Men’s Super-20 All-Finals Team
Toronto to be featured in the Saturday, August 16 edition of “USL Breakaway”
USL News Release
Monday, August 11, 2008
TAMPA – United Soccer Leagues announced today the Super-20 Men’s All-Finals teams following the third annual Super-20 League Championships, which concluded Sunday, August 3 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Heading the list on the men’s side was defender Robert Younger and midfielder Mark Blades of the Chicago Fire, who beat the Toronto Lynx 2-1 in the men’s final and were named the Co-MVP’s of the Super-20 League for the 2008 season.
 Voted by the coaches during the league finals, the Super-20 All-Finals team represents the top Under-20 talent in North America. Players such as Martin Nunez, who won the 2006 Super-20 MVP award and now plays with the USL First Division Carolina RailHawks and Mike Konicoff, the 2007 Super-20 MVP, who recently earned All-Eastern Conference PDL honors following his six goal, eight assist season with the Westchester Flames, represent the complete connection between achievements in the Super-20 League and pending success at the next level.
D.C. United
The only player to be named to both the 2007 and 2008 Super-20 League All-Finals team on the men’s side was Drew Yates of D.C. United. The tall, speedy midfielder dished out five assists as a freshman at the University of Maryland in 2006. Following his preparation in the Super-20 League during the summer of 2007, Yates excelled again, leading all scorers at Maryland with eight goals. He undoubtedly will be one of the most exciting players in NCAA soccer this fall.
Yates’ running mate at the Super-20 Finals was CJ Sapong, who was named the Colonial Athletic Association men’s soccer Rookie of the Year in November of 2007. At the Super-20 Finals Sapong netted a 65th minute game-winning goal against the Northern Virginia Royals in the final match of group play. The goal sent D.C. United to the knockout rounds where they fell to the Chicago Fire, 2-1.
 Chicago Fire
Beginning the four-player Chicago contingent, Younger, a defender at the University of Illinois at Chicago, played in 25 games last season for the Flames. He handed out five assists in that time. He was also recently named a member of the 2008 PDL All-Central Conference Team. Younger appeared on the backline in 15 matches for the Fire, leading a defense that posted nine shutouts in 17 contests. He was the sole member of the team to earn All-Central Conference honors.
Blades contributed three goals and two assists as a sophomore at Northwestern in 2007. His freshman season ended with one goal and two assists. He was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team that season. Blades played alongside Younger on the Fire’s PDL side that won the Midwest Division. In 12 games and nearly 1,000 minutes as a defender, Blades scored one goal, an 85th minute game-tying goal against the 13-1-2 Michigan Bucks on Saturday, July 12.
Michael Stevens, formerly of the US U17 Residency Program, has started 42 career games for UCLA. In that time Stevens posted four goals and four assists for the Bruins. As with Blades and Younger, Stevens earned substantial playing time with the U23 Fire this season, picking up one goal and two assists in five appearances.
The final member of the Chicago Fire that earned All-Finals honors was forward Chris Cutshaw, who netted four goals and three assists during the five game Super-20 Finals. He also saw time with the PDL Fire during the summer, scoring two goals and assisting on two others in nine appearances.
“Entering his junior season at Bradley, Cutshaw is the team’s active scoring leader with 13 career goals and 31 points,” states a Wednesday, August 5th article posted on www.bubraves.com. “Cutshaw recorded two game-winning goals in 2007, including the header that sent Bradley past Maryland with a 3-2 double overtime victory in the third round of the NCAA tournament.”
Toronto Lynx
A staple of Lynx soccer the past two seasons has been incredible goalkeeping. Brendan Heembrock continued that tradition with his play in the 2008 Super-20 League Finals, as he and Toronto allowed just two goals in three group play matches and four total in five matches, a team Goals Against Average of 0.8.
A save in the first half of the championship match kept his side in the game and solidified the goalkeeper’s place on the Super-20 All-League team over a vast group of top-class players. The save even inspired Fire Head Coach Paul Cadwell to congratulate Heembrock on the stop seconds after the final whistle of the 2-1 championship match blew. On the play, Heembrock charged off his line, sliding out to his right to deny a very open forward who did all he could to beat the man with the gloves. But the goalkeeper was too steady, deflecting the well-struck ball upwards, into the crossbar, and out of play.
 Another Toronto goalkeeper, Nils Binstock, filled one of two Super-20 All-Finals slots last season following an incredible semi-final showdown with eventual Super-20 Champion PDA. Binstock then reported to PDL camp and won the starting job for the Under-23 Lynx, who qualified for playoffs for the first time in seven years.
