EDP Cup Fall 2023 Tournament Recap

This weekend, EDP Soccer concluded EDP Cup Fall 2023, one of the most prestigious Columbus Day weekend tournaments in the country. The tournament brought together teams from all of the nation's elite platforms, including MLS Next, Girls Academy League, ECNL Boys, ECNL Girls, National Academy League, USYS National League and more! Over 500 teams competed from 11 State Associations, representing the East Region, Midwest Region, South Region, and Canada. The best vs best atmosphere created some special moments from exceptional players, as high-level talent was on display across four different venues.

The weekend had over 70 brackets, each with very evenly matched teams. Of the 500+ teams, only five kept a clean sheet in all three of their group stage matches. Those five teams were Wall Elite Atalanta, NJ Premier G2010, Middletown SC Courage Red, Massapequa SC Spirit SUSC 2010 Premier Boys, and Match Fit Academy FC 2010 Girls Shore ECRL. Only 15% of the teams finished the group stages with a perfect three points per game, led by SYC Soccer who had five teams accomplish this impressive feat. AC Connecticut, Massapequa SC, NESA, and South Shore FC each had three teams with perfect group stage performances.

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A look at some on the results from this weekend:

See results from all 70+ 8U-15U Boys and Girls Divisions HERE.

12U Boys

One of the deepest age groups in the tournament was the 12U Boys. In the 12U Boys Platinum Blue Division, Philadelphia Union Academy 2012 advanced out of Bracket A, defeating BW Gottschee '12 Blue 2-1 on a late-winner, then defeating EJE7 2012, and Monmouth United 2012. From Bracket B, FC DELCO Pre-MLS Next Black '12 came out of the group of death. They defeated New York City FC NYCFC U12 White 3-1, and then drew against Michigan Jaguars Pre MLS 2012 Boys. They needed a win over New York Red Bulls - Metro in their last group game to make the final, which they won 2-0. In the final, neither team could find a winning goal in regulation, and the game was decided by penalty kicks with the sidelines filled with teams from around the tournament. In the end, it was Philadelphia Union Academy 2012 who won by penalty kicks in dramatic fashion.

In the 12U Boys Platinum Red Division, Glen Shields Juventus FC 2012 Boys was dominant in their three group games, defeating PDA U12 2012 Pre-MLS Next Blue, World Class FC 2012 ADL NL, and Keystone FC Premier 12B. In the final, they would come up against Key Biscayne SC KBSC Elite 2012, who reached the final with a big upset win over New York Red Bulls - Stars, who entered the match in pole position with six points. In the final, Glen Shields Juventus proved to be too much, and brought the championship trophy back home to Florida.

13U Girls

The 13U Girls Diamond Division final matched up two of the area's top teams, with Real Jersey 11G GA taking on HEX FC Bucks ECNL 11G in the final. Real Jersey advanced to the final going 3-0-0, including a 1-0 win over New York Soccer Club 11G GA in their final group game to stay unbeaten. Hex FC entered Sunday having gone 2-0-0, but dropped a 2-1 result to NJ Premier G2011, having already clinched their spot in the final. In the final, HEX FC Bucks ECNL 11G got on the board early, and came away with a 2-1 victory to claim first place.

13U Boys

The 13U Boys Platinum Division was very evenly matched, with six of the eight teams each winning one match. The two sides who pulled out two victories met in the final, in a battle between SYC U13B MLS Next and AIFC Toronto. Both teams entered with strong offensive performances, with SYC having games of five, three, and two goals scored, and AIFC having scored 16 goals in their three matches. However the final was a different story, and the game entered half-time at 0-0. SYC took the lead early in the second half on a penalty kick, and AIFC battled back to tie the game at 1-1 to go to penalty kicks. In penalty kicks, SYC U13B MLS Next would come away as champions.

