All-Event Team announced for ECNL regular-season event at Disney's Soccer Showcase, presented by Chelsea FC
Web page - ECNL event at Disney's Soccer Showcase | All-Event Team | Standings | Schedule/Results | Interviews
CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 11, 2010) – ECNL clubs rang in the New Year with the third regular-season league event, in conjunction with Disney’s Soccer Showcase, presented by Chelsea FC. The event was held Dec. 31, 2009 – Jan. 3, 2010 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and Lake Myrtle Soccer Complex in Orlando, Fla.
Additionally, an All-Event Team was selected based upon feedback from ECNL scouts and nominations by coaches. The team consists of 11 players in each of the U-15, U-16 and U-17 age groups.
In addition to the ECNL regular-season matchups, member clubs also competed in crossover games with non-ECNL teams. All game results were taken into consideration for tournament titles at Disney’s Soccer Showcase, but only matchups between ECNL teams counted in the regular-season ECNL standings.
ECNL clubs fared very well at Disney’s Soccer Showcase, capturing 13 of 19 championships and 10 of 19 consolation games in the U-15 through U-17 Showcase and Predator flights. ECNL teams also won 23 of 38 crossover games.
ECNL regular-season results from the event as well as updated standings can be viewed at the ECNL at Disney’s Soccer Showcase Web page.
“The excitement of the players for the ECNL games has gotten higher at every event,” said ECNL President Christian Lavers. “Everyone seems to really appreciate that the competition matters for each team and for each club, and the games have continued to become more and more competitive. If you look at the standings and results, nearly every ECNL game is a 1 or 2 goal game – which reflects the competitive balance of the two tiers of competition and the quality of the ECNL clubs.”
You are also starting to see exciting playoff ‘races’ develop between many teams for placement in the groups for championship, promotion, and relegation groups at the ECNL National Championship,” Lavers added. “I think the excitement for these individual age group honors and league placements is already high – and the excitement for the overall ECNL Club National Champion and overall club standings will begin to heat up at the Las Vegas event.”
The ECNL games at Disney’s Soccer Showcase also marked the second event, which had an ECNL Player Identification Program component.
Designed to identify players with national team potential, the ECNL Player Identification Program focuses on the 1994 and 1995 birth years for the 2009-10 season and will expand to include additional age groups in 2010-11.
Based upon the performances of ECNL players in the 1994 and 1995 birth year at the ECNL Final Four Showcase and Disney’s Soccer Showcase, approximately 30 players will be invited into a new US Club Soccer id2 National Training Camp, which will be held in conjunction with the ECNL, Feb. 26-March 1, 2010, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. These identified players will be combined with approximately 30 players previously identified through US Club Soccer's id2 program to create a 60-player camp that will be staffed by some of the nation's top coaches and U.S. Soccer National Team staff. US Club Soccer and the ECNL will pay for all costs associated with the camp (except travel to and from camp).
The ECNL event at Disney’s Soccer Showcase was the third of five 2009-10 ECNL regular-season events. The next regular-season competition will be held March 12-14, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nev., in conjunction with the Las Vegas College Showcase.
Member clubs must select three of the five events to attend in advance of the 2009-10 ECNL National Championship, scheduled for July 15-18, 2010, in Seattle.
For more information and highlights from the event, visit the ECNL at Disney’s Soccer Showcase Web page.