NorCal’s Fall College Showcase — Boys Weekend Event Preview
As the fall season wraps up and the older youth players near winter high school break, there’s still one more big event on the horizon as the NorCal Fall Boys College Showcase takes place this Saturday and Sunday at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex.
Nearly 50 coaches from the NCAA Divisions I-III, NAIA, and Community College levels will be in attendance to scout their next stars over the course of the two days.
Overall, teams from NorCal Premier Soccer’s ECNL RL and N1 divisions will be involved, as well as squads from the ECNL and MLS Next, giving the event full coverage of the vast majority of youth soccer in Northern California.
“Not only is the Showcase a fun and festive event, but it’s an important part of the college recruiting process as players from all across the state get a platform to showcase their skills in front of the dozens of coaches on hand,” said NorCal ECNL RL and N1 Commissioner Kelcey Chaidez. “The feedback that we’ve gotten from college coaches and the players participating is that this is an invaluable experience for those looking to make the jump to the next level.”
FRIDAY ID CAMP
We will once again kick-off our Showcase Friday night at our College ID Camp—where players will have the opportunity to train in sessions run by college coaches from a selection of some of the top DI—NAIA programs in Northern California. Note, if you’re registered for Friday’s ID Camp it was moved to Woodland (details were sent via email to registered players).
LEAGUE CUP
In addition to the series of league games and friendlies that are on the docket for the weekend, NorCal’s League Cup resumes with the round of 16 taking place Saturday before the quarterfinals kick off Sunday.
Founded last year, the League Cup is a competition that pits teams from the ECNL RL, ECNL, N1, and MLS Next leagues against each other, allowing for teams to play meaningful games against squads that they wouldn’t normally get a chance to face.
“This is a major initiative that highlights our desire for teams from different platforms to earn the opportunity to play each other,” said NorCal Director of Competitions Daniel Chamberlain. “There is such a high value in all of the teams from these leagues gaining experience playing in knockout competitions. Most high-level teams don’t earn these opportunities enough through just league play–we know that these types of games are an important part of player and team development.”
The League Cup begins in the round of 16 and will conclude at the Spring Showcase with the semifinals and finals.
All teams who are eliminated from the competition will still play more games at the showcase, with friendly matches against other eliminated teams scheduled on the days that they would have played if they hadn’t been knocked out.
“The first year of the League Cup was a tremendous success for all involved, so we expanded the competition to include one extra knockout round, while still giving players on eliminated teams the opportunity to showcase their talents at the event,” Chaidez said. “We’re looking forward to another great year of exciting play between teams from all the different leagues involved.”
For more information on the NorCal League Cup, click here.
ALL STAR GAME
Lastly, Sunday will see an All-Star Game take place at 12:30pm on Stadium Field 7.
A total of 53 standout players representing 24 different clubs will take the field in the Boys All-Star Game, featuring top high school juniors and seniors from the ECNL Regional League — NorCal. Players will be divided geographically into two competitive squads — the Bay All-Stars and the Valley All-Stars — for what promises to be an exciting matchup.
NorCal will also recognize a Player of the Match, announced live following the game.
Checkout the full rosters and coaching lineup here.
MARQUEE MATCHES
Don’t miss our lineup of marquee matches! Check out our full preview of these matchups here.
MORE INFO
For more information about the NorCal College Showcase, click here.
Find the full game schedule here.
