February 4, 2010 – The Florida Youth Soccer Association has announced the sites and First Round groupings for the 2010 State Cup. Ten Kendall SC teams will be vying to claim the state championship in their age groups and advance to the Region III championships. The action kicks off throughout the state on March 27 and 28, with the Final Four championship scheduled for May 22-23 in the Lake Myrtle complex in Auburndale.
Below are the game sites and opponents of each of the Kendall SC teams:
U13B White
The U13B White will be playing in their first FYSA State Cup at Palm Bay Regional Park. The First Round match ups promise some challenging competition, including Florida Soccer Alliance, who are first in the Greater Central Florida League (GCF) North Division with an 8-1-0 record; Fusion FC, who are in third place in Region C’s Club Directors League (CDL) with a 6-2-2 record; and cross-town rival SAA-Real Madrid, who are currently in fifth place in the SFUYSA league with an 8-1-3 record, and won their only game against Kendall SC by a score of 3-0.
U14G White
The U14G White reached the State Cup Round of 16 last year before losing 0-1 to eventual Final Four team FC America Kumba. In this year’s First Round at Mitchell-Ellington Park, Merritt Island they will get another shot at FC America, who finished sixth in the Florida State League (FSL) 1st Division with a 4-5-0 record. The U14 girls, who finished ninth in the FSL, lost the only meeting between the two teams 1-2. Rounding out the group are Brandon SC, who are in fourth place in the CDL with a 4-4-5 record, and Greater Fort Myers Soccer, who are in first place of FLUGSA’s 1st Division with an 11-0-2 record.
U14B White
The U14B White enter State Cup on a very positive streak and hope that momentum will carry them past their Round of 16 finish of last year. They are sitting atop the SFUYSA regular Season standings with a 12-1-1 mark, won the Plantation Thanksgiving Classic, and recently reached the finals of the Soccer Skills Unlimited Naples Tournament. When they arrive at Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah for First Round play the pressure will go up a notch, but they expect their experience this year will have them prepared to do battle with the top contenders in the State.
Kendall SC’s First Round opponents include WESA Kraze 95 Chillcott, who are in fifth place in the FSL’s 1st Division with a 2-7-0 record; Strictly Soccer FC, who are in fourth place in the CDL with a 5-4-3 record; and FC America, who are in fifth place in the GCF with a 4-4-1 mark.
U15G White
Last year, the U15G White fell just short of advancing to the Round of 16 when they finished in a three-way tie for first place in their group. After notching up their level of competition this year by playing in the FSL’s 1st Division, the team hopes to improve on last year’s finish. They will be playing close to home in Coral Springs, and will be facing Wellington Wave, who finished in fourth place in the FSL’s 2nd Division with a 5-3-1 record; Florida Rush Nike, who finished in tenth place in the FSL’s 2nd Division with a 1-7-1 record; and Citrus United who finished second in the USA league’s 1st Division with a 5-4-1 record.
U15B White
The U15B White hopes to improve on a Round of 16 finish the last two years and the odds are good for an extended run. They followed their first place finish in the SFUYSA Premier Division by winning the championship at the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl in December, besting a field that included seven teams that will play in the FYSA State Cup.
When the U15 boys take the field at Jonesville Park in Gainesville for the First Round, they will compete against last year’s State Cup quarterfinalist, Belleview United, who finished fourth in the FSL 1st Division with a 2-1-4 record; Port Orange Stingrays, who finished seventh in the Greater Central Florida League U15/U16 Division with a 3-4-1 record; and Lakeland FC, who finished ninth in the CDL with a 1-8-0 record.
U16B White
Some people say that once you reach the top, there is nowhere to go but down. Well, the now U16B White suspended that thought when they repeated as FYSA state champions last year in the U15 age group. This year’s road to the top promises to be even more challenging, with a huge test right at the starting gate. Not only did the championship team graduate seven players to the U16 US Soccer Development Academy team, but when they travel to Weston for the First Round they will see action in what many observers would consider the Group of Death.
Kendall SC, which finished 3-5-1 playing up in the U17 Premier Division in the SFUYSA Early Season will face Strictly Soccer SC, Kicks Black and Space Coast United Storm Elite. Strictly Soccer, a seeded quarterfinalist from last year’s State Cup, is probably wondering what they did to deserve to be grouped with Kendall SC and Kicks Black, both teams that would have also been seeded were it not for significant changes in their rosters.
Strictly Soccer continues to be a state level threat after finishing in third place with a 6-3-0 record in the very competitive CDL. Kicks Black has emerged as a force in South Florida in this age group. After finishing in second place and compiling a 6-1-1 record playing up in the U17 A Division during the SFUYSA Early Season, they are leading the U16 1st Division in the Regular Season with a perfect 9-0-0 record. Space Coast United Storm Elite, a team that finished fifth in the FSL 1st Division with a 3-0-4 record, completes the group.
U17G White
The U17 girls are hoping that this will be the year they finally reach the Final Four after consecutive quarterfinals appearances. Last year they were eliminated in a close 2-1 match by the eventual state champions Ponte Vedra Storm, who went on to advance to the National Championship. After a second place finish in the Early Season of the Florida State League, the girls are ready to make a run at the championship.
They will be traveling to Veterans Park in Jacksonville to face MEGU SA and Strictly Soccer FC. MEGU finished undefeated atop the 2nd Division in the FSL, while Strictly Soccer finished fifth in the CDL with a 3-6-3 record.
U17B White
The U17B White hasn’t advanced to the State Cup Final Four since their U13 season. Last year they came very close, losing in the final minutes of the quarterfinals, and this year they have high hopes for a breakthrough. The team finished in fourth place playing up in the U19 Premier Division in SFUYSA, with a 3-2-3 record.
The U17 boys will play the First Round in the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale and will match up against Central Pasco United, RSL Florida 702, and St. Cloud Saints. Central Pasco is coming off a first place finish in the USA league’s 1st Division with a 6-1-0 record; RSL finished fourth in the CDL with a 4-2-1 record; and St. Cloud Saints finished third in the GCF league with a 5-2-1 record.
U18B White
At the beginning of this season, in the Disney Showcase Qualifier, the U18B White topped a field that included 13 teams that will compete in the FYSA State Cup. They followed that up with a commanding performance in the SFUYSA Early Season, leading the U19 Premier Division with a 6-0-2 record. But the road in State Cup will not be easy after being grouped with two strong contenders in the First Round.
At the Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford they will face First Coast Kix Blue, who finished first in the FSL 1st Division with a 4-1-0 record, and get a rematch against HC United Red, the team they defeated 3-0 in the Final of the Showcase Qualifier and that finished second in the CDL with a 6-2-1 record.
U18B Blue
The draw was definitively more favorable for the U18B Blue, who will have a good opportunity of advancing to the Round of 16. In the First Round they will be playing against SFUYSA rival Cape Coral SC, who finished one point ahead of the U18B Blue in the A Division with a 5-4-1 record; Space Coast United Storm, who finished fourth in the FSL 1st Division with a 1-2-2 record; and Satellite Beach SC, who finished fourth in the GCF league with a 5-2-1 record.
Best wishes to all the Kendall SC teams in this very important competition.
