Thirty teams earn US Club Soccer New Jersey Cup titles
(Via US Club Soccer) – Thirty teams were awarded 2016 New Jersey Cup titles, May 7-8 at Cross Farm Park in Holmdel. Open to U-10 through U-18/19 boys and girls teams, the New Jersey Cup has historically large participation. This year was no different, as 934 teams participated in the tournament.
The championship weekend in May served as the culmination of a two-month long journey for teams that survived and advanced through the single-elimination format.
Champions from the U-13 through U-17 Super Groups qualified directly to the National Cup XV Finals. Winning teams from the U-13 through U-17 Premier Groups earned entry to a National Cup XV Regional, with most opting for the National Cup XV Mid-Atlantic Regional, June 27-30 in Somerset, N.J.
The National Cup XV Finals, which will be held July 22-25 at Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, Colo., is the culminating event of US Club Soccer’s cup-based national championship series that includes six Regional events and various state cups.
| AGE GROUP: | BOYS: | GIRLS: |
|---|---|---|
| U-10: | Holmdel Match Fit/NJX Ajax | PDA Lightning |
| U-11 (8 vs. 8): | NJ Elite PSV | PDA Strikers |
| U-12 (8 vs. 8): | Real New Jersey Spurs | NJ Wildcats Lopez NPL |
| U-12 (11 vs. 11): | SDFC Mercury | PDA Lyon |
| U-13 (Super Group): | TSF Academy 02/03 | New Jersey Rush ’02 Blue |
| U-13 (Premier Group): | Jackson Red Bulls | Freehold SL Arsenal Blue |
| U-14 (Super Group): | Wall SC Cosmos | NJ Wildcats Averbuch NPL |
| U-14 (Premier Group): | Harrison SC Vipers | PDA Shore Fusion |
| U-15 (Super Group): | STA Morris United NPL ‘00 | Princeton SA IGFA 00/01 NPL |
| U-15 (Premier Group): | Jersey United Spartans 00/01 Pre-ASL | B’Elite Player Development SC Chaos |
| U-16 (Super Group): | SJEB ‘99 | FC Copa Academy ’99 NPL Milan |
| U-16 (Premier Group): | Pasco Fire | NJ Crush FC Crossfire |
| U-17 (Super Group): | NJCSA Marlboro Warriors Blue | FC Copa Academy ’98 NPL Celeste |
| U-17 (Premier Group): | Next Level Arsenal | NJ Crush FC Charge |
| U-18/19: | Cedar Stars Academy Newark 97/98 | Princeton SA IGFA 97/98 Tigers NPL |
Three finals matches included teams from the same club: U-12 Girls 11v11 (PDA Lyon 1, PDA Shore Freedom 0), U-13 Girls Super Group (New Jersey Rush ’02 Blue 2, New Jersey Rush ’02 Grey 0) and U-16 Girls Premier Group (NJ Crush Crossfire 3, NJ Crush Tornadoes 2 in overtime).
New Jersey Cup qualifiers have typically fared well during the ensuing National Cup Finals. Last year, the International Girls Futbol Academy 00/01 won the U-14 Girls Super Group at the National Cup XIV Finals in Indiana after qualifying through the 2015 New Jersey Cup.
In 2014, at the National Cup XIII Finals in North Carolina, TSF Academy and Washington Lightning earned titles in the U-13 Boys Super Group and U-17 Boys Super Group brackets, respectively.
