PDA, New York Red Bulls and New York Cosmos capture 2011-12 Northeast Pre-Academy League titles
Northeast Pre-Academy League Playoff Schedules / Results | Northeast Pre-Academy League Website
CHARLESTON, S.C. (June 11, 2012) – PDA, New York Red Bulls, and the New York Cosmos earned 2011-12 Northeast Pre-Academy League championships Sunday at the league's final four playoff event, which was held June 9-10 at PA Classics Park in Manheim, Pa., in conjunction with a Player Development Program (PDP).
U-13 Champion: PDA
U-14 Champion: New York Red Bulls
U-15 Champion: New York Cosmos
Quarterfinal winners in the U-13, U-14 and U-15 age groups participated in the final four event, with semifinals on Saturday ahead of Sunday's championship and third-place contests.
PDA won the U-13 age group with a 7-1 victory over New York Cosmos Academy. The team was undefeated throughout the entire season, finishing with a record of 17-0-3.
New York Red Bulls defeated Baltimore Bays Chelsea 4-3 in the U-14 final. The victory avenged the Red Bulls' only loss of the season, which had come April 29 with a 2-1 loss to Baltimore Bays Chelsea.
New York Cosmos Academy beat New York Red Bulls 3-1 to earn the U-15 championship. The win was a rematch of the 2011 U-14 finals, won by the Red Bulls.
“Our team advanced through the playoffs by defeating two very disciplined teams, including a rematch of last year’s U-14 final,” said Miguel Brunengo, Club Director of the New York Cosmos, about the U-15 squad. “This is very special to our club, especially since the majority of the team has been together since U-8. This was a great event and it meant a lot to our club to win our first championship in the Northeast Pre-Academy League.”
With their victories, the three teams advance to the inaugural National Premier Leagues Champions Cup, where NPL national championships will be awarded. That event will be held July 27-31 at Waukegan Sports Park in Waukegan, Ill.
“The team is very excited to advance to the NPL Champions Cup,” said Brunengo. “This is something that all teams strive for, so we will work very hard and try to represent our league with class.”
On Saturday, 48 of the top players born in 1999 from around the league gathered for training as the league hosted a PDP. The players participated in technical training and high-quality 8v8 games. The coaching staff for the PDP included Gerry McKeown (Director of the Boys id2 Program), Sammy Nellins (PDA), Wayne Galloway (NJSA 04), Brandon Quaranta (Baltimore Bays Chelsea), and Phil Herbert (goalkeeper coach, PDA).
US Club Soccer’s Player Development Programs (PDPs) are regionally-based identification and developmental programs conducted within the id2 Program umbrella and centered around the National Premier Leagues in specific geographic areas.
| ABOUT THE NATIONAL PREMIER LEAGUES: |
US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues have been created to provide a national competitive developmental platform:
• focused on long-term player development;
• for the country’s top soccer clubs, allowing consistent, meaningful high-level games appropriately scheduled with higher training-to-game ratios;
• that allows players to be scouted and evaluated by U.S. Soccer National Staff and Technical Advisors;
• that is designed and structured by the clubs, based on the needs of the clubs;
• using international rules of competition;
• that provides an avenue for qualification for the NPL Champions Cup.
The NPL is an important component of US Club Soccer’s 10-year vision to refine the landscape for competitive youth soccer. This vision recognizes that:
• properly-structured youth soccer clubs are the vehicle through which player development does and must occur in the United States.
• clubs should play in leagues that provide meaningful games, allow establishment of the proper training-to-game ratio, and eliminate calendar congestion.
• National Premier Leagues, as well as the best clubs, should be integrated in US Club Soccer’s id2 National Identification and Development Program, include Player Development Programs (PDPs) in select local markets, and work closely with U.S. Soccer staff regarding player identification, and player and coach development.
| ABOUT US CLUB SOCCER: |
US Club Soccer is a non-profit organization committed to the development and support of soccer clubs and players in the United States. A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer maximizes flexibility and offers youth and adult player and staff registration, integrated competition platforms at the recreational and competitive levels, as well as a variety of other programming, including the Olympic Development Program-sanctioned id2Program and Player Development Programs.
Unique to US Club Soccer is the ability of member clubs to unite youth and adult programs within one organization, creating a "members for life" culture" within each club.