CCL SELECT Girls advance to Gothia Cup Tipselit Trophy Semifinals
Charlottesville, VA (Via CCL) – On July 13th Club Champions League (CCL) SELECT Boys and Girls embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime professional youth soccer experience. The Boys were one of only 24 top youth teams invited last summer to play for the Gothia Cup Tipselit Trophy, also known as The World Youth Cup. The Girls were one of only 16 invited to the event.
“There are international tours and then there are international events. The Gothia Cup Tipselit Trophy division is a super group of professional youth academies from around the World. Our teams were not there for sightseeing tours as the CCL prides itself in providing our very best players superior competition,” said Danny Beamer, CCL President.
CCL SELECT teams represent the very best players in the league. Players were scouted and identified from league play and CCL College Showcases from September 2015 through February 2016. Eighteen player rosters and four alternates were selected to participate in the event.
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“Often overlooked but extremely valuable to the league, we have current US Soccer National Staff, former US Soccer National Team and International players, former college coaches, and extremely talented Directors that understand what is needed to succeed at the highest levels. And the best part is that they want to work together to provide our best CCL players this unique opportunity,” said Brian Kuk, CCL Executive Director.
In preparation for the World Youth Cup, CCL SELECT teams spent three days at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland in an intense team training camp. “We brought in CCL PRO23 teams to scrimmage so that our players could prepare versus a faster, more physical opponent, and to replicate the high level we would be playing internationally. This not only allowed us to see who could play what role but also gave our players a taste of what would come,” commented Esteban Maldonado, CCL SELECT Girls Associate Head Coach.
The teams flew into Copenhagen, Denmark and stayed three nights at the top Danish club, FCN (FC Nordsjaelland). On site, each team trained inside the 10,300 seat stadium, with the Boys playing versus FCN 1999/2000 Boys Academy one evening.
“Farum is a small yet majestic town. The location was ideal for our teams to spend more time together and become immersed in the professional youth culture,” said Danny Beamer.
Prior to travelling to Gothenberg, Sweden, the teams were able to take in a Danish Superliga match, FC Copenhagen versus Lyngby Boldklub.
With the CCL SELECT Boys being the first American boys side to be invited to the Gothia Cup Tipselit Trophy, they were eager to prove themselves. They found themselves in a super group of Helsingborgs IF (Sweden), NK KRSKO (Slovenia) and IFK Norrkoping (Sweden). Each match proved to be very competitive with the margin of error tight. The Boys lost 1-2 to Helsingborgs, 0-1 to NK KRSKO, and tied 1-1 versus IFK Norrkoping. As formatted, the top two teams in a group advance to an A Pool Playoff and third and fourth place teams advance to a B Pool Playoff.
Coming off an excellent performance versus IFK Norrkoping, the Boys were motivated to find their first win versus Group 5 third place finisher, Djurgardens IF (Sweden). Using a balanced attack, along with a redesigned backline, the CCL SELECT Boys won 1-0 and would find themselves losing 1-2 versus the local professional youth club, IFK Goteberg in the B Pool Playoff Quarterfinal.
“The opportunity the CCL Select Boys received in competing at the Gothia Cup in the highly competitive U17 Tipselit Division was tremendous. Our CCL boys players were exposed to opponents with the highest technical and tactical standards that they had competed against. They played every game in festive environments with hundreds and sometimes over a thousand soccer savvy spectators. Although they may have been slightly slow to adjust to the
high pressure tempo and demands of the modified Gothia Cup match, they made improvements every game and were highly competitive in all of the Tipselit matches we played,” said Dan Ensley, CCL SELECT Boys Head Coach and SOCA Director of Coaching.
The CCL SELECT Girls found the ball bouncing their way in group play, winning the group in strong fashion with a 1-0 win versus Kristianstad DF (Sweden), 2-0 win against Stabaek Football (Norway), and 4-1 versus Umea IK FF (Sweden). As the winner of their group, the Girls become the first American side to advance into the Tipselit Trophy Quarterfinal. However, the Girls were not done.
The Girls A Pool Playoff Quarterfinal would match CCL SELECT versus a very strong AIK FF side from Stockholm, Sweden. Keeping to its signature, the Girls were well organized defensively, stifling any coordinated attack from the opponent. A beautifully orchestrated attack from the Girls provide the lone goal of the match and a 1-0 victory and place into the Semifinal where they lost 0-1 to Eskilstuna United DFF (Sweden).
“The level was outstanding and our girls were up to every challenge. We only gave up two goals the entire event. The team believed in each other and played for each other. No matter the role, each and every player did their part. Top level players need to play in this event”, commented German Peri, CCL SELECT Girls Head Coach and Arlington Director of Coaching.
Due to the overall quality of play and success of the CCL SELECT Boys and Girls, CCL SELECT has already been invited back to participate in the 2017 Gothia Cup Tipselit Trophy.
“We are extremely excited to be invited back to the Tipselit Trophy division. This is a credit to the CCL, coaching staff and more importantly, the players. The Tipselit organization, quality of venues and exceptional competition is exactly what aspiring, motivated youth soccer players are looking for to help them improve. The best players want the best. They will get it with CCL SELECT and the Gothia Cup Tipselit Trophy,” commented Brian Kuk.
CCL SELECT GIRLS ROSTER
Brooke Bauman (SOCA), Meredith Beam (Arlington), Cameron Brown (Beach FC), Kendra Clarke (Maryland United), Mary Cook (SOCA), Haley Eiser (FC Richmond), Anna Felber (Loudoun), Isabelle Fontana (Beach FC), Gigi Foster (Loudoun), Noelle Galindo (Roanoke Star), Brennen McCarthy (Arlington), Lindsay Pierce (DC Stoddert), Elizabeth Prillaman (Roanoke Star), Sophia Sanie (Arlington), Alyse Stukey (Beach FC), Reagan Tate (Beach FC), Nicole Willing (Arlington), Anja Wilson (FC Richmond). Head Coach: German Peri (Arlington), Associate Head Coach: Esteban Maldonado (LMVSC), Assistant Coach: Aldo Macias (LMVSC), Athletic Trainer: Nicole Grevious (SOCA, PT@ACAC)
CCL SELECT BOYS ROSTER
Will Collins (FC Richmond), Alexander Corado (Loudoun), Hugh Curran (Arlington), John Andrew Eskay (FC Frederick), Holden Fisher (FC Richmond), Connor Gill (Arlington), Jared Greene (Beach FC), Zachary Hosseinian (Loudoun), Matt Johnson (Beach FC), Chris Little (Loudoun), Garrett Lyons (Potomac), Nabil Milani (Loudoun), Hunter Otteni (SOCA), Colin Robinson (FC Frederick), Justin Smith (SYA), Zachary Wiley (Roanoke Star). Head Coach: Dan Ensley (SOCA), Associate Head Coach: Bo Eskay (FC Frederick), Assistant Coach: Aldo Macias (LMVSC), Athletic Trainer: Cole Powell (Loudoun, The National Sports Medicine Institute).
