2024 Boys Fall College Showcase Recap
Despite inclement weather impacting most of the state, the NorCal Boys Fall College Showcase was played this past weekend at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex, with more than 60 college coaches in attendance scouting their next star players.
While downpours leading up to the weekend forced NorCal to reduce the schedule to accommodate field closures, games were still played between teams from different leagues including NorCal’s ECNL-RL and NPL, as well as the ECNL and MLS Next.
“Despite the weather conditions, NorCal’s latest College Showcase included some standout moments of skill, great play, and quality competition from everyone who participated,” said NorCal NPL Commissioner Kelcey Chaidez. “NorCal would like to thank all the attending teams and coaches who made this incredible eventpossible.”
A highlight of the weekend was Saturday night’s Boys All-Star game, where select players from NorCal’s ECNL-RL and NPL leagues were chosen to play against each other.
The squads, which were split into players from the Bay Area and Valley regions, were made up of athletes currently in their junior and senior years of high school and coached by Oakland Roots Technical Director Jordan Ferrell and NorCal Assistant PDP Director Justin Selander.
The Bay side came out on top, winning 4-1, with goals scored by Amir Anwary (Livermore Fusion), Pouyan Sheikh (Palo Alto), Manalo Joaquin (AFC), and Raziel Garcia (AFC); Valley’s goal came towards the end of the match from Cash Philbrick (Livermore Fusion).
A huge congrats to NorCal’s first ever Player of the Match performance from Amir Anwary of Livermore Fusion.
“While the College Showcase All-Star game is still in its infancy, it has already become one of the most-anticipated events at the showcase, both for the players participating and the college coaches,” Chaidez said. “This past weekend’s game was another opportunity to celebrate the top players in NorCal in what turned out to be an excellent game of soccer.”
Another highlight of the event proved to be the USPL playoff game that was hosted at the event, in which Project 51O, the Oakland Roots’ development team, defeated Acoreano Sport via a 2-1 scoreline thanks to a goal from former NorCal PDP player Roberto Gonzalez.
We are tremendously grateful for all those who made this weekend possible despite the challenges of the wet conditions–from all the field crews who worked to clear standing water from fields to make them playable, the event staff, our host complex; to the flexibility of the players, teams, families, coaches, managers; and the college coaches who attended to scout–thank you, All.
NorCal recognizes that teams that were unable to participate in the event missed an important showcasing opportunity, which has been a key feature of the NPL and ECNL RL leagues for years. To address this, NorCal is exploring alternative options for clubs and will announce details before spring season.
For more information on the NorCal College Showcase, click here.