14U Girls

The 14U Girls Diamond Division saw Match Fit Academy FC 2010 Girls Shore ECRL come out of Bracket A winning all three of the matches 1-0. Those wins were over Montis 2010F LDP from Canada, New York Soccer Club 10G GA, and Warrington FC United 2010G. From Bracket B, SJEB FC 10G GA advanced to the final going 3-0-0, and came in off the back of consecutive 2-0 wins over Wall Elite Juventus and NJ Crush FC 2010 ECNL RL. In the final, SJEB FC was able to do what no one else could, and crack the back line of Match Fit Academy FC. The back-and-forth game saw several goals for both sides, and SJEB FC came away the 3-2 winner.

14U Boys

The 14U Boys Platinum Division saw both brackets determined by a tie-breaker. In Bracket A, East Coast Football Club B2010 ECNL/RL and STA-MUSC 2010B ECNL both had six points, but East Coast FC’s 6-3 win between the two teams was the deciding factor putting East Coast in the final. In Bracket B, YMS 2010 Boys Premier United and Manhattan SC Chelsea ECNL B10 were both tied on six points, but YMS went through on head-to-head due to their 2-1 victory when the teams faced off. In the final, both teams created chances all game long, but neither team was able to convert until East Coast FC “Player to Watch” Hector Santiago scored a wonderful goal in the dying minutes of the match for the 1-0 victory.

12U Girls

In the 12U Girls Diamond Division Tournament Time 2012 Girls from Bracket A faced its toughest tests on Sunday. After dominant wins over Torpedoes GU12 Red and New York Soccer Club 12G Pre-GA, they defeated Match Fit Academy FC 2012 Girls Shore 3-1 as they prepared for the final. In Bracket B, HEX FC Bucks Pre-ECNL 12G started the weekend with a thrilling 5-4 comeback win over Wall Elite Porto, a match where they were down 4-1. They followed that up with a 3-1 win over Mantua, and then a close 3-2 win over New York City FC Girls NYCFC Girls 2012 North. In the final, Tournament Time 2012 Girls proved why they were the top team in the age group, and came away with a 3-0 win.

11U Boys

In the 11U Boys Platinum Red Division, Bracket B had three teams all finish with six points. Philadelphia Union Junior Academy 2013, Torpedoes BU11 Red - Arsenal, and Coppermine SC Boys 2013 Blue all traded wins with each other, and it came down to goal differential, which saw Coppermine SC go through to the final with a +5 differential. In Bracket A, SYC 2013B Pre-MLS Next reached the final, finishing 3-0-0, including a 3-1 win over second-place New York Red Bulls Pre-Academy 2013 North. In the final, SYC 2013B Pre-MLS Next jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, and brought the championship trophy back to Northern Virginia.

In the 11U Boys Platinum Blue Division, New York Red Bulls Pre-Academy 2013 NY reached the final after drawing with PA Rush 2013 Rush Boys 4-4, putting them one point ahead of SAC/BA SAC Boys 2013 - Pre-Academy. On the other side of the division, Real Jersey FA 2013 went 3-0-0, opening the weekend with a 4-1 win over an excellent Flower City FC team from New York West. They then would keep clean sheets over Sporting Athletic Club 2013 Pre-MLS Black and McLean YS 2013 Boys Green Pre-ECNL. In the final, it was very tight, with the game going back-and-forth, and New York Red Bulls Pre-Academy 2013 NY walking away with the 2-1 victory.

11U Girls

In the 11U Girls Diamond Division, the final was a battle of the Jersey Shore with Match Fit Academy FC 2013 Girls Shore Blue taking on Jersey Shore Boca Jr FC Reign. Jersey Shore Boca reached the final when they defeated Old Bridge Soccer Club Storm White 3-2 on Sunday morning, as both teams entered tied on six points. Match Fit Academy FC 2013 Girls Shore Blue and FC Bucks 2013 Girls Courage were both tied on seven points, and drew with each other 3-3, meaning it would come down to goal differential, and Match Fit had the edge with +3 vs +2. Coming off a 1-0 win over A.C. Connecticut, Match Fit Shore continued their impressive defense, and kept another clean sheet in the final, defeating Jersey Shore Boca 3-0.