Pennsylvania Regional Club League reveals 23 inaugural member clubs

The Pennsylvania Regional Club League (PRCL), one of the newest members of US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL), has announced its member clubs ahead of the 2020-2021 season.

Below is a list of clubs that have teams spanning Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey:

• Baltimore Celtic (MD)
• Baltimore Union (MD)
• Capitol Area Soccer Association (PA)
• Delaware FC (DE)
• Delaware Union (DE)
• FC DELCO (PA)
• FC USA (MD)
• Keystone FC (PA)
• Lehigh Valley United (PA)
• Lionville Soccer (PA)
• Match Fit Academy FC (NJ)
• Next Level Soccer (MD)
• Next Level Soccer Academy (NJ)
• PA Classics (PA)
• PA Dominion (PA)
• Penn FC (PA)
• Penn Fusion SA (PA)
• Pipeline SC (MD)
• Quaker Elite (PA)
• Reading Rage (PA)
• Southern Chester County SA (PA)
• Sporting Delaware (DE)
• Villanova SA (PA)

The PRCL offers two levels of play for 9-U through 19-U boys and girls teams with top divisions of 13-U and older age groups participating in its defined NPL pathway. The youngest age groups – 9-U through 14-U – will play a 16-game season split between the fall and the spring, while the older NPL divisions play 12 games from November to May. Calendars are designed to include off weekends for tournament and showcase play.

As an NPL member league, the PRCL enjoys a pathway to NPL postseason opportunities for both its boys and girls clubs. At the end of the 2020-21 regular season, top performing teams will advance to the 2021 NPL postseason to compete for US Club Soccer national championships against ECNL qualifiers on the boys side and the NPL Finals on the girls side.

Quotes from the club directors:

• Chris Leahey, Match Fit Academy FC Executive Director: “Match Fit Academy Boys are thoroughly excited to join the PRCL for the 2020-21 season. The committed clubs to the PRCL present fantastic competition and a like-minded approach to player development. The league management team from APL has proven consistently to work collectively with member clubs in both league and tournament structures with the best interest of player development in mind. This league also allows our club to provide a US Club Soccer NPL platform for our teams, which allows us to continue the seamless model of player pools with movement between playing levels to ensure continued development. We look forward to the fall season and beyond.”
• Erik Temple, Sporting Delaware HS Boys Director: “Sporting Delaware is excited to join the inaugural season of the PRCL. This platform will provide a competitive environment for our players at Sporting Delaware with the opportunity to earn a place in US Club Soccer’s national events.”
• Robert Elliot, FC DELCO General Manager: “FC DELCO is excited to take part in the inaugural season of the PRCL. We believe the pathway the league represents through US Club will provide all of our teams top local competition and an opportunity for advancement to a regional and national platform.”
• Rafik Kechrid, President of Next Level Soccer: “NLS is honored to be a charter member of the NPL Boys, PA Regional Club League. We are excited about creating more regional and national pathways for our players and families, while collaborating with top clubs on the east coast. This is a perfect addition to our players’ and teams’ development and overall environment.”
• Brian Thompsen, Next Level Soccer Academy Director of Coaching & Operations: “As we enter our 14th year as a club, Next Level Soccer Academy has always strived to provide the most comprehensive and competitive programming possible for our players and teams. The launch of this league is something that is a great example of how we can continue to progress NLSA forward into the future. We look forward to participating in this league with like-minded clubs in an environment where we can truly impact player development.”
• Sean Murphey, Executive Director of Reading Rage SC: “The Reading Rage SC is very excited to become a founding member of the PRCL. We share the same vision for player development and anticipate this will present many opportunities for all our players at every level.”
• Chad Reed, Technical Director of Delaware Union: “This is a great opportunity for Delaware Union players to showcase their skills in a different environment and against quality competition. We are happy that APL will be managing the league. Ee have worked with them for a number of years and always look to provide a quality experience for clubs, teams, players and families.”
• Sean Rush, CEO of Pipeline SC: “Pipeline is excited to have a centralized league for our boys Pre-ECNL, Black and Red teams. Working with APL Tournaments for the past eight years has been fantastic and their dedication to youth development is second to none. Our teams have a great opportunity to showcase their skills in a highly competitive league run by top-notch leaders of the game.”