Super Y-League News Release
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – The Super Y-League North American Finals, presented by Nike, kick off on Thursday morning at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida with some of the top young players and teams from throughout North America set to compete during the five-day event.
The elite-level event will bring in scouts from United States youth national teams, professional clubs and top colleges from throughout the country, as 116 teams in 12 divisions compete for championships.
“We are delighted by the number of colleges that will be present at IMG Academy, which last year in its inaugural season hosting the North American Finals proved an exceptional backdrop for the competition,” USL Youth Leagues & ODP Senior Director Natalie Akula said. “In the league’s 15th season, we are excited for the start of the tournament and for the elite-level players to have the opportunity to showcase their talents.”
In addition to the U.S. Youth National Team scouts set to attend, Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City will also be represented. They join coaches from 2013 NCAA Men’s Tournament teams such as the University of South Florida and Navy, and other schools including the University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, Colgate and Florida Atlantic University. More than 40 colleges will be represented at the event.
Created in 1999 with 12 teams, the Super Y-League now includes nearly 80 clubs from throughout the United States and Canada with an average of 500 teams competing in the league every summer. Many of the clubs participating in the league are now affiliated with the top professional and amateur men’s and women’s sides of USL and Major League Soccer, providing a true pyramid of development that mirrors those in traditional soccer nations throughout the world.
Six age groups in both the boys and girls divisions, ranging from U12 to U17, will begin three days of group play on Thursday. The semifinals will then take place on Sunday, with the tournament’s championship games set for Monday. Among the teams set to defend their titles at this year’s event are the Ironbound SC U15 Boys, who took a dramatic victory on penalty kicks at last year’s tournament, and the Long Island Rough Riders’ U14 Boys, who again include 2012 All-Tournament selection Matthew Sloan.
IMG Academy, a division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and education complex. IMG Academy 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, and the U.S. Women’s National Team preparing for the London Olympic Games.
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.