Three New Jersey Youth Soccer teams are continuing their quest for a national title after advancing past group play at the US Youth Soccer National Championships, which are being hosted at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. New Jersey representatives who are moving onto the next stage include The Football Academy Black 13U Boys, The Football Academy Black 14U Boys and Cedar Stars North 19U Boys.
The Football Academy Black 13U Boys advanced to the USYS National Championship Final after earning the top seed from their bracket in the opening round. The New Jersey side concluded group play with six points on a 2-1-0 record, and they will now face BLFC Premiership 11 (IL) in the 13U Boys National Championship on Friday night at 7:00 PM. The national spotlight will be on that match-up, with the game being televised live on ESPNEWS. The journey to Friday night started for The Football Academy Black 13U Boys in the fall of 2023 when they lifted the NJYS State Cup for their age group. The next stop on their itinerary was at the USYS Eastern Regional Championships in West Virginia, where they won six consecutive matches en route to claiming the regional championship earlier this month.
The Football Academy Black has a second team in the elimination rounds of the USYS National Championship as well, with their 14U Boys heading to the semifinals this weekend. After booking their spot in the national tournament via the National League P.R.O., The Football Academy Black 14U Boys went unbeaten in group play, earning seven points on a cumulative 2-0-1 record to claim the top spot in their bracket. Next up for the New Jersey representative is a Saturday morning reservation with Yardley Makefield Soccer 2010 Boys Premier United (PAE) at 10:30 AM.
Also moving onto the USYS National Championship Semifinals is the Cedar Stars North 19U Boys, who went undefeated in group play. After pairing nine points and a 3-0 record with a 7-1 goal differential, Cedar Stars North now advances to battle Indiana Fire 2005B NL (IN) on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM. The journey for Cedar Stars North began with a NJYS State Cup Championship this past spring before they won six consecutive matches to claim the USYS Eastern Regional Championship for their age group. Over the course of the Eastern Regional Championships and National Championships, Cedar Stars North has gone undefeated and won nine straight games.
New Jersey was represented by an additional six teams at the USYS National Championships. However, no quarterfinal round at the national tournament meant a smaller pool of teams advanced to the elimination rounds. Also competing at the USYS National Championships but unfortunately seeing their tournament run end after group play was NJ Nationals Elite (15U Girls), Torpedoes Red (16U Boys), Ironbound NAL (17U Boys), Cedar Stars North (17U Boys), PDA/Vistula Lewandowski (17U Boys) and The Football Academy Black (19U Girls).
The USYS National Championships Presented by New York Life are the final stage of the USYS National Championships, which begin at the state level before progressing to the regional and then national stages. The event is a culmination of a year-long series of competitions, providing approximately 185,000 players on 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer’s 54 State Associations with the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation.
