Bethesda tournament unfolds with chilly temps, intense matches at girls weekend

GERMANTOWN, Md. – Bethesda Soccer Club welcomed the first half of its biggest-ever field of participants for the Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament over the weekend, as showcase matches and knockout games played out among hundreds of teams across more than 60 brackets of girls play in the Under-9 through U-19 age groups.

Based primarily at the Maryland SoccerPlex along with a few other nearby field venues, the tourney will draw nearly 1,000 teams from across the East Coast over its two weekends of play, with boys divisions set to take the stage this Friday and continuing through Sunday.

+READ: Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament kicking off with Girls Weekend

“The event keeps growing and growing,” BSC executive director Brad Roos told SoccerWire.com. “I do think that having only a couple of venues is better than venues all over.

“We’ve kept the same dates, and the same groups keep coming in,” he added, noting that the event’s consistency has appealed to travel clubs as well as college recruiters year after year. “It comes at a good time for recruiting – a [club]coach told me today he had 43 college coaches at their game today. It’s become a destination.”

The event is now one of only five across the nation named a “Generation adidas” youth event (no connection to the MLS program of the same name) by BSC outfitters adidas, signifying its significance on the tournament calendar.

In trophy brackets, the host club took home a substantial amount of hardware, while some of the best play – though not always the best results – was provided by East Coast ECNL teams just beginning their lead-up to the winter showcase period after the conclusion of most states’ high school seasons.

+CLICK here for a full list of standings and division winners from Bethesda’s girls weekend