Jefferson Cup U-16 Boys Preview: Virginia, New York, Carolinas well-represented

With the 2015 Jefferson Cup quickly approaching, SoccerWire.com has started an article series previewing the top divisions for the showcase age groups. See below for a look at the U-16 boys Championship Division.

2015 Jefferson Cup Top Divisions: Girls | Boys

2015 Jefferson Cup Championship Division Previews
Girls: U-18 | U-17 | U-16
Boys: U-18 | U-17 | U-15

*Note: Jefferson Cup teams, please share your college commitments and Players to Watch by adding a SocceWire.com Player Profile. 

Arlington Attack Red
Coach: Chris Smith
[player_box id=46945 leftright=right]Representing the Club Champions League and one of Northern Virginia’s top clubs, Attack Red has consistently proven itself as a dominant team in this age group over the years. In 2014 alone, Attack won the [player_box id=50549 leftright=right]Virginia State Cup over another national heavyweight in BRYC Elite, and also [player_box id=51208 leftright=right]captured top flight titles in the EDP Cup and Potomac Memorial Tournament. A few of the team’s top players include forward Nikolas Jackson (2017), defender Samuel Dokken (2016), two-way player Alejandro Maldonado (2017), defender/midfielder Ian Mateer (2017), center midfielder Matias Hendi (2017) and defender Zachary Johnson (2018) among others.

Brentwood SC Aguila 98             
Coach: Rocky Flores
Brentwood SC Aguila 98 captured New York’s two major US Club Soccer trophies in 2014, winning the State Cup and finishing first in the New York NPL spring season. Aguila 98 also reached the semifinal round of the NPL Finals which was eventually won by fellow New York East team BW Gottschee 98. Forwards Roberto Ventura and Jefferson Portillo are two of the team’s most dynamic offensive players.

BRYC 98 Elite    
Coach: Brian Welsh
[player_box id=48107 leftright=right]A perennial national powerhouse from a premier Northern Virginia club, BRYC 98 Elite is coming off a division title at the Generation Adidas Bethesda [player_box id=50420 leftright=right]Tournament, an FC DELCO Players Cup top division title, a run to the Virginia State Cup final and a second place finish in the Region I Colonial League. BRYC is currently second place with an 11-2-0 record in the highly competitive Club Champions League U-16 Division, which includes Arlington Attack Red, Loudoun 98 Red and other top teams. A few of BRYC’s key players from the class [player_box id=48506 leftright=right]of 2017 include forward Sam Reeves and midfielders Ramez Bakhtari and Juan Benavides.                   

Carolina Elite SA 98 Premier
Coach: Nick Finotti
The reigning South Carolina State Cup champions recently won the Disney Soccer Showcase Premier Black Division, beating New York East State Cup champs Lake Grove-Newfield SC Rampage 3-0 in the final after going 3-0-0 in group play. Carolina Elite also finished second in the 2014 Southern Region Premier League East and were semifinalists in the Jefferson Cup Championship Division. A few of the team’s top players include center midfielder Quinn McNeill (2017), forward Nassim Al Naswasreh (2017), left winger Drake Byrd (2017), right winger Dean Sinatra (2017) and defender Brady Rider (2018).                                                  

CASL 98 Red      
Coach: Dan Popik
North Carolina State Cup champions CASL 98 Red took the top division in their home club’s prestigious showcase, and finished third in both the Southern Region Premier League East and NCYSA Spring Classic League in 2014. CASL boasts one of the strongest defensive units in the region, which includes class of 2017 backs Zachary Curtis, Cyrus Rad, Andrew Rabil and Luca Menozzi.

