Super Y-League Feature
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
TAMPA, Fla. – The 2012 Super Y-League North American Finals, presented by Umbro, kick off on Friday morning at the world-class facilities at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, with 130 teams set to compete for the 12 championships on offer. After a summer of regional qualification, the top teams in the Super Y-League are set to compete on the national stage.
Now in its 14th season, the Super Y-League is at the forefront of youth development in the United States and Canada. Among the players that have competed at the Finals, and been selected for the league’s Olympic Development Program training camps, are U.S. Men’s National Team members Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo and Eric Lichaj, with numerous other current MLS players also having come through the league’s member clubs.
The opportunity for top-level players has been enhanced this year by the partnership between USL and IMG Academy that makes the home of the U.S. U17 Men’s National Team’s Residency Program the new home of the North American Finals. In addition to the top college scouts that have become a fixture at the event each year, U.S. Soccer scouts will be on hand to try to identify players that could become members of the U.S. Youth National Team programs.
The players and coaches of the teams that have reached the Finals will also be able to take advantage of all that IMG Academy has to offer, from pristine competition fields and evening seminars on college recruiting to outstanding local accommodations and the chance to tour the top sports academy in the country.
“We have held the Super Y-League ODP Camps at IMG for the past two years, in addition to the USL PRO Combine and Super-20 League Finals this year, and have been remarkably impressed with the quality of the facilities on offer to both players and coaches,” USL National Technical Director and former U.S. Soccer Staff Coach Peter Mellor said. “We are delighted to be able to reward all of the teams that have qualified for the Super Y-League North American Finals with the chance to play to the best of their abilities at an absolutely exceptional facility.”
Group play begins on Friday morning at 8 a.m. ET, with the tournament’s championship games being held on Tuesday morning. Among the teams returning to defend their titles are the TSF Academy U17 Boys team, who open the tournament against regional rival Ironbound SC. The Atlanta Fire’s U14 Girls will also try for back-to-back titles, with their defense beginning against Force Football Club.
Live updates from featured matches at the Super Y-League North American Finals, presented by Umbro, can be accessed on Twitter (twitter.com/@SuperYLeague) and through the Super Y-League website (www.supery.uslsoccer.com), which for the first time will have live scoring updates available during contests and match reports after each day of competition.