Elite Clubs National League playoff picture grows clearer

By Jimmy LaRoue

Teams are working to solidify their spots in the Elite Clubs National League playoffs as the regular season concludes this weekend.

While all the ECNL clubs will be in attendance in Waukegan, Illinois for the league’s final event, only the top 16 teams in the Under-15 through U-18 age groups in National Flight A will compete for a national championship.

U-14/U-15: All ECNL U-14/U-15 teams participate in the national championship event. In U-15, the national championship group will feature the top 16 National Flight A teams. In U-14, the top two teams in each conference will be in the national championship group. The national championship groups in U-14 and U-15 play four games over four days, while all other teams play three games over three days.

U-16/U-17/U-18: All U-16 and U-17 ECNL teams participate in the national championship event, while the top 16 teams in each flight of the U-18 age group participate in the national championship event. The national championship groups, consisting of the top 16 teams in the National Flight A standings at U-16 and U-17, and the top 16 teams in both flights at U-18, will play four games in four days. All other teams will play three games in three days.

Current standings in each age group are below:

U-14 (top 2, number represents points-per-game average)

Mid-Atlantic Conference: 1. FC Virginia 2.44, 2. Ohio Premier Eagles 2.25

Midwest Conference: 1. Eclipse Select SC 2.86, 2. KCFC 2.13

Mountain West Conference: 1. Real Colorado 3.00, 2. Colorado Storm 2.00

Northeast Conference: 1. PDA, 2.69, 2. FC Stars of Massachusetts 2.40

Northwest Conference: 1. Mustang SC 1.93, 2. Crossfire Premier 1.92

SoCal Conference: 1. San Diego Surf 2.56, 2. Arsenal SC 2.44

Southeast Conference: 1. Charlotte Soccer Academy 2.53, 2. Atlanta Fire 2.25

Texas Conference: 1. FC Dallas 2.50, 2. Dallas Sting 2.13

U-15 Flight A (top 16)

1. Gwinnett Soccer Association  2.56

2. Eclipse Select Soccer Club  2.55

3. PDA 2.40

4. So Cal Blues SC 2.38

5. West Coast FC 2.38

6. Colorado Rush 2.38

7. Dallas Texans 2.31

8. Dallas Sting 2.20

9. San Diego Surf 1.94

10. FC Stars of Massachusetts 1.80

11. TSC Hurricane 1.75

12. Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 1.73

13. Crossfire Premier 1.60

14. Michigan Hawks 1.46

15. Lonestar SC 1.38

16. Real So Cal 1.33

Outside looking in:

17. Mustang SC 1.33

18. CASL Chelsea Ladies 1.09

19. Bethesda SC 1.00

20. Carmel United 1.00

U-16 Flight A (top 16)

1. Slammers FC 2.28

2. Lonestar SC 2.22

3. KCFC 2.11

4. PDA 2.08

5. Eclipse Select Soccer Club 1.82

6. Michigan Hawks 1.78

7. So Cal Blues 1.78

8. Mustang SC 1.71

9. Dallas Sting 1.67

10. Atlanta Fire 1.64

11. Freestate Soccer Alliance 1.62

12. West Coast FC 1.61

13. San Diego Surf 1.53

14. FC Stars of Massachusetts 1.50

15. Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 1.43

16. Crossfire Premier 1.38

Outside looking in:

17. Carmel United 1.17

18. D’Feeters Soccer Club 1.12

19. Sereno Soccer Club 1.08

20. Bethesda SC 1.07

21. Dallas Texans 1.06

U-17 Flight A (top 16)

1. Eclipse Select Soccer Club 2.54

2. CASL Chelsea Ladies 2.21

3. Scorpions SC 2.09

4. Mustang SC 2.06

5. Dallas Sting 2.05

6. Dallas Texans 2.00

7. Colorado Rush 1.92

8. Concorde Fire 1.86

9. TSC Hurricane 1.84

10. Ohio Premier Eagles 1.81

11. FC Virginia 1.81

12. Slammers FC 1.71

13. Real So Cal 1.70

14. Bethesda SC 1.60

15. San Diego Surf 1.59

16. Michigan Hawks 1.57

Outside looking in:

