In unprecedented fashion, the Northern Virginia Football Club earned five bids to the North American Finals from results on the last day of their Super Y-League regular season. With two teams previously qualified and two late wild card additions, Northern Virginia FC has set a new club record with nine teams bound for the United Soccer Leagues youth championship tournament later this fall.
The U14 Royals (7-0-3) swept their last five matches of the season to win the Group B title in the South Atlantic Division and gain entry into continental finals. The U14 Royals netted fifteen goals while only allowing three in their late season run. A 2-0 result over local rival Fredericksburg Gunners clinched the regular season group title and their spot at the championships.
On the girl’s side, the U14 Majestics faced a late season, uphill battle with their talented Richmond Kicker counterparts. The Kickers avenged an earlier 2-1 loss to the Majestics, winning 2-1 on a goal in the waning moments of the match. With record and head-to-head result dead even, the Majestics and Kickers found themselves both unable to cede a single point and locked in a race for goal differential with their remaining schedules. With Richmond ahead by eight goal differential points, the young Majestics managed to narrowly edge the Kickers goal totals in the final two games to earn the championship berth.
Returning to the tournament again this year, the U15 Royals finished undefeated at 8-0-2 to claim their group title. After drawing two matches in a row, the U15 Royals also found themselves locked in a late season battle with the Richmond Kickers (7-2-1). Solid victories over Fredericksburg and NOVA FC eliminated the need for tie-breakers and garnered the boys the return trip.
Also no strangers to the Tampa tournament, the U16 Royals return for their third straight shot at a North American title. The U16 Royals finished atop Group B in the South Atlantic Division with a record of 9-1. They had thirty-six goals and nine goals scored against, resulting in a goal differential of twenty-seven. The talented squad advanced to the final match in 2007 (falling 1-0 to California Arsenal) and semifinals in 2008 (another 1-0 loss at the hands of West Coast FC).
The U13 Royals (7-1-4) earned the last remaining divisional championship berth in dramatic fashion on the final day of the regular season. The young Royals scored in the final minutes to draw even 3-3 with the division winner NOVA FC. The single point was just enough to insure their trip to the finals.
These five teams join the previously qualified U13 Majestics and U13 NOVA FC Boys in claiming group and division titles, earning advancement to the prestigious continental finals. In addition, the Northern Virginia Royals also earned a bid to the Super 20 League Finals last month, bringing the club total to eight for this year.
Northern Virginia Football Club, comprised of the Northern Virginia Royals (male), Northern Virginia Majestics (female), and NOVA FC (male and female) USL teams, was represented by the previous club record of five teams in the 2008 North American Finals as well as thirty-two players in the SYL ODP Camp pool. Nineteen players from the Royals and thirteen players from the Majestics Super Y-League programs comprised Northern Virginia’s representation last year.
The USL North American Finals will be held in Tampa, Florida, and is scheduled to run from November 20th through November 24th. A total of sixteen teams will clash at every age level in the boys Super Y-League’s U13-U17 divisions. On the girl’s side, twelve teams will meet from each of the five age divisions. The 2009 version of the Super Y-League finals is the greatest representative of elite youth talent in North America now that the league encompasses nine regions across the United States and Canada.
