CUP Gold ties record with third crown

• by Soccer America , Jan 3, 2014

[NATIONAL LEAGUE] Six boys teams secured their spots among the top two in the divisional standings in the U.S. Youth Soccer National League following the conclusion of play at ESPN Wide World of Sports, where they were playing alongside the Disney Soccer Showcase. Two of them hail from CUP Gold, which moved into a tie for the most National League titles by one club.

National League: Scoreboard

The 48 remaining boys teams will finish their seasons March 14-16 in Las Vegas. The top two finishers per division will earn a spot at the National Championships to be played in Germantown, Md. They will be joined in each age group by four regional winners.

Sunrise Elite, which was perfect in 2012-13, only went 2-1-1 on the first weekend of play but went 3-0-0 in Orlando  to clinch a top two finish in the Under-16 Blue Division and a third trip in three years to Nationals. needed a dramatic stoppage time goal on Sunday to earn its third win at the event. The Florida club's 2-1 win over GSA Premier in its final game came via a stoppage-time goal.

“I think this was the most exciting game we played the whole tournament," Sunrise coach Jorge Alvarez said. “My players played with a lot of heart."

Defending national champion Smithtown Arsenal clinched the U-17 Red Division title, while CUP Gold earned the U-18 Red Division crown and Dix Hills Elite took the U-16 Red Division title. CUP Gold moved into a tie with GSA Phoenix and Dallas Texans for the most National League titles by one club. Dix Hills did not concede a single goal through seven games, becoming the first-ever National League team to do so.

Also headed to Germantown are U-17 divisional runner-up CUP Gold and U-15 Loudoun Red. Seven boys crowns will still be up for grabs when the remaining teams take the fields in March.