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ORLANDO, Fla. (April 8, 2007) - California clubs swept the 2007 Champions Cup titles on Easter Sunday, April 8 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. San Juan SC claimed the girls’ championship, while LAFC was victorious in the boys’ competition.
Eight boys’ clubs and eight girls’ clubs came to Orlando, Fla. to determine a true national club champion by competing on the field. Each of a club’s three teams – U13s, U15s and U17/U18s – earned points towards their club’s placement at the 2007 Champions Cup. Final club standings, full results and photos of the victors, as well as the Champions Cup Blog, can be found online at www.usclubsoccer.org.
San Juan SC and CASL (N.C.) entered the final day of the Champions Cup with a chance to win the girls’ competition. As CASL placed third in the U15 and U17 age brackets and San Juan SC’s U15s claimed second and U17s took fifth, the championship came down to the U13 Final, which pitted the two clubs against each other. Scoreless at the end of regulation, the U13 Final was decided when a pair of 2006 id2 alumnae connected for the game-winning goal. In the first overtime period, San Juan SC’s Sarah Jansen sent a corner kick into the 18-yard box, which teammate Mireya Mayorga-Wathen headed inside of the far post for the 1-0 victory. After finishing sixth at the inaugural 2006 Champions Cup, San Juan SC earned the 2007 title.
“Winning the Champions Cup is a tremendous accomplishment for the club on the behalf of the players who performed but also the coaches who were involved in getting us here,” said San Juan SC Director of Coaching Billy Wiskel. “We have a tremendous coaching staff top to bottom. After coming to the Champions Cup last year, we had an idea of what to expect. We trained for it, and we prepared our teams for it.”
In the boys’ competition, LAFC and San Juan SC each advanced two teams to first-place matches. With teams in a first-place match and a pair of third-place matches, Scott Gallagher SC (Mo.) also had an opportunity to win the Champions Cup. Competing in its first Champions Cup, LAFC won the boys’ championship by virtue of its U17s and U15s finishing first with a 4-2 victory over San Juan SC and a 1-0 win against CASL, respectively, and its U13s claiming third also with a 1-0 shutout of CASL. San Juan SC earned runner-up status, while Scott Gallagher SC finished third.
“With the difference of a goal in any age group, there could have been a different champion,” said LAFC DOC Don Sheppard. “That’s how tight the competition was, so we’re thrilled to win the Champions Cup.”
The 2008 Champions Cup will once again be held during Easter weekend, March 20-23, 2008. The event’s location will be announced shortly. Already clubs have begun to inquire about invitations to next year’s tournament. The first- and second-place clubs at the 2007 Champions Cup receive automatic invitations to next year’s event.
FINAL 2007 CHAMPIONS CUP CLUB STANDINGS
(View full club standings with a team-by-team breakdown)
Girls
First – San Juan SC (Calif.)
Second – CASL (N.C.)
Third – Colorado Rush (Colo.)
Fourth – Albertson SC (N.Y.)
Fifth – FC DELCO (Pa.)
Sixth – Internationals (Ohio)
Seventh – Weston Fury FC (Fla.)
Eighth – LAFC (Calif.)
Boys
First – LAFC (Calif.)
Second – San Juan SC (Calif.)
Third – Scott Gallagher SC (Mo.)
Fourth – CASL (N.C.)
Fifth – PA Classics (Pa.)
Sixth – Atlanta Concorde Fire FC (Ga.)
Seventh – Colorado Rush (Colo.)
Eighth – Internationals SC (OH)
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