15 NorCal Teams Begin Quest For NPL National Title

Beginning Monday in the shadow of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, 15 different teams from NorCal Premier Soccer will start their campaigns towards winning a countrywide title at the US Club Soccer NPL National Finals.

For the eight boys and seven girls sides competing, this serves as the culmination of a league season that saw each finish in the top two of NorCal’s NPL 1, or as the champion of fall league for some divisions.

“It’s exciting to see some of the best teams in Northern California get the opportunity to compete against the best from other NPLs around the country,” said NorCal NPL Commissioner Kelcey Chaidez. “Each of these teams has earned the right to represent NorCal at the highest level of competition in Colorado.”

Each of the 15 sides will be hoping to replicate what 1974 Newark FC, Association Football Club, and San Juan South did last year in winning their age groups to be crowned national champions.

This year, 13 different NorCal clubs are represented, with California Odyssey and MVLA leading the way with two entries each.

The other NorCal clubs competing are: Albion SC Merced, Clovis Crossfire, De Anza Force, Folsom Lake Surf, Los Gatos United, Palo Alto SC, SF United FC, South Valley United, Stockton Storm, Walnut Creek Surf, and West Coast Soccer.

All teams at the NPL National Finals have been placed into groups with other teams throughout the country and will play a minimum of three games before the competition cuts to the knockout stages.

The boys begin play July 8, with the final matches slated for July 14, while the girls kick off July 11 and conclude on July 15.

For more information about the competition, including rules, field maps, schedules, and standings, click here.