The best young players from the United Soccer League will line up in Florida later this week as the fourth edition of the USL Academy League Finals takes place at IMG Academy in Bradenton, with a new look format.
The event will feature three days of single-elimination matches kicking off on Thursday, December 5, starring the top 16 teams from the USL Academy regular season, culminating in Sunday's final. Among the line-up will be Charlotte Independence, who won the title last year beating Orange County SC 1-0 in the final.
The division winners from each of the 13 divisions automatically earned a spot in the Academy League Finals, while two wild card places were then be split between the Mountain, Metropolitan, and Southeast Divisions, with one wild card bid being split between the Great Forest, South Atlantic, Mid Atlantic, Southwest, and Cactus Divisions.
The draw for the round of 16 ties is as follows:
Miami FC v Lonester SC
El Paso Locomotive FC v AC Connecticut
Utah Red Wolves v San Antonio FC
Richmond Kickers v St Petersburg FC
West Coast FC v Lancaster FC
Real Colorado v FC Motown STA
Charlotte Independence v Fort Lauderdale United FC
Indy Eleven v Southern Soccer Academy Swarm
As part of the USL Academy League Finals, there will be a Girls Invitational event to recognize some of the highest performing USL Academy girls programs across the country following the conclusion of their league season. The competition will see three days of group play amongst the invited girls programs before the top two teams from the group face off in the Final with a trophy on the line.
"We're incredibly excited to host the USL Academy League Finals and Girls Invitational at IMG Academy this year", said Lucas Ohlman, USL Academy Operations Director. "In addition to the state-of-the-art facilities being utilized for this event, the competition structure will replicate the experience these players will face in knockout competitions at the Senior Team level in a professional environment."
FirstPoint USA joined forces with the USL earlier this year to become the official college pathway partner as part of the League's Preferred Supplier Program, providing USL clubs and players with college recruitment services.
"We are very proud to be working in partnership with the USL and our team has been delivering our hands-on, in-person service to players and their families, guiding them through every step of the college pathway process", said FirstPoint CEO Andrew Kean.
"We'll have staff on site throughout the tournament and we're looking forward to being there to watch players, identify talent and connect with college coaches to discuss their recruitment activities. We are excited to be in Florida to watch what promises to be a fantastic tournament, with some great first round matches in store between the top academy teams in the league, and our staff will be happy to connect with any players seeking support for their college aspirations."
If any clubs or players are interested in learning more about how FirstPoint USA can support you, we'd be happy to arrange a meeting at the event with one of our team members. You can look for them at the tournament for, where we'll be based at one of the USL tents. Please don't hesitate to reach out directly to Lesley Hendry, Director of US Club Partnerships.
To view the tournament schedule, click here
