Three NorCal Sides Take Home National Titles

After a summer in which dozens of NorCal Premier Soccer teams competed nationally for titles following their high placements in NorCal’s league and cup competitions, three squads have emerged as national champions.

In the ECNL-RL Nationals, held in Richmond, Virginia last month, the San Francisco United 2011 Boys took home the title thanks to a 1-0 win over Delaware FC.

Meanwhile in the NPL National Finals, held earlier in July in Commerce City, Colorado, the California Odyssey 2008 Girls and South Valley United 2008 Boys each lifted trophies as countrywide victors.

In addition to the three victories, several other teams made strong runs but ultimately just missed out on claiming silverware.

• In the ECNL-RL, the MVLA 2010 Girls made it to the National Semifinals.
• Meanwhile, the Albion Merced 2009 Boys and De Anza Force 2006 Boys ended up as NPL National Finalists.
• Making the semifinal stage at the same competition were the California Odyssey 2010 Girls, the SF United 2010 Boys, and the West Coast Soccer Kryptonite 2007 Girls.

For more information on the ECNL-RL National Finals, click here for the boys and here for the girls. For more information on the NPL National Finals, click here.

What They’re Saying

SF United FC Director of Coaching Mario Villega: “This ECNL-RL National achievement fills us with pride and motivation to continue working and improving every day on and off the field of play. The children are very happy and this joy in them is what we as adults should celebrate. As a coach, I can only thank the children for their dedication, determination, commitment, teamwork, and humility. The players worked hard to compete at the highest level possible without thinking about winning because the result is just that–a result–but they must continue to focus on developing, which is what we truly believe in as coaches in our club. Representing NorCal is an honor for us and we felt their support as a league where the values are well identified and where equality and inclusion are at the forefront. With NorCal’s support everything becomes much easier to the point that even the impossible is achievable.”

California Odyssey Director of Coaching Vitalis Otieno: “The California Odyssey 2008 Girls went into the Nationals event with an overall record of 20-5-3. With their epic Nationals run, California Odyssey 2008 RL Girls came back from deficits in the semi final and final legs to win the National Championship. These resilient girls become the 7th team in California Odyssey history to win a National Championship. Congratulations girls!”

South Valley United Coach Israel Caballero: “Coach Herman and I, along with the boys, had set this goal for ourselves since the beginning. We knew that our goal of becoming national champions and getting promoted to ECNL was going to come with many tough obstacles. These last few seasons have been okay, but not the best. This season was different, we felt it was our time. We’ve been so close all these times and just kept falling short, not this year. I had that feeling this was our season. At practice I would hear the boys saying, ‘we’re going to win league,’ ‘we’re going to be ECNL,’ ‘we’re going to be national champs.’ You can see how bad they really wanted it. We were focused, we were hungry, and we just kept pushing for that number 1 spot. We started off league 4-0-1 in our first five games and then lost our 6th game. It was one of those games where it was just not enough. We knew we needed to win or tie our last and final game of the season to secure that No. 1 spot and be promoted to ECNL and Nation finals. We ended the season top of the table with four wins, one loss, and two draws, with 12 goals in favor and five against! Going into Nationals, I knew we were going against the top teams in the nation, but I also knew I coached one of those tops, if not the top team in the nation! I feel that not only their hard work but this moment led us to win the national final. It’s a very tough game. We were up 2-1 the whole game until the last final seconds when they tied the game. We ended up going to penalties after still being tied in overtime. It was a roller coaster, but we came out on top, and now we’re National Champions.”

South Valley United Coach Herman Villareal: “The NPL Finals was an experience of a lifetime for our team. They put in the work this season to get to this point. Our mission from the beginning of the season was to be promoted to ECNL and make it to Denver for the NPLFinals.  The growth and development our boys have made this year has put them in position to compete with anyone at the highest level of competition. The NPL Finals was exceptional. The organization of the event was top notch. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and hospitable.  The facilities were amazing and the entire atmosphere was exciting. Our team truly played as a team and a family in every game. I truly feel it brought our players closer together. Winning the final was an array of emotions fulfilling a dream for our players, families, friends, and coaches.  Looking forward to returning next year.”