“A lot of times you cannot find good goalkeepers, but we have been fortunate,” said Lynx Head Coach Duncan Wilde. “Nils had a great year for us at the PDL level this season. With him heading to Europe to play, I am fully prepared to give Brandon a shot to follow in his footsteps next year.”
Wilde and Heembrock are scheduled to be featured in a Saturday, August 16 edition of “USL Breakaway” on Fox Soccer Channel. The episode is set to air at 5:00 PM EDT and will be replayed five times throughout the week.
Limiting Heembrock’s workload throughout the Super-20 Finals was defender Matthew Smith, who started and played every minute of the group play stage. He also broke through on the PDL level, seeing time in seven matches this season for a total of 300+ minutes.
The Lynx most-dangerous scoring threat throughout the Super-20 Finals was their best kept secret, Jordan Webb, whose great individual effort leveled the championship final 1-1, just minutes into the second half. An unheralded attacking star with blazing speed and efficient finishing ability, Webb had two goals and an assist in three group play matches at the Super-20 Finals.
 Real Maryland FC
The fourth club to advance out of the group play stage was Real Maryland who shocked defending champion, PDA, 1-0 on the first day of the Super-20 Finals. Ignacio Diaz netted that goal, but their best player throughout the tournament was goalkeeper Oscar Alvarenga.
“I have been talking to people in our area and they agree that we have a very solid goalkeeper in Oscar,” said Real Maryland head Coach Roger Fernandez. “He’s young too, just 19, a guy we will look to bring aboard our USL Second Division team in coming years.”
Recognized by several opposing coaches as Real’s top playmaker was midfielder Yannick Chiepodeu.
Northern Virginia Royals
Invited to the Super Y-League Olympic Development Program camps in January of 2008, AJ Sheta was one of the youngest members of the Northern Virginia Royals’ PDL side during the 2008 season. Despite his age, Sheta tied teammate Matthew Brady for the club’s lead in points scored (10).
Red Bull New York
Hayden Morris, who played with Red Bull New York at the Super-20 League North American Finals, was one of only two freshmen to start every game for Seton Hall last season.
Cincinnati United Premier
A freshman at the University of Dayton in 2007, Josh Albers led all first-year players in points by contributing two goals and one assist. He received the most votes from Cincinnati United Premier, a first-year Super-20 League club that fell one point short of D.C. United in the Group C standings.
 Potomac Soccer
Just four goals separated Potomac Soccer Club and cross-town rival D.C. United in the Group B standings of the Mid Atlantic region during the regular season. In the finals, D.C. progressed to the semifinal stage where Potomac faltered, only to the Chicago Fire, 2-0. The top rated player for Potomac in that loss was midfielder Seth C’Debaca. C’Debaca attends Georgetown University, where he appeared in 19 games as a freshman, starting seven matches and assisting on four goals.
H.C. United
Ben Foerstner, a member of the 2006 Super Y-League U17 boys’ championship team, started every match for H.C. United at the Super-20 Finals, tallying an assist against Toronto in a 3-1 loss. Strong in the air, fiery defensive play and strong distribution out of the defensive midfield being a staple of his play, Foerstner started all 17 games for Florida Gulf Coast University as a freshman. In that time the 6’2” midfielder scored two goals and assisted on a pair.
Florida Soccer Alliance
Jonathan Mendoza, who had a goal and an assist through group play, was noticed by opposing coaches in three matches.
“Mendoza is a right-footed right-wing who can break down defenses,” said FSA Head Coach Bobby Croft before the Super-20 Finals. “He is only a junior in high-school but his work-rate is tireless.”
Despite his age, Mendoza appeared in 16 matches this season with the PDL’s Central Florida Kraze. In over 600 minutes, Mendoza scored two goals and added an assist for the Southeast Division Champion Kraze.
FC Fredericksburg
Richard “Cam” Petty was the most noticeable player on FC Fredericksburg’s squad during the Super-20 Finals. The midfielder started every match for the Gunners and picked up an assist in the team’s 3-1 loss to the Northern Virginia Royals. The Gunners most-notable accomplishment during the finals was a back-and-forth match with D.C. United that ended in a 0-0 draw.
Petty played in 12 games for a total of over 650 minutes during the PDL regular season with the Gunners. He finished the season fourth in scoring with one goal and four assists.
|
|
