2017 USYS NATIONAL PRESIDENTS CUP CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES

Competing alongside the championship matches will be 10 consolation matches for the remaining teams.

Of the teams still competing for a National Presidents Cup title, 17/18U Girls Illinois Fusion (IL) went 2-0-1 in group play to earn a spot in the final match.

Illinois Fusion tied IE Surf 00 Kooiman (CA-S), 1-1, on Saturday, and this will also be the same matchup for Sunday’s game.

Illinois Fusion Head Coach Brandon Menke discussed his thoughts on the tie and what is to come for Sunday.

“We ended up getting a goal late in the first half to tie it up, and we were able to keep that tie, which I’m okay with for today,” said Menke. “We’ll get them tomorrow when we play them again. I’m looking forward to making sure these girls get some rest today and having a better mindset going into the game tomorrow.”

With a National Presidents Cup title on the line, Sunday will bring both excitement and intensity for the teams.

“I’m excited for the opportunity,” Menke said. “It’s a national title. Who wouldn’t be excited, right? It’s been a fun experience for us. The girls have performed really well, and I’m excited for them and for the opportunity to play for the title tomorrow.”

Final Matches at 2017 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup:

Consolation Matches at 2017 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup:

Match Highlights:

13U Boys: TFA SFV 04 (CA-S) vs. McAllen Rayados 04 (TX-S)
TFA SFV 04 (CA-S) went undefeated in group play to earn a spot in Sunday’s final match. The Cal South side posted 10 goals and allowed one, and Aldahir Rua is tied for first on the 13U Boys top scorer list with five goals. Joining TFA in the finals is McAllen Rayados 04 (TX-S), who posted a 2-1-0 record, scoring 10 goals and allowing four. As Jose Rangel is tied with Rua on the top scorers list, the age group’s two leading scorers will face each other for the final match. During Friday’s preliminary game, TFA came out victorious over McAllen Rayados, so McAllen will look to reverse the outcome on Sunday.

13U Girls: Beach FC Nunes (CA-S) vs. Impact GFC (OH-S)
Beach FC LB Nunes (CA-S) is heading to the 13U Girls final match after going a perfect 3-0-0 through group play and keeping a clean sheet through all three games. The California side will face off against Impact GFC (OH-S) in a rematch of today’s game that was 2-0 in favor of Beach. Beach FC’s Evelyn Sandoval and Camryn Cruz lead the top scorers standings for the age group with four and three goals, respectively. Impacts’ Allison Burkey sits tied in third with two goals. Burkey or one of her teammates will have to break through the tough Beach FC defense in order to claim the 13U title.

14U Boys: Downtown LA Soccer Club (CA-S) Vs. Sporting Wichita Rojos (KS)
Downtown LA Soccer Club (CA-S) bounced back from a 2-0 loss yesterday and earned a 3-1 win against Sporting Wichita Rojos (KS) to claim the top spot in the 14U Boys group with six points. Downtown finishes group play with a 2-1-0 record while scoring eight goals and boasts the age groups leading goal scorer in Aaron Hernandez. Joining Downtown will be Sporting Wichita Rojos (KS) who defeated Eagle FC Ajax (PA-E) in a kicks from the mark tiebreaker to decide the final spot in the 14U Boys final. Sporting lost to Downtown today, 3-1, and will have a chance to redeem themselves in tomorrow’s final.

14U Girls: FC United 2003 Predator (IL) vs. Eagles SC 2003 (CA-S)
FC United 2003 Predator (IL) and Eagles SC 2003 (CA-S) will face each other in Sunday’s final match, just as they did for Saturday’s last preliminary game. FC United picked up a close 1-0 win against Eagles SC on Saturday, so the title game could go either way. This was FC United’s third win as it totaled seven goals and did not allow any. Meanwhile, Eagles SC went 2-1-0 in group play, scoring four goals and allowing two. FC United’s Roxana Zieba leads the charts in the 14U Girls top scorers as she has contributed six goals throughout the competition.

