On Sunday, September 1st at 5 pm eastern, viewers have a chance to see many of the top young players in North America in the Super Y-League Championship from SAS Stadium in Cary, NC on the USL on Fox Sports World.

 

The USL just received word from the U.S. Soccer Federation that the Super Y-League Championship now has Olympic Development Program status.  Because of this ODP designation, SYL players will now be scouted by U.S. National Team coaches.

The Federation also granted ODP status to SYL’s forthcoming Regional Team program.  Thus, the whole program is now well on its way to fulfilling the USL’s goal of making SYL the elite youth soccer development model of the future. 

 

The Super Y-League is the junior building block in the USL pyramid.  It is a national club competition which allows the top one percent of youth players to compete against one another in a week-in, week-out regional league.  SYL is also run according to professional guidelines, without many of the strictures and roster limitations of traditional youth programs in the U.S. and Canada.

In addition to the many top youth soccer clubs involved in SYL, professional clubs fielding youth teams include:  the Rochester Rhinos, the Milwaukee Rampage, the Seattle Sounders, the Charleston Battery, DC United, Western Mass Pioneers, New York Freedoms, and the Cleveland Crunch.  

 

The USL on Fox Sports World Super Y-League program this coming Sunday features the finals from all five SYL age groups.  The quality of play should leave viewers very optimistic about the future of the sport of soccer in America.

 

The Boys U14 final features the host club, Capital Area Soccer League (CASL), of Raleigh, NC.  CASL is the largest soccer club in the U.S. with over twelve thousand members. 

CASL’s depth of talent is evident as the their Elite U14s dominated group play at this tournament, going 3-0-0, and allowing just one goal while scoring a whopping 15 in games against the Richmond Kickers, Vancouver Pro Wave and Sea Coast United (NH).   CASL then pipped defending age group champion DC United 1-0 in the semi-final.

 

CASL Elite’s opponent in the U14s, West Kendall Renegades, is also a talented team.  West Kendall topped a group that included Rochester Jr. Rhinos, DVSC (CA) and Western Mass. Pioneers and then edged FC DELCO (PA) 2-0 in the semis.

 

The Boys U15 final pits traditional power FC DELCO of Philadelphia versus FC Fremont of California. 

 

Ryan Castle is the danger man for FC DELCO, who are coached by Michael Gorni.  FC DELCO is a defense-first outfit, having allowed just one goal in three group stage wins in a bracket with Vancouver Pro Wave, Royale Orlando F.A. and CASL.

Fremont FC is a family affair, with Head Coach Paul Kozachenko’s son Alex pulling the strings in the engine room in midfield.  Fs Jeff Stepan and Mark Thayer comprise Fremont’s striker tandem.  While FC DELCO are heavily favored, Fremont will give them all they can handle.

 

In the Girls U14 Final, Montclair, New Jersey’s PDA Wildcats take on Atlanta Fire SC.  PDA’s stars are many and Coach Tom Anderson has put together a team capable of scoring goals in bunches:  Toby Heath, Jennifer Anzivino, Leslie Amster and Katherine Johnston lead the way.  For coach Mark Tonner’s Fire, Laura Smith and Shannon Hackett are the goal scorers up top.

Moving up to the U16, one really begins to see the how the maturation process manifests itself, both in terms of the greater physical strength of the older players, and their increased tactical awareness. 

 

U16 finalists NY Freedoms (Queens, NY) are affiliated with their D3 Pro League namesakes and are managed by St. John’s University Head Coach Dave Maser.

The Freedoms are absolutely stacked with talent.  Names to keep track of include F David Osorno, M Paul Racines, D Bakary Soomare and M Ryan Reyes.

 

The Cleveland Crunch U16s are an impressive team as well, having emerged from a tournament group that included Boston Bulldogs, Corona Crew (California) and CASL Elite.  Crunch players to keep an eye on are M Kai Kasiguran and box-to-box D Israel Jones.

 

The U17 Boys final showcases the Black and Red of DC United against the CASL Elite U17s.   Top prospects abound on both rosters.  

 

DC’s “Number 10” Muner Hassen brings an impressive bag of skills and will work his magic in the midfield.  Also watch for United target man Will Sanford, GK Dustin Toth and M Ethan Gertsen, an excellent passer of the ball.

 

As for CASL Elite…take your pick, as this team heads into the Final riding a 15 game SYL winning streak.  Brad Darby is an excellent crosser of the ball from the right wing, while in the middle of the park, F David Boole’s strength and power complements the pacey skill of M Casey Shandley.  CASL is backstopped by GK Justin Hughes, a top college prospect who looks like a grown man while commanding his penalty area.

 

All five SYL age groups promise a good show with lots of action and goals. The event also offers a snapshot of American youth soccer development on the heels of this summer’s U.S. Men’s National Team World Cup success.  Anyone interested in the future of the sport will want to tune in.

 

I will handle play-by-play duties on the broadcast, joined by former U.S. National Team striker Bruce Murray, who will provide the color commentary.

Brad Feldman is a play-by-play announcer for telecasts of the USL on Fox Sports World throughout the 2002 season. He is also the radio color analyst for the New England Revolution and calls play-by-play for international soccer matches.

Feldman teaches journalism and media at Northeastern University and Bay State College in Boston. His match previews appear in this space weekly.