Super-20 League News Release
Friday, June 29, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – With a new world-class home and an elevated level of competition league wide, the 2012 USL Super-20 League North American Finals are expected to set a new standard for North America’s top U20 championships.
The event is set to kick off July 19 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, with 24 division-winning U20 men’s and women’s teams convening at IMG to battle for Super-20 national titles. With the facilities at IMG Academy - home to the U.S. U17 Residency Program - among the finest in the nation, teams that qualify for the Super-20 League North American Finals will experience a professional atmosphere throughout the event.
With a total of 86 men’s teams and women’s teams battling in 12 divisions spread across North America, many of the races for berths in the 2012 Finals are expected to go down to the wire as teams clamor for the chance to travel to Bradenton.
“The 2012 season has been one of the most competitive on record, and the teams that qualify for the North American Finals will enjoy an unprecedented experience thanks to our long-term partnership with IMG Academy,” USL Senior Director of Youth League Development Jason Arnold said. “The facilities are some of the best in the world, and the additional amenities we’ve added to the event will set the standard for the future.”
While teams will focus on winning the title, the 2012 Super-20 North American Finals will also serve as an important player identification event for the PDL and W-League, as well as for U.S. National Teams. PDL and W-League coaches will be in attendance to scout talent, along with USL National Technical Director Peter Mellor, a longtime USSF Staff Coach. Head Coach Steve Swanson and the U.S. U20 Women’s National Team will share the facilities at IMG Academy as they prepare for the 2012 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off August 19 in Japan.
Teams will check in on Wednesday, July 18 with group play beginning Thursday morning and running through Saturday. Championship matches will take place on Sunday, July 22 at the IMG Soccer Academy Stadium. A kickoff banquet for the participants will be held at IMG Golf & Country Club on Thursday evening, and players, coaches and families will spend their down time at the elegant Hyatt Regency Sarasota, the Super-20 headquarters hotel of the 2012 Super-20 League North American Finals.
The world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and education complex, IMG Academy has already hosted a myriad of soccer team training camps in 2012, including clubs such as the Seattle Sounders, D.C. United, Columbus Crew, Sweden’s Malmö FF, as well as the U.S. Women’s National Team preparing for the London Olympic Games and the Antigua & Barbuda Men’s National Team preparing for World Cup qualifying.
Earlier this year, IMG Academy also hosted the USL Super Y-League Olympic Development Program (ODP) National Camps for boys and girls, as well as the USL PRO Combine.
For more than 30 years, IMG Academy has helped countless youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes reach their full potential in and out of sport, by providing world-class coaching, tailored programs and professional facilities within an energetic environment across a 450-acre campus.
Today the Bradenton, Fla.-based campus attracts 30,000 athletes from nearly 100 countries annually. IMG Academy offers youth camp and academy programs in baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis, in addition to training opportunities for professional athletes, teams and leagues. IMG also runs a series of events on its campus and throughout the country on an annual basis.