15U Boys: RGV FC Dallas (TX-S) vs. VK Cobras (UT)
RGV FC Dallas (TX-S) will face VK Cobras (UT) in a rematch of the tournament’s 15U Boys opening match. FC Dallas got the better of Cobras in a 5-2 win en route to a perfect 3-0-0 group play record. Cobras rebounded from that loss with two straight 4-2 victories to finish 2-1-0. FC Dallas’ Johan Arvelao and Arturo Gonazlez are tied with Cobras’ Jose Tores Estrada for the top age group scorer with four goals apiece. The Utah side will need to stop the high scoring FC Dallas attack that has averaged five goals a game through group play.

15U Girls: Arkansas Rush 02/03 Black (AR) vs. Colorado Storm North 02 Select (CO)
Arkansas Rush 02/03 Black (AR) will face Colorado Storm North 02 Select (CO) in the 15U Girls final match. Arkansas Rush posted a 3-0-0 record, scoring 14 goals and surrendering five. Anniston Flake and Kiley Dulaney stand on top of the 15U Girls leading scorers list as Flake has four goals, while Dulaney has three. Despite dropping its first game to Arkansas Rush, Colorado Storm came back with two wins to make it into the finals. Colorado Storm holds a total of eight goals with five goals against.

16U Boys: Santos Laguna White (CA-S) vs. Lou Fusz Soccer Club-Carotenuto (MO)
In a tight 16U Boys age group, Santos Laguna White (CA-S) will meet Lou Fusz Soccer Club-Carotenuto (MO) for the final match. Santos Laguna defeated Lou Fusz, 2-1, on Saturday to earn its 2-0-1 record for the preliminary round. Lou Fusz has a chance for redemption after today’s game. The Missouri side went 1-1-1 in group play and will try to add one more important win to that record. Neither Santos Laguna nor Lou Fusz has won a game by more than one goal.

16U Girls: BAC Blitz (VA) vs. Westside Breaker 01 Blue (CA-S)
BAC Blitz (VA) rebounded from its 1-0 loss yesterday against Westside Breakers 01 Blue (CA-S) and will now get another shot at the Cal South side in the 16U Girls final. Blitz defeated FC Dallas TRI 01 Premier (TN) 5-0 in its final game to secure the top spot in the group while Breakers earned a last minute, 1-0, victory over CWSC 01 Academy Elite (OH-S) to claim second. Blitz’s Virginia Delacruz is tied as the age group’s leading goal scorer with three goals and will be someone to watch in tomorrow’s final. Both teams boast a well-rounded attack and each only have one player with multiple goals with the rest coming from other players on the squads.

17/18U Boys: Inter America Halcones FC (CA-S) vs. Ocean Township United S.A. Spartans (NJ)
Inter America Halcones FC (CA-S) picked up a big 7-3 win to seal it’s spot in the 17/18U Boys final. Inter America will face Ocean Township United S.A. Spartans (NJ) in a rematch from Day Two where the teams tied 1-1. Ocean Township defeated CASL White North (NC), 2-0, to leapfrog Rockford Raptors 2000 (IL) into the final. Both teams come into the game undefeated with Inter going 2-0-1 and Ocean Township going 1-0-2. One of the teams will walk away with their first defeat while the other will leave boasting the 17/18U National Presidents Cup title.

17/18U Girls: Illinois Fusion (IL) vs. IE Surf 00 Kooiman (CA-S)
Sunday’s 17-18U Girls final game will be a rematch of Saturday’s preliminary game between Illinois Fusion (IL) and IE Surf 00 Kooiman (CA-S), where the two teams tied 1-1. Going into Saturday, Illinois Fusion had the upper hand, knowing it already had a spot in the finals with its two wins, but IE Surf still had some work to do. IE Surf made it into the finals with a 1-0-2 record as it scored five goals and had three against, while Illinois Fusion tallied nine goals and surrendered one. Illinois Fusion’s Meredith Johnson-Monfort and Lauren Shanks have each contributed three goals throughout the competition.

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.