FSA FC Elite 98 
Coach: Tom D’Agostino              
FSA FC Elite returns to the Jefferson Cup in the top flight after running the table in the U-14 Superior Division in 2013, then proceeding to win the Connecticut State Cup, MSSL Spring College Showcase and finish third in the EDP Spring League 1st Division North in 2014. A few of the team’s key players include (2017) Michael El-Hachem, forward Khalid Rose (2016), and midfielders Tyler Champagne (2016) and Eric Dishnica (2016)

Lake Grove-Newfield SC Rampage
Coach: Timothy Graham
Lake Grove-Newfield SC Rampage had a successful 2014 winning one of the nation’s most competitive State Cup championships in Eastern New York, finishing first in the Region I Northeast League, second in the EDP Spring League 1st Division North and reaching the Disney Soccer Showcase Premier Black Division final. A few of the team’s key players include Alex Gibbs (2017), John Kazubowski (2016) and goalkeeper Brian Terra (2017).                    

Loudoun Soccer 98 Red
Coach: Mark Ryan
Reigning US Youth Soccer Region 1 champions and National Championship semifinalists Loudoun 98 [player_box id=50540 leftright=right]Red possess one of the most talented overall rosters in the nation, consistently finishing at or near the top of some of the highest level competitions. Led by US Youth [player_box id=48462 leftright=right]Soccer National Boys Competitive Coach of the Year Mark Ryan, Loudoun won the top flights of the OBGC Capital Cup and Annandale Premier Cup, and reached the [player_box id=48090 leftright=right]Potomac Memorial Tournament final in 2014. They also took first in the Region I Premier League and won the 2013-14 US Youth Soccer National League U-15 Blue [player_box id=48084 leftright=right]Division. Loudoun is currently second in the U-16 National League Blue Division and first in the Club Champions League at 11-1-1. A few key players for Loudoun include forward Giovanni Vasquez (2017), forward Jacob Labovitz (2017), defender Sam Golan [player_box id=50900 leftright=right](2017), midfielder Stephen Foss (2017), goalkeeper Colin Shutler (2016) and midfielder Nicolas Short (2017).       

Minneapolis United FC Premier
Coach: Gregg Olson       
Minnesota’s top team will get a chance to prove themselves among some top competition from other regions at the Jefferson Cup, as they take on Loudoun 98 Red (VA), Lake Grove-Newfield SC Rampage (NY-E) and Oklahoma FC 99. Minneapolis United FC Premier won State Cup, the Schwan’s USA Cup, the KC Champions Cup and the Midwest Cup in 2014 while also reaching the US Youth Soccer Region II Midwest Championship semifinals. Midfielder Garrett Opperman and forward Avi Eller are two of the team’s top playmakers.                  

NY Hota Thunder 98
Coach: Vinny Innes
Consistently one of the top teams in a Tri-State area packed with premier level US Club Soccer competition, New York Hota Thunder 98 have won divisions at the Disney Soccer Showcase and Massapequa Winter College Showcase, and have been finalists at the EDP Cup/MSSL Winter Showcase, US Club Soccer National Cup, Mid-Atlantic Regional and New York Cup all in the past year. Luan Elmazi (2016) and Adam Raso (2016) are two of the team’s top offensive playmakers.                        

Oklahoma FC 99
Coach: Stephen Phillips
Representing Oklahoma’s premier youth soccer club, OFC 99 will look to repeat as Jefferson Cup Championship Division winners after taking the U-15 age group in 2014. OFC 99 won the 2014 State Cup, Larry Creson Germantown Invitational Showcase and finished first in the Southern Region Premier League West. They also reached the semifinals of the Region III Southern Championship. A few of the team’s key players from the class of 2017 include goalkeeper Cooper Clark, left winger Joshua Berney, right winger Sean Grilley, midfielder Mitchell Kepner and forward Dante Brigida among others.                

Southern SSA Chelsea 99 Elite   
Coach: Ben Parks          
Georgia’s reigning State Cup champions are coming off a run to the Disney Soccer Showcase top flight semifinals, a fifth place finish in the Southern Region Premier League East and sixth place overall in the RPL. A few of the team’s key players include forward Aldair Cortez (2017), right winger Rhys Jeffrey (2017), center midfielder Andrew Viscomi (2017) and midfielder Noah Voyles (2018).