FC Virginia, Freestate, McLean fighting for ECNL playoff positioning
By Jimmy LaRoue
Local teams are fighting for playoff positioning as the Elite Clubs National League regular season enters its last few weeks.
FC Virginia sits atop the U-14 Mid-Atlantic Conference, with only the top two in each conference for that age group set to participate in the national championships next month in Chicago.
With the top 16 teams in U-16 through U-18 eligible for a national championship, Bethesda SC’s U-15s sit in 17th, narrowly outside the last playoff spot. Freestate and Bethesda are just outside the top 16 for a U-16 A-Flight playoff berth. FC Virginia sits in 16th in U-16s as Freestate and Bethesda are on the outside looking in.
In the promotion/relegation fight, McLean YSA’s U-16s are in 2nd place in B-Flight, while Freestate is in 25th. The top four teams in B-Flight for U-15 through U-17 automatically get promoted to A-Flight, while the 25th and 26th place teams are entered into a promotion/relegation playoff with the B-Flight fifth and sixth place teams.
Next weekend, the PDA Showcase is set to take place next weekend in Zarepeth, N.J., with Virginia Rush, Bethesda SC, FC Virginia, Freestate Soccer Alliance and McLean YSA taking part.
Keeping tabs on the postseason
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 A-Flight 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. FC Virginia holds the last spot in U-17s, while Bethesda is just behind in 17th, and
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 A-Flight national 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
U-15 A-Flight (top 16)
1. Gwinnett Soccer Association 2.67
2. Eclipse Select Soccer Club 2.50
3. Colorado Rush 2.38
4. So Cal Blues SC 2.33
5. West Coast FC 2.33
6. Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 2.25
7. Dallas Texans 2.15
8. Dallas Sting 2.08
9. San Diego Surf 2.00
10. PDA 1.80
11. TSC Hurricane 1.75
12. Crossfire Premier 1.60
13. FC Stars of Massachusetts 1.50
14. Michigan Hawks 1.46
15. Carmel United 1.43
16. Real So Cal 1.41
Outside looking in: 17. Bethesda SC 1.38, 18. Lonestar SC 1.36, 19. Mustang SC 1.33
U-16 A-Flight (top 16)
1. Slammers FC 2.33
2. So Cal Blues SC 2.14
3. Lonestar SC 2.13
4. KCFC 2.11
5. Dallas Sting 1.82
6. Michigan Hawks 1.78
7. PDA 1.75
8. Eclipse Select Soccer Club U16 1.69
9. San Diego Surf 1.67
10. Atlanta Fire 1.64
11. Mustang SC 1.64
12. FC Stars of Massachusetts 1.60
13. Ohio Elite Soccer Academy 1.50
14. Sereno Soccer Club 1.40
15. Crossfire Premier 1.38
16. West Coast FC 1.36
Outside looking in: 17. Freestate Soccer Alliance 1.33, 18. D’Feeters Soccer Club 1.19, 19. Bethesda SC 1.10
[ +U-16 standings/schedule ]
U-17 A-Flight (top 16)
1. Eclipse Select Soccer Club 2.70
2. Mustang SC 2.23
3. CASL Chelsea Ladies 2.21
4. Scorpions SC 2.14
5. Dallas Texans 2.13
6. Slammers FC 2.00
7. Concorde Fire 2.00
8. Ohio Premier Eagles 1.92
9. Dallas Sting 1.86
10. TSC Hurricane 1.84
11. Real So Cal 1.81
12. Colorado Rush 1.63
13. San Diego Surf 1.62
14. Michigan Hawks 1.57
15. Carmel United 1.56
16. FC Virginia 1.54
Outside looking in: 17. Bethesda SC 1.45, 18. Lonestar SC 1.44, 19. PDA 1.43
U-18 A-Flight (top 16)
1. Dallas Texans 2.42
2. Michigan Hawks 2.33
3. Mustang SC 2.23
4. Arsenal FC 2.06
5. SC Del Sol 2.00
6. Colorado Rush 2.00
7. Slammers FC 1.94
8. Solar-Chelsea Soccer Club 1.85
9. PDA 1.78
10. FC Stars of Massachusetts 1.78
11. Albertson Fury 1.78
12. Eclipse Select Soccer Club 1.77
13. KCFC 1.50
14. Real Colorado 1.50
15. Challenge SC 1.27
16. Carmel United 1.25
Outside looking in: 17. So Cal Blues SC 1.12, 18. San Diego Surf 1.12, 19. Real So Cal 1.11, 20. Sockers FC 1.08
In B-Flight, 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 B-Flight teams faced each other. The top four teams in the B-Flight will face off in the B-Flight national championship group at the ECNL National Championships next month in Illinois and will face off to determine a B-Flight national champion. Those four will also automatically be promoted to A-Flight for the 2012-13 season.
Also, the fifth and sixth place teams in the B-Flight, 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 A-Flight spot in 2012-13.
U-15 top four, B-Flight: 1. Vardar, 2.86 ppg, 1. Sereno SC 2.86 ppg, 3. Minnesota Thunder Academy 2.46 ppg, 4. Penn Fusion SA 2.20 ppg. Promotion/relegation playoff (5th/6th B-Flight, 25th/26th A-Flight): 5. World Class FC 2.14 ppg, 6. Washington Premier 2.10 ppg. 25th/26th A-Flight: 25. Challenge SC 0.54 ppg, 26. Albertson Fury 0.50 ppg
U-16 top four, B-Flight: 1. FC DELCO 2.43, 2. Real So Cal 2.36, 3. Concorde Fire 2.20, 4. Solar-Chelsea Soccer Club 2.20. Promotion/relegation playoff (5th/6th B-Flight, 25th/26th A-Flight): 5. World Class FC 2.00, 6. Vardar 1.93. 25. Dallas Texans 0.85, 26. St. Louis Scott Gallagher 0.82. Outside looking in (B-Flight): 7. McLean Youth Soccer 1.93
U-17 top four, B-Flight: 1. Solar-Chelsea Soccer Club 2.78, 2. McLean Youth Soccer 2.55, 3. Carolina Elite Soccer Academy 2.44, 4. Washington Premier 2.23. Promotion/relegation playoff (5th/6th B-Flight, 25th/26th A-Flight): 5. FC Stars of Massachusetts 2.13, 6. World Class FC 2.07; 25. FC DELCO 0.64, 26. Freestate Soccer Alliance 0.64
U-18 top 16, B-Flight
For the U-18 age group, the top 16 B-Flight teams in the national standings will qualify for the national championships and they will play four games to determine a B-Flight national champion.
1. Scorpions SC 2.77
2. D’Feeters Soccer Club 2.58
3. FC Virginia 2.50
4. SoccerPlus Connecticut 2.21
5. De Anza Force 2.20
6. Utah Avalanche 2.15
7. Atlanta Fire 2.00
8. FC Milwaukee 2.00
9. Freestate Soccer Alliance 1.82
10. Ohio Premier Eagles 1.71
11. Las Vegas Premier SC 1.63
12. Connecticut FC 1.58
13. Birmingham United 1.53
14. Lonestar SC 1.50
15. FC DELCO 1.47
16. Gwinnett Soccer Association 1.47
Outside looking in: 17. Eagles Soccer Club 1.36, 18. East Meadow 1.31, 19. FC Bucks 1.31, 20. Colorado Storm 1.31, 21. Washington Premier 1.30
