ECNL Girls Overall Club Champion and Top 25 Clubs unveiled for 2020-21

RICHMOND, VA – The ECNL announced LAFC Slammers as the ECNL Girls Overall Club Champion for the 2020-21 season. This honor is awarded to the club that has earned the highest point totals from regular season Conference titles, advancement into the ECNL National Playoffs and Finals, and overall success in these postseason events.

Achieving this recognition is no small feat, requiring consistent excellence across all age groups throughout the year.

“Winning the club title is something we set out to achieve every year at Slammers,” said Walid Khoury, LAFC Slammers Director of Coaching. “We are so proud of this accomplishment and even more proud to say we’re just the second club in ECNL history to win it back-to-back. To our administrators, coaches, parents and most importantly our athletes, we all share in this success. We thank you and are so proud!”

LAFC Slammers captured three regular season conference titles, finishing no worse than third in any age group. The club averaged 2.65 points per game across all teams and sent a team from every age group to the ECNL National Playoffs.

The California club advanced four teams (U13, U14, U16 and U17) to the ECNL National Finals, where the U13 and U16 teams each won a national championship. The U17 and U14 teams finished second and third respectively.

LAFC Slammers clinched the ECNL Overall Club Champion title for the fourth time in league history, the most of any ECNL club to date. Only two clubs have accomplished this feat even twice, Michigan Hawks and PDA. LAFC Slammers is also just the second club to win the overall club championship in back to back seasons.

“Achieving the title of Overall Club Champion is a massive accomplishment that is earned by every player and coach, at every training and through every competition,” said Jen Winnagle, ECNL Girls Commissioner. “Reaching this level of excellence facing as many quality teams as LAFC Slammers did, is tremendous. And to win the award in two consecutive seasons is phenomenal. Congratulations to the LAFC Slammers coaches, staff and players on this award and for continuing to be leaders on and off the field.”

The overall club championship for LAFC Slammers continues to recognize the club’s ability to bring the best out of their players. Khoury established the club with the mindset to focus on personal and team development rather than wins and losses. Through positive reinforcement and allowing his players the ability to make and learn from mistakes, success as followed, including awards such as regional tournament and national championship titles, overall club championships and alumni reaching the professional ranks.

“Don’t put the emphasis on winning; the winning will come from building the teams right,” Khoury said. “They just need that positive reinforcement, and letting them know that they made a mistake without saying, ‘you made a mistake.’ Positive reinforcement at the youth level goes a very long way. When they know they can make mistakes, that’s when players can reach their best potential. We just want them to become exceptional soccer players and exceptional people. We have created our own culture at Slammers and people that belong in that culture always seem to find us.”

2020-21 Top 25 Clubs