US Youth Soccer National League Boys Quarterfinals conclude in Arizona

MESA, Ariz. — Four exciting days of action at the US Youth Soccer National League Quarterfinals in Mesa, Ariz., saw 45 boys teams qualify for the May 2025 National League Semifinals, while six sides claimed titles as the winners of the champions pool in their age group.

This November quarterfinals feature primarily teams from Elite 64, the top club-based platform in the USYS National League. The Nov. 1-4 action took place at Arizona Athletic Grounds and featured more than 120 boys teams across the 13U-19U age groups.

For the 14U-19U age groups, the quarterfinals represent the first of two stages of National League events, which provide every competing team with a pathway to ultimately advance to the USYS National Championships. The 45 teams that earned advancement to the next stage — the National League Semifinals — will play May 3-6 in Oceanside, Calif., for a chance to qualify to the National Championships.

In the wildcard pool of the 15U Boys age group, Team Chicago 11 Boys Elite 64 RL (IL) knew it needed to win all three games in order to move on to the National League Semifinals. The team discussed that opportunity ahead of the weekend, and head coach Tom Nevill said he was very proud of the way his players responded.

“Understanding pressure and playing under pressure is a big part of this experience,” Nevill said. “Knowing you need to win here to get to the semifinals helps them develop as players. If you don’t learn to handle the pressure and play your style of soccer, then you won’t win important things down the line when you get older.”

𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. The 15U Boys brought the first weekend of the NL Quarterfinals to an exciting conclusion.

More 📸: https://t.co/VSrt7QFxgV #EarnYourPlace #EveryMomentCounts pic.twitter.com/ilDGP4kzQ4

— National League (@NationalLeague) November 4, 2024

In addition to earning a place in the semifinals, six teams also won the tournament competition within the champions pool of their respective age groups to claim event titles.

2024 NL Quarterfinals (November) | Boys Champions

*13U: Sparta Elite 64 12B (UT)
14U: Nona FC Elite 64 11B (FL)
15U: Sparta Elite 64 10B (UT)
16U: Los Angeles SC Elite 64 09B (CA-S)
17U: Nona FC Elite 64 08B (FL)
19U: Los Angeles SC Elite 64 06/07B (CA-S)

*The 13U age group does not advance teams to the semifinals event.

“Winning the champions pool final means a lot,” LASC 06/07 midfielder James Cosner said. “We’ve been struggling a little bit in the league, but to come here and prove that we can do what we can do — hopefully we can carry it into the next part of the league and then the semifinals in Oceanside.

“It gives us a lot of confidence. It shows we can beat some of the top teams and that we can make it through the semifinals and to the National finals in Florida.”

TITLE GAME RECAPS

13U Boys

Sparta Elite 64 12’s (UT) dominant weekend was highlighted by its 5-1 win over Utah Celtic Elite 64 12 (UT) in the 13U Boys Champions pool final. Bodhi Owens wasted no time getting Sparta on the scoresheet, breaking the deadlock in the fourth minute. That one-goal lead stood until the second half, when Sparta’s quick barrage of goals caught Utah Celtic off guard and blew this one open. In a four-minute span – from the 40th minute to the 44th – Owens scored his second and third goals of the game, while teammate Ivan Galves also tallied one of his own. Sparta’s Romeo Perez added a fifth goal in the 52nd minute before Isaac Searnan brought one back for Utah Celtic in the 65th minute.

14U Boys

Two evenly matched teams — Nona FC Elite 64 11 (FL) and Tuzos Elite 64 11 (AZ) — battled it out in the 14U Boys champions pool final that went all the way to penalties. Nona struck first in this tightly contested game, with Mathias Ibarra Gonzalez’s 19th minute goal putting his team ahead. Nona was able to defend that lead until the 47th minute, when Bangally Jaiteh brought Tuzos back level with a well-taken header off a long free kick. With neither team able to separate itself throughout the rest of regulation, penalties were needed to decide a winner. Nona’s composed finishes and clutch goalkeeping proved to be the difference, with the Florida side coming out ahead 4-1 in the penalty shootout.

15U Boys

So Cal Blues Elite 64 10 (CA-S) led the 15U Boys champions pool final against Sparta Elite 64 10 (UT) for most of the game, with Ulisses Venegas’ 17th-minute goal almost enough to win the game for the Cal South side. Just before the final whistle, though, Sparta earned a penalty kick and Dante Sanchez-Cervantes calmly converted the chance to bring the two sides even in the game’s last seconds. In penalties, Sparta goalkeeper Jacob Skiles was the hero, saving two penalties and propelling his Utah side to a 1-1 (4-2 PK) win.

16U Boys

Los Angeles SC Elite 64 09 (CA-S) built a commanding lead against Nona FC Elite 64 09 (FL) and saw out a 4-1 victory that helped it win the 16U Boys champions pool final. Jacob Pepe found the back of the net in the 14th minute to put LASC in front, and Matthew Manrique followed shortly after to give LASC a 2-0 lead. Brayan De La Torre pushed the LASC lead to 3-0 with a goal halfway through the second half before Nona’s Lucas Quesada found the back of the net in the 73rd minute to get his team on the scoresheet. That’s as close as the score would get, as Michael Fernandez added a stoppage time goal to cap the 4-1 LASC win.

17U Boys

Very little separated Nona FC Elite 64 08 (FL) and NW United Elite 64 08 (WA), as the two sides required penalties to decide a winner in the 17U Boys champions pool final. Taven Clancy scored for NW United in the 32nd minute to give the Washington side a lead that held up for more than 40 minutes of game time. However, Davi Miranda finally broke through for Nona in the 73rd minute to tie the game at 1-1. A scoreless final 20 minutes set up a penalty kick shootout, and Nona came out on top in kicks from the mark, 6-5, to earn the 17U champions pool title.

19U Boys

For the second straight game, an overpowering attack led Los Angeles SC Elite 64 06/07 (CA-S) to victory, as it defeated So Cal Blues Elite 64 06/07 (CA-S), 6-2, in the 19U Boys champions pool final. William Hoshek gave LASC a 28th-minute lead, and Phillip McLeod doubled the advantage with a goal just before halftime. After James Cosner pushed the LASC lead to 3-0, Benjamin Tovar pulled a goal back for So Cal. However, Cosner netted his second to put LASC up, 4-1, in the 68th minute. Moises Alvarez scored for the Blues in the 77th minute to reduce their deficit to two goals, but John Beltran Castillo and Griffin Fittante each registered late goals to seal the 6-2 win for LASC.