California Cup Day 1 Recap
Day 1 of the California Cup is in the books with a total of 40 games being played at the Davis Legacy Soccer Complex on Saturday. SoCal Soccer League had a great first day going 14-3-3 in head-to-head matchups against NorCal opponents, however, most teams are still in contention to make the Finals with the final group games being played Sunday morning. The top two teams from each bracket of four will qualify for the California Cup State Championship matches.
This is the culmination of a process that saw nearly 6,000 teams from the entirety of the state begin play before being whittled down to the final two on each half of California.
Schedules for this weekend can be found here, while past results for each organization’s State Cups can be found here for NorCal and here for SOCAL.
U9 Boys
The SoCal teams swept the morning games against NorCal opponents with San Diego Surf beating MCS ECFC Salinas 4-0 and Total Futbol Academy beating CV Futbol Academy 4-2. The SoCal teams kept the top two spots after the afternoon matches after drawing 1-1. In their second match of the day, CV Futbol Academy got back in contention with a 2-0 win over ECFC which means they are back in contention and can make the final with a win over San Diego Surf on Sunday morning. TFA will make the final with a win or draw against ECFC.
U9 Girls
The SoCal teams got off to quick starts with San Diego Surf beating San Juan 9-0 and Slammers Orange beating Marin FC 6-0. However, in the afternoon, San Juan secured a 4-2 win over Marin FC while the two SoCal teams drew 3-3. On Sunday, San Juan and Slammers Orange meet with San Juan needing all three points to make the Final while a draw will do for Slammers. Surf looks likely to make the Final barring a lopsided loss to Marin FC due to an impressive plus-nine goal differential.
U9 Girls Schedules and Results
U10 Boys
Total Futbol Academy impressed on day 1 and have already booked a spot in the State Championship match thanks to a 5-0 win over Bay Area Surf (NorCal) and a 2-0 win over Arsenal FC Sporting (SoCal). It’s all to play for to see who will face TFA in tomorrow’s final. MCS ECFC is currently in second place with points from two draws and can clinch a spot in the Final with a win, but face a tough match with first place TFA in their final group match. If ECFC is unable to get three points, the winner of Bay Area Surf and Arsenal FC Sporting would clinch a spot in Sunday afternoon’s Final.
U10 Boys Schedules and Results
U10 Girls
SoCal Blues (SoCal) put on a dominating performance on Saturday by not only securing a full six points and a spot in Sunday afternoon’s final but also by outscoring their opponents 19-1. They will face already eliminated SF Elite Academy Blue in their final group match Sunday morning. While one finals spot is determined, the second spot will come down to a matchup between CDA Slammers FC HB (SoCal) and Ajax United (NorCal) on Sunday morning. Both teams enter on three points, however, CDA Slammers will just need to secure a tie to earn a berth in the finals due to a better goal differential than Ajax.
U10 Girls Schedules and Results
U11 Boys
After Saturday’s matches, all four teams in the division still have a shot at the final. Sitting in the best position is Total Futbol Academy Mora who are on four points after picking up a draw against Almaden FC (NorCal) in the morning and then a win over SoCal rivals FC Golden State East, 5-1, in the afternoon. Despite the loss, FC Golden State is tied for second place with Sheriffs FC who they beat in the morning, 2-1. While Sheriffs is behind on the head-to-head tiebreaker they actually hold a better goal differential, which could come into play later, thanks to a 3-2 win over Almaden FC in their second match of the day. While Almaden is currently in fourth place on one point, they can still earn a spot in the final with a win Sunday morning against FC Golden State, however, they also will need to hope for there to be a winner in the match between TFA and Sheriffs. Still all to play for in this division!
U11 Boys Schedules and Results
U11 Girls
SoCal Blues secured the maximum six points and have already clinched a spot in the Final with a 6-0 win over Mustang Elite (NorCal) and a 2-0 victory over Legends FC (SoCal) in the afternoon. Legends and Mustang both beat MVLA Madrid Blue (NorCal). 5-2 and 3-0, respectively. The teams meet in the morning to determine who will get another shot at SoCal Blues in the Sunday finale. Due to a better goal differential, Legends will need a win or a draw while Mustang will need to capture the full three points.
U11 Girls Schedules and Results
U12 Boys
Ajax United is in pole position in the group thanks to a pair of impressive wins beating SoCal champs Legends FC 5-0 and then NorCal’s Davis Legacy 6-2. It would take a heavy defeat to San Diego Surf tomorrow morning to not make the final. Surf are on three points, the points secured, in likely the game of the day, a 2-1 win over Davis Legacy that saw them score the equalizer and winner in the final four minutes. Legends got themselves back into contention with a 3-0 win over Surf in the afternoon and with a win over Davis Legacy on Sunday morning are likely to get a rematch with Ajax for the State Championship on Sunday afternoon.
U12 Boys Schedules and Results
U12 Girls
Another girls age group and another SoCal Blues team at the top of the table after day 1. Blues picked up the max six points and have already clinched a finals spot thanks to a win over Burlingame SC (NorCal), 6-0, and San Diego Surf, 2-0. They close out the group tomorrow against San Juan Soccer Club who were unable to get a point on day 1. The race for second place and a spot in the final comes down to the head-to-head match between San Diego Surf and Burlingame who both sit on three points. San Diego Surf only needs a draw in the match thanks to a better goal differential.
U12 Girls Schedules and Results
U13 Boys
Three teams are still in contention for the two spots in Sunday afternoon’s State Championship match. Albion Merced (NorCal) and Rangers FC White (SoCal) are currently in the best position with both teams on four points. The teams played to a back-and-forth 0-0 draw on Saturday morning. Slammers FC is also in contention after posting three points on Saturday. Slammers FC will need a win over Merced Sunday morning to book a place in the final. Rangers FC White will need a win or tie to ensure a passage to the finals and take on MVLA (NorCal) who was beaten twice on Saturday.
U13 Boys Schedules and Results
U13 Girls
Still all to play for in the U13 Girls division with all four teams still in contention for tomorrow afternoon’s Final. Los Gatos United (NorCal) and FC Sporting lead the group with four points each with each team winning against their SoCal opponent in the morning and then drawing with each other in the afternoon. After losing their morning matches, the SoCal teams Beach FC ECRL and Slammers FC HB RL, drew 2-2 in the afternoon to keep both teams in contention. Entering the final matches, Los Gatos looks most likely to reach the final with four points and a plus four-goal differential. A win or draw and possibly a narrow loss will see them reach the final. They face Beach who is on one point but can still reach the final with a win and an FC Sporting win or tie. FC Sporting is in second place with four points and a plus-two goal differential and like Los Gatos, a draw or win gets them to the final. Their opponent, Slammers, is on one point and their most likely path to the final would be a win and a Los Gatos win or tie against Beach.