17. PDA 1.50

18. Lonestar SC 1.44

19. Carmel United 1.31

20. Crossfire Premier 1.14

21. D’Feeters Soccer Club 1.06

22. Gwinnett Soccer Association 1.00

U-18 Flight A (top 16)

1. Dallas Texans 2.46

2. Michigan Hawks 2.33

3. Colorado Rush 2.09

4. Mustang SC 2.07

5. Arsenal FC 2.00

6. Slammers FC 2.00

7. SC Del Sol 2.00

8. PDA 1.90

9. Albertson Fury 1.78

10. Eclipse Select Soccer Club 1.77

11. Solar-Chelsea Soccer Club 1.71

12. Real Colorado 1.64

13. FC Stars of Massachusetts 1.60

14. KCFC 1.50

15. Carmel United 1.38

16. San Diego Surf 1.22

Outside looking in:

17. Challenge SC 1.17

18. So Cal Blues 1.12

19. Crossfire Premier 1.09

20. Dallas Sting 1.09

21. Real So Cal 1.05

22. Sockers FC 1.00

In Flight B, all ECNL competitions played against one another have been included in the league’s national standings, which have included all qualifying conference games, cross-conference games and games at national events where Flight B teams faced each other. The top four teams in Flight B will face off in the Flight B national championship group at the ECNL National Championships next month in Illinois and will face off to determine a Flight B national champion.  Those four will also automatically be promoted to Flight A for the 2012-13 season.

Also, the fifth and sixth place teams in Flight B, along with the 25th and 26th place teams in the A-Flight national standings will play in a promotion and relegation playoff group at the national championships for the one remaining Flight A spot in 2012-13.

U-15 top four, Flight B: 1. Vardar, 2.86, 1. Sereno SC 2.86, 3. Minnesota Thunder Academy 2.46, 4. Penn Fusion SA 2.38.

Promotion/relegation playoff (5th/6th Flight B, 25th/26th Flight A): 5B. Washington Premier 2.31, 6B. Freestate Soccer Alliance 2.19 ppg, 25A. Arsenal FC 0.50, 26A. Challenge SC 0.47

U-16 top four, Flight B: 1. FC DELCO 2.25, 2. Connecticut FC 2.18, 3. Real So Cal 2.13, 4. World Class FC 2.12; Promotion/relegation playoff (5th/6th B-Flight, 25th/26th A-Flight): 5B. Solar-Chelsea Soccer Club 2.08, 6B. Heat FC 2.00 25A. St. Louis Scott Gallagher 0.82, 26A. Colorado Rush 0.82

U-17 top four, Flight B: 1. McLean Youth Soccer 2.50, 2. Carolina Elite Soccer Academy 2.44, 3. Solar-Chelsea Soccer Club 2.42, 4. Washington Premier 2.29; Promotion/relegation playoff (5th/6th B-Flight, 25th/26th A-Flight): 5B.  FC Stars of Massachusetts 2.22, 6B. World Class FC 2.22; 25A. So Cal Blues 0.84, 26A. Real Colorado 0.75

U-18 top 16, Flight B: 

For the U-18 age group, the top 16 Flight B teams in the national standings will qualify for the national championships and they will play four games to determine a Flight B national champion.

1. Scorpions SC 2.79

2. D’Feeters Soccer Club 2.62

3. FC Virginia 2.50

4. Utah Avalanche 2.27

5. SoccerPlus Connecticut 2.21

6. De Anza Force 2.20

7. Atlanta Fire 2.00

8. FC Milwaukee 2.00

9. Freestate Soccer Alliance 1.95

10. Ohio Premier Eagles 1.71

11. Connecticut FC 1.69

12. FC Delco 1.65

13. Las Vegas Premier 1.63

14. Birmingham United 1.53

15. Gwinnett Soccer Association 1.47

16. Lonestar SC 1.36

Outside looking in:

17. Eagles Soccer Club 1.36

18. Washington Premier 1.27

19. Vardar 1.27

20. FC Bucks 1.25

21. East Meadow 1.21

22. FC Dallas 1.21