More teams from Eastern Pennsylvania have punched tickets to the USYS National Championships through competition in the National League P.R.O. than any other state association.
Sixteen teams from Eastern PA are among the 144 teams that have qualified for nationals, being played July 18-23 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. It already matches a record set last year for teams qualifying for nationals from Eastern Pennsylvania with the regionals still to play.
“This shows the high quality of our clubs, players and coaches and the depth of the depth that our state develops across all age groups,” said Chris Branscome, chief executive office of Eastern PA Youth Soccer. “We look forward to watching these teams, along with any additional teams that qualify at regionals next month, compete for a national championship in Orlando this summer.”
Eastern PA's group of 16 is followed by Illinois with 14 qualifiers, Ohio with 13, Maryland with 10 and New Jersey with nine. Among the 13 National League Conferences, the Midwest Conference led the way with 36 teams that secured their place in the National Championships, followed by the Great Lakes Conference and Mid Atlantic Conference with 21 each.
In each of the 14U through 19U age groups, National League P.R.O. competition saw 12 boys teams and 12 girls teams earn advancement to the National Championships, where they will be joined by the four representatives from the upcoming USYS Regional Championships – completing the field of 16 teams in each of those age groups.
“After watching the amazing competition throughout the National League P.R.O. season, we know that any team that earned its place in the National Championships is full of talented and deserving players,” said National League Commission Simon Collins. “The challenges these teams faced throughout the National League season have prepared them well to compete for the ultimate title of USYS National Champions, and we can’t wait to cheer them on this summer.”
Qualified teams from Eastern Pennsylvania:
14U Girls - PA Dominion 09
14U Girls - Keystone FC Premier
15U Boys - Yardley Makefield Soccer 08 Celtic
15U Girls - Penn FC Youth 08 Black
15U Girls - Yardley Makefield Soccer 08G Premier Spirit
16U Girls - Lower Merion SC Furia
17U Boys - Hunter SC 62 Blues
17U Boys - FC Europa Elite 2006
17U Girls - Keystone FC Premier 06
17U Girls - FC Revolution Reds 06
18U Girls - Penn FC Youth 05 Black
18U Boys - FC Bucks Dominion 05
19U Girls - Iron Valley United Thorns 04
19U Girls - Penn FC Youth Lightning
19U Girls - FC Europa 2004 Elite
19U Boys - FC Bucks Dominion 04
A total of 144 teams have punched their ticket to national,
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The National League P.R.O. season featured five exciting events that spanned November through March. Each team attended two events, where they played at least six games before rounding out their seven-game season with a standalone game. With several highly competitive groups, many of the seventh games played during the spring determined National League P.R.O. group titles, as well as berths to Nationals.