to the New Jersey Junior Stallions in a season-opening 2-2 draw and to Real Maryland FC by the same score near the end of their summer season. TSF had a plus-32 goal differential and boasted three shutouts. One of the shutouts was to fellow North American Finals qualifier, the South Jersey Barons. The squad, coached by Huey Ferguson contains a single member of last season’s U17 Championship side, Casey McNamara. A total of 19 players return from last season’s U16 side, which lost in the championship match, 2-0 to Mountain WFC.

Kendall SC
Kendall finished the season with a 6-1-2 record, winning the Group B title of the Southeast Division. Their only loss was a match that ended 2-0 in favor of Sunrise SC. The team’s strength is on the defensive end. Kendall ended the season with a goals against average of 0.44 per game. They posted six shutouts this season. The team is coached by Julio Perdomo and Francisco De Asis.

MPS Portland Phoenix
The U17 MPS Portland Phoenix (7-3-1) is the first team ever from Maine to make the USL Super Y-League North American Finals. The team is coached by Paul Baber, formerly the Head Coach of the Premier Development League side, the Cape Cod Crusaders. The MPS Portland Phoenix was a brand new Super Y-League club in 2009 and also had their U15 Boys qualify for the North American Finals.

Real Maryland
Real Maryland’s U17 side ended the regular season with a record of 5-5-2. That was the sixth best mark in the 13-team Mid Atlantic Division. Head-to-head with TSF Academy, who Real will face on Sunday, November 22, Maryland drew 2-2. Real was a balanced side, they scored 22 times this season while allowing 20 goals against. They are coach by Roger Fernandez.

GROUP B
Alpharetta United
Alpharetta United’s U17 boys are looking forward to competing in such a prestigious tournament as the SYL North American Finals. Most of the boys play for the sister club of Forsyth Fusion during the fall, but merged with some of the Alpharetta Ambush players to go undefeated in the South Atlantic Region this summer. The Super Y-League not only was a great experience for the boys but it was crucial over the summer to get them ready for their first entry into the Region III Premier League.

“The Super Y-League was the best place to prepare for regional play,” said Coach Gaucho. “The boys will continue to train hard as they want to do their best to represent Alpharetta United. We are looking forward to competing at the highest level.”

New Jersey Stallions
The New Jersey Junior Stallions compete in the highly competitive Mid Atlantic Region of the USL Super Y-League. The team recently completed an undefeated 7-0-5 season against the best club teams from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. In 12 Super Y contests, the stalwart PASCO defense allowed a total of nine goals. The club completed its undefeated season with a 1-1 tie on July 11th, a 3-0 drubbing of the Reading Rage on July 12th and an incredible come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the New York Magic on July 15th.

Chicago Magic
The Chicago Magic finished second in Group B of the Super Y-League’s U17 Midwest Division. Their final record was 5-2-2 and they scored 22 goals and allowed 19 against over the course of nine games. Against the other Midwest teams in this tournament, the Magic fell twice to the Fort Wayne Fever and tied the Toronto Lynx in the only match they played. The team is coached by Ian Dunbar.

Ottawa Fury
The Ottawa Fury finished the regular season with a record of 5-3-3. Playing out of the New England Division, the team split their season series with fellow qualifiers MPS Portland and MPS Bulldogs. First, the Canadian’s dropped a close 2-1 decision to the Bulldogs before beating MPS Maine, 5-0. Ottawa is coached by Don Bouchard. They had a goal differential of plus-seven.

GROUP C
Fort Wayne Fever
This is the second year the Fort Wayne Fever Academy U17 boys have taken first place in the Midwest Division, earning them a second shot at a North American Championship. This team has a strong base from the Fort Wayne Fever U17 Boys Academy team, who tied for first in their MRL Division this past spring and are currently ranked second in the State of Indiana. This team is deep on all levels and is a force to be reckoned with. “We were disappointed last year and felt we did not perform as well as we wanted,” said Head Coach Ian McMahon. “We want to put things right this time. Whichever team wins the title is going to have to be a good team. The level of competition gets better every year. The teams from the Midwest will all be very strong.”

Schulz Academy
Schulz Academy won Group A of the Super Y-League’s Southeast Division with a record of 3-1-4. Head-to-head with the Group B Champion, Kendall SC, Schulz lost a 1-0 decision in July. Coached by Jorge Alvarez and Josef Schulz, the team scored 14 times and allowed ten goals against. The team’s top scorer was Diego Ramos, who netted six goals and an assist in eight matches – a points per game average of 1.625.

Black Watch SC
Black Watch SC finished just off of MPS’ pace in the New England Division’s Group A standings with a final record of 7-3-2. The team scored the second-most goals in the region (26) while also posting the third-best defense in the region (12GA). Coached by Steve Freeman, the team had four shutouts including a 1-0 win over fellow qualifier, MPS Portland.

Super Nova FC
Super Nova FC U17 boys are making their third trip to the Super Y-League finals. Representing the Mid Atlantic region, their only loss in the U16 tournament last season was to the eventual champion, Mountain WFC in one of the most entertaining games of the week. With the score tied 3-3, the Whitecaps were able to score with minutes remaining to secure their spot in the championship game. Since playing in their first North American Finals as U-12s in the U13 bracket, this group has worked tirelessly and consistently to make it back each year. Knowing that they play in one of the most competitive divisions that the Super Y-League offers, the U17’s prepared each week to play some of the toughest teams in the East.

GROUP D
MPS Bulldogs
Champions of the Super Y-League’s New England Division for two consecutive years, the MPS U17 Bulldogs welcome the opportunity to represent New England at the North American Finals. Winning the always competitive New England region, the Bulldogs are prepared to showcase their top-notch skills on a National stage. The U17 MPS Bulldogs successfully showcased their skills in tournaments like Potomac, becoming finalists at the US Club Regionals. Coached by Peter Bradley, the U17 Bulldogs draw premium-level players from Massachusetts, many of whom are currently committed or entertaining college playing commitments from colleges throughout the country.

Toronto Lynx
Always a well-schooled tactical team, the Toronto Lynx went unbeaten in the Midwest this season, boasting a regular season record of 5-0-2. Coached by Billy Steele and Duncan Wilde, the team’s two draws this season were to Alliance Academy (1-1) and the Chicago Magic (2-2). Head-to-head with Group B champion Fort Wayne, the Lynx won a 3-2 decision on Saturday, July 18. Toronto had the second-best offense and defense in the division behind Fort Wayne. The Lynx scored 29 times and allowed nine goals against.

Northern Virginia Royals
The Northern Virginia Royals ended the season unbeaten at 6-0-2. The two draws during their campaign went to Alpharetta United 0-0 and 2-2. Alpharetta nipped the Royals for the division crown by just three goals. The Royals netted 23 goals on the season to lay claim to the best offense in the South Atlantic. Their defense finished second with just a single goal allowed per match. The team is coached by USL Hall of Famer Mo Sheta.

South Jersey Barons
“It gives me great pleasure of having the opportunity to be working with such a dedicated and talented group of boys,” said South Jersey Head Coach Leon Brown. “This group has been together for seven years and is not inconceivable to think they are a not a team to be reckon with in any competition. The key, perhaps the defining element, is that this South Jersey Barons outfit truly is a TEAM. Good players will always be judged by their confidence and ability to believe in themselves. These boys have not only demonstrated these qualities but exceed this by their trust for one another. The majority of these players will go on to have successful college careers on and off the field.”