Over the next two weekends, the USYS National League Regional Showcase Virginia 2024 will be at River City Sportsplex in Midlothian, VA. Managed by EDP Soccer, in collaboration with Club Champions and VYSA, the event is the first of four National League Regional Showcases during the season, and one of three in the East Region this Spring. The event will host 15U-19U Girls on the first weekend, and 15U-19U Boys on the second weekend.
The elite showcase features diverse cross-conference match-ups from differing parts of the country, testing each player to adapt to various styles of play and new challenges that arise when facing uncommon opponents. The two weekends will be a tremendous recruiting opportunity for the players, with all games taking place at one venue, making it an ideal recruiting opportunity for college coaches.
A look at a few of the event's age groups:
The 17U Boys Platinum bracket contains some of the nation’s top teams. IFA West 2007 Boys EDS from Massachusetts recently attended the National League Playoffs, where they finished top of their group, going 3-0-0. YMS 2007 Boys Premier Blackout from Eastern Pennsylvania also attended the National League Playoffs and were quarterfinalists at the USYS Eastern Regional Championships last summer. Burke United Academy NL were also quarterfinalists at USYS Eastern Regional Championships last summer, and won the VYSA State Cup this past Fall. Northern Virginia United Academy 2007 and Barcelona USA 07 N.L. PRO join from the South Atlantic Conference, and Ohio’s Team Challenger FC 07B Gold rounds out the group.
The 17U Girls Diamond bracket features teams from five different State Associations. A3 Soccer Rangers 07G and SAC/BA Girls 2007 - Pre-Academy, both from Maryland, had strong performances in South Atlantic Premier I last season, and Virginia Valor went unbeaten at this showcase last year. Team Challenger FC 07G Gold travels from Northern Ohio and is one of the top teams in its state. Piedmont Triad FC 07 travels north from North Carolina and was a part of the National League Playoffs this season, and made it to USYS Southern Regional Championships last season. The group is rounded out by hometown club FC Richmond Mystx Elite.
The 16U Boys Platinum bracket has two of Maryland’s top teams. St. Mary's Soccer SMS 2008 Boys Premier just finished top of their group in the National League Playoffs, and FC Frederick has made back-to-back appearances at USYS National Events. AC Connecticut B08 EDP National won the CJSA State Cup last Spring. Those three sides will each take on Herndon RL B08, Virginia Reign 2008 Elite Boys, and Team Challenger FC 08B Gold.
The remaining National League Regional Showcases this Spring will be USYS National League Regional Showcase New Jersey in April, and USYS National League Regional Showcase New England in May.
Check out the video highlights from last year's event below.