When it comes to putting on a club soccer showcase, weather is always the one factor no organization can control.

That was the dilemma facing the Carolina College Showcase in mid-February, as the weather in Greensboro, North Carolina wasn’t cooperating. Snow had covered the fields intended for use for the February 21-22 showcase, which was run by Soccer by Design.

A plan B was put into place, and the entire weekend of games was shifted to turf fields at Greensboro’s Smith Complex.

The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch.

“The level [of play] was very good,” Soccer By Design Director of Marketing Dan Kapsalis said. “We saw some outstanding teams. A big majority of the teams we saw, the level was very, very good.”

Over a dozen states were represented, as players from North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey and New York descended upon Greensboro for the slate of games. In all, more than a dozen states sent clubs to the showcase.

Clubs taking the pitch in Greensboro included Liberty FC, Dynamo FC, Strikers Fox Valley, LDC United, Charlotte Soccer Academy, Waza FC, Liberty Point Soccer Club, FC Cardinal, Locomotive FC and Mount Laurel United.

Running from a Friday to a Sunday, it was a straightforward schedule of games between clubs in the U13 through U18 age groups. Using each respective team’s resume and basing off of past results, both local and at the state level, the schedule was drawn up at the new event.

“The feedback was very, very positive,” Kapsalis said. “We didn’t hear anything negative. It’s our first time around with this particular event being a new event, it’ll take time for us to build it and grow it and make sure that the level is the highest we can get.”

Among the teams to win all three games on the boys side included Fewster FC (MD), LDC United U16 (Pennsylvania), Dynamo FC U17 (Indiana). West Virginia FC U15s also swept all three games on the girls side.

College coaches from the East Coast also flocked to Greensboro: schools like Appalachian State, UNC Asheville, Lynchburg, NJIT, Penn State, St. Lawrence and University of the Cumberlands among those reported to make the trip.

Expect to see the second edition of the event taking place next year after a successful debut event in February.

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