Jefferson Cup 2024 Championship Division Preview: U16 Boys

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SoccerWire continues its annual article series previewing the Jefferson Cup’s Championship Divisions. In this edition, we take a look ahead at the U16 Boys age group.

This year’s Championship Division features sixteen of the top teams in the country playing in a Showcase format, with each team playing three games over the course of the Boys Showcase Weekend (March 22-24).

Charlotte Soccer Academy ECNL 08 (NC): Just two games into their Mid-Atlantic Conference season, CSA have come out of the gates swinging winning both of their matches over Fairfax BRAVE (6-1) and Virginia Union (2-1). The 08s are coming off of a 2022-2023 campaign which saw the team make the ECNL National Playoffs and will be looking to improve upon last year’s Jefferson Cup performance which saw them go 2-1-0 and just narrowly miss out on the knockout round.

Columbus United 08 Lions (OH): A finalist at last year’s Ohio State Cup, Columbus have had a strong run in National League play to start their 2023-2024 campaign. In Blue Bracket A, they earned two big wins over Legends FC (4-0) and Seacoast of Bedford (3-2) to finish second in their group.

FC Boston Bolts NAL 08 (MA): Started their inaugural NAL season with a big 3-1 over their rivals NEFC. Having taken the fall off due to the high school season, Bolts will look to use their experience in Richmond to help prepare for the long NAL schedule ahead.

Maryland United FC ECNL 08 (MD): Finished ECNL Florida with a statement victory, defeating FC Alliance 2-1 to go undefeated (1-0-2, 5 points) during the National Event. In big moments this season, Maryland United have consistently proven that they can handle the limelight. In addition their strong effort ECNL FL, they also earned two big wins at ECNL Phoenix in Arizona (2-1-0, 6 points).

Match Fit Academy ECNL 08 (NJ): Placed first in their bracket at the recent FC DELCO Showcase, allowing just one goal in their three victories. They followed it up with another strong effort at the PDA Thanksgiving Invitational, allowing just four goals while earning two wins. Most recently, the team finished ECNL Florida National Event with a perfect 3-0-0 record, and gave up only 1 goal to Atlanta Fire United (8 goals for and 1 against). The team’s defense is led by SoccerWire Featured Player Kyle Harvey, along with Chris Meehan, Gino Santise on the back line, playing in front of goalkeepers Colin Harkleroad and Mike Moore.

North Carolina FC Youth ECNL 08 (NC): Earned their first ECNL win of the 2023-2024 season down at the Florida event, defeating Space Coast United 2-0. A tough team to put away, NCFC can grind out results in all competitions, as evidenced by their 3-3 draw against Arlington SA in ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference play.

Pipeline SC ECNL 08 (MD): Last year’s finalists in the Jeff Cup’s U15 Championship Division, Pipeline will look to improve upon a performance which saw them go undefeated in Bracket A while earning three clean sheets. They earned a clean sweep at ECNL Phoenix, outscoring their opponents 8-2. At ECNL Florida they faced some stiff competition but still earned a 4-3 win over Florida Kraze while drawing Chicago Magic 0-0.

Potomac Soccer ECNL 08 (MD): In their first season of ECNL play, Potomac have shown that they are more than up for playing at the next level. In December, they held off mainstays Maryland United FC earning the close 2-1 win.

Richmond United ECNL 08 (VA): Grinded out a 3-1 against FSA at ECNL Florida to help give them a major victory at the national showcase event. In Mid-Atlantic Conference play in 2024, United have earned major victories over NCFC Youth (5-0) and Wilmington Hammerheads (2-1) to give their playoff ambitions a boost as they head into their final regular season matches.

St. Mary’s Soccer Boys Premier 08 (MD): A dark horse at this year’s Showcase, St. Mary’s are riding a strong stretch of positive results from the fall season. In November, they finished atop the U16 Bethesda Premier Cup Green Division, defeating Manhattan SC (1-0) and Oakville SC (2-0) while drawing level VDA 2-2. After making the USYS National Championships Group Stage last season, they are looking to make a deeper run this season and will use Jefferson Cup to help prepare. In the USYS National League Conference Playoffs, they finished first in Bracket G (2-0-1, 7 points) outscoring their opponents 8-4.

Spire FC ECNL RL 08 (OH): Won their first two ECNL Regional League games of the season, defeating Blast FC Academy (1-0) and Club Ohio (4-1) to start their campaign out on the right foot in the GLA Conference. They are coming off of a third place finish in last year’s Conference.

SUSA FC ECNL 08 (NY): Finished a top their flight at the Bethesda Premier Cup, having won all of their matches by a combined score of 11-2. SUSA qualified for last year’s ECNL National Playoffs and have already shown this year that they are more than ready for the challenge ahead, having defeated East Meadow SC 1-0 in their Northeast Conference opener.

SYC Soccer MLS NEXT 08 (VA): Last year’s Jeff Cup champions are back, looking to once again have a strong performance while representing MLS NEXT. They have earned some big results in league play thus far this season, including defeating PA Classics (3-2) and Bethesda SC (3-0).

Torpedoes SC U16 Red (NJ): The 2023 New Jersey State Cup Finalist and USYS East Regional Semifinalist are looking to turn heads at this year’s competition. Over the winter, they finished in first at PA Classics’ Winter College Showcase, defeating HEX FC ECNL (2-1), Sporting Athletic Club NAL (3-2), and SAC Pre-Academy (3-1).

VDA ECNL 08 (VA): After a Quarterfinal finish in last year’s ECNL National Playoffs, VDA is aiming for another chance at some silverware in 2024. They started the season strong, earning points in each of their first eight matches in the ECNL Mid-Atlantic Conference (6-0-2, 20 points).