The SUMMIT Championship hosted by DPL: U13-U19 Age Group Previews

LOS ANGELES, CA – Top teams from the Development Player League (DPL) are gathering in Tampa Bay, Fla. this week for the first-ever SUMMIT Championship.

Continue reading for a look ahead at each age group.

2010 – U13 SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIP

Sunrise Sting and their neighbors Pinecrest are big favorites to do well in their home state. There are some undefeated squads coming into the SUMMIT that will leave with a loss on their record. Sting are a perfect 10-0 without even conceding a goal this year in conference play. They will be pushed to the limit by the Southwest leaders Liverpool IA Socal, also undefeated with a big time offense having put away 45 goals across their first 8 conference games. Boulder County United of the Mountain West are also 8-0 without a single goal conceded. On their tails are 3 teams that have only tasted defeat once in Conference, New England Surf, Rhode Island Surf and Triangle United. Any one of those teams are capable of providing the upset.

G2009 – U14 SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIP

Local Powerhouse Sting bring fire to this age group with a 9-0 record and sitting top of the Florida Conference. Norcal and the Northeast are represented strong with Walnut Creek Surf (6-0) and Ginga (7-0-1) also coming into the competition without a loss. 2022 National Champs SD Force (9-1-0) are in town from the Southwest and Tormenta (13-1-0) from the Southeast conference are also flying high and will be a match for anyone on their day. Colorado Rush (8-1-0), Florida Hawks (9-2-0), and Tophat (10-4-3) round out the top bracket of the age group.

2008 – U15 SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIP

12 teams total are vying for the SUMMIT Championship at U15. City SC are 2022 National Finalists and are leading the way in the Southwest Conference (10-0) . They are joined by their Socal counterparts LA SURF (7-1-1). Pinecrest (12-0) are the leading local squad at the event and will be a tough team to beat but the likes of Sting (9-1-1), New Mexico Rush (9-3-0) and SSA (11-2-3) have all proven they are a match for anyone. The wildcards are the Northeast Clubs that have yet to have many conference games under their belts heading into the event but you can expect NEFC NS and RI Surf to be big challenges in this age group.

2007 – U16 SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIP

Norcal standouts AllStars United (7-0) are a handful and their opening game against Sunrise Sting (11-0) is one of the matchups of the weekend. City SC (7-0-3) will be ready to compete and there are subtle whispers coming out of the Mountain West that LA Roca (8-1-2) should not be underestimated. Triangle United (11-1-4) and Cape Coral (5-2-2) look to be the best options outside of the favorites in this age group to make a run at the Championship.

2006 – U17 SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIP

Games are never won on paper but can you really look past the Reigning National Champs out of the Southwest Conference Liverpool IA Socal (8-0) to take home the SUMMIT Championship? The biggest threats look to come from the Mountain West Club La Roca (10-1-0), fellow Southwest Challengers San Diego Force (7-1-2) and the local girls from Pinecrest (9-1-1). However, capable of pulling off big surprises are LA Surf (5-3-1) and SSA (12-3-1).

2004/05 – U19 SUMMIT CHAMPIONSHIP

This looks like a straight up East Coast vs West Coast Battle. On the West Coast side you have Current National Champs and Conference Leaders City SC (8-0-1), who have only dropped points against undefeated Albion SD (7-0-3) in a 3-3 tie as well as National Finalists Santa Monica Surf who are out for revenge. On the East Coast side you have Sunrise (10-0-1), West Florida Flames (11-0) and OC Lake Nona (8-2-0) who are all capable of getting to the SUMMIT. Keep an eye out for La Roca (8-1-3) from the Mountain West a big team with big ambitions this year.