TopDrawerSoccer.com brought you live updates from Greensboro, NC at the USSF Develpment Academy playoffs on Monday, June 29, 2009. We were at the Bryan Soccer Park in as teams gathered here Friday to begin contesting 16 berths in the Academy National Finals next month in California. Fourteen of those 16 berths had to be awarded as group play entered its final day.

We had people at many of the matches and updated throughout the day on what went on. Read below for our complete coverage from Monday.

Remember to email us with your questions and comments at LIVE@TopDrawerSoccer.com.

2:16 EST  We've had a great time with you in this edition of LIVE.  Keep your comments coming.  We love to hear from you!

2:08 EST It looks like in the three way tie in U18 group D, but IMG gets through with a goal differential of +3.

18s advancing ro the finals:  Dallas Texans, DC United, PDA, Real Colorado, CASL Chelsea, Carmel United, Boston Bolts, and IMG Academy.

16s advancing to the finalsChicago Magic, Washington Premier, FC Dallas, PDA, Derby County Wolves, New York Red Bulls, Cal Odyssey, and Greensboro.

Congratulations to all!

1:58 EST Love this comment, it must be from an Andromeda fan,"<sigh>".  Sometimes one word just says it all, doesn't it?

1:52 EST  Bolts are in!  FC Greater Boston's U18s beat Met Oval 3-0, and Andromeda wins a 3-0 decision over Colorado Rush.  Bolts are in via a TREMENDOUS turnaround!

Delco beats IMG in a tight game, 1-0.

Carmel's U18s win 3-0 over Pateadores.

1:49 EST Okay, this Vardar vs. Richmond Strikers game is unbelievable. Vardar scores two more for a score of 6-4.

1:44 EST Final Score:  Greensboro's U16s defeat Crossfire 2-0 and advance to the final.  See y'all in LA!

Also, Andromeda has taken a 3-0 lead against Colorado Rush in the final minutes.  We'll have to get the final score in the Met Oval FC Greater Boston game to see who advances from U18s group B.

1:36 EST  Greensboro's U16s still lead Crossfire 1-0 in the closing minutes.  We'll let you know if they hang on to advance, or if Crossfire can pull out the tie to extend its season... 

1:33 EST  A comment from a SoCal mom on the absence of SoCal teams in the final:  "I wonder how many of the so-cal teams had their full rosters on this trip...I'd like to see the finals determined by the strongest line-ups for the teams...(that was the case in a lot of out-of-league games...where frankly some players just couldn't afford to travel, or they had other soccer commitments.) Don't know the answer, but I still think its odd that so-cal is not represented.  We know they have some of the strongest players in the country...just wondering."

1:32 EST  Richmond puts another in on a penalty kick to bring the score to 6-2, Strikers over Vardar.

1:27 EST Richmond Strikers score 3 more in the second half (wow, what a half time talk that was!), but Vardar gets two to bring the score to 5-2 with a few minutes remaining.

1:24 EST Andromeda now leads Colorado Rush 2-0 in the second half.  In the IMG-FC Delco U18 battle, both teams are now down to 10.  Can IMG put one in now?

1:19 EST Cal Odyssey now leads 3-0 in U16 Group E.  It looks like it's the end of the road for FC Delco.

1:15 EST  GGOOAALLS!  Richmond Strikers U18s score twice in a minute in their game against Vardar.  It ain't over 'til it's over, is it?

1:02 EST  U18 IMG Academy is down to 10 men in their battle against FC Delco.  If IMG can figure out a way to score playing a man down, they could still advance. Delco still leads 1-0.

12:56 EST  Andromeda U18s lead Colorado Rush 1-0 at the half.  Group B is still up in the air!

12:50 EST Cal Odyssey leads FC Delco at halftime (note correction!)  FC Delco needs to put more than one in the back of the net in the second half to have a hope of advancing.

A reader wants to know the tie-break rules:  first tie breaker is head-to-head, and the second is goal differential.

12:45 EST  Rob has made his way to the other side of the complex now to take a look at some other key matchups, so we should have some updates in a few minutes.  Take care of yourself in the heat, Rob!

12:44 EST Greensboro U16s score to lead Crossfire 1-0.  If Greensboro can hold on to the lead, they're through to the finals.

12:41 EST  GGOOAALL!  FC Delco U18s score from a free kick to lead IMG 1-0.

12:38 EST  One observer's response to So Cal teams being eliminated:  Do you think there's any correlation to the number of youth national team players from So Cal and the results we see today?  The teams that are winning here don't seem to come from one particular part of the country, but a lot of the youth national team players come from California and Texas.

12:35 EST Christian Rodriguez scores for Greater Boston Bolts to lead Met Oval's U18s 1-0.  Met Oval needs a win here and they hope Colorado Rush in the other half of Group B loses.  It doesn't look good right now for Met Oval, but there's still plenty of time left.

12:31 EST  Here's an interesting observation from a reader, "With the elimination of the Arsenal 18s and Real So Cal 16s failing to push through after coming up short by a single goal, and both LAFC teams losing, Southern California will not be represented at the Academy Finals...wow!"

12: 24 EST U18 Colorado Rush and Andromeda are scoreless after 15 minutes of play.

12:20 EST  Send us your comments on the U17 MNT win over Carolina Dynamo.

12:11 EST The noon games are kicking off and here are the important matchups.  Cal Odyssey and FC Delco play for the Group E title, with both teams at 2-0.   Cal Odyssey advances on goal differential with a tie.  Crossfire Premier will advance with a win or a draw against Greensboro in Group H.  In the U18 age group, Colorado Rush meets Andromeda and the Rush will advance with a win in Group B. IMG will advance with a win or a tie against FC Delco, while the Richmond Strikers will need some goal difference help in their game against Vardar to have any chance of making it to the finals.

12:00 EST Final score:  CASL Chelsea 2, Arsenal FC 0.  With the win, CASL advances to the national finals.

11:54 EST  Final scores:  FC Dallas 4, South Charlotte 2.  FC Dallas secures a trip to LA out of Group D.  PDA beats North Meck to win group G and advance to the finals.

U17 MNT defeats Carolina Dynamo 4-1.  Players of the game for the USA:  Brian Duran, Stefan Jerome, and Jared Watts.

11:47 EST Final score:  Derby County Wolves U16 0, Columbus Crew 0.  The Wolves advance to the finals out of Group A.

11:46 EST  Final score from this morning:  Carmel United U16s 2, Texas SC 1

11:43 EST  USA sub:  Jon Agudelo on for Jack McInerney.

11:42 EST  FC Dallas U16s go up 4-2 on a breakaway by Ruben Luna.  South Charlotte had the whole team pushed up to try to get an equalizer.

11:40  ESTFinal Score  New York Red Bulls 1, Chicago Fire 0.  The Red Bulls win U16 Group B and advance to the national finals.

11:38 EST  GGOOAALLSS!  The USA scores two in a minute!  Martinez lashes home a shot from a Gil miskick.  Lletget finishes an individual effort to make it 4-1.

11:35 EST  South Charlotte U16s try to come back again, and score to make the game 3-2, with FC Dallas still in the lead.  However, a South Charlotte player receives a red card just after the goal and will have to play a man down for the rest of the match.

11:27 EST CASL still leads 2-0 over Arsenal in the U18 age group.  Arsenal is getting some shots off, but they have been easy saves so far for the CASL goalkeeper.

More updates from the USA U17 MNT - Carolina Dynamo game:  USA subs Sebastian Lletget for Eriq Zavaleta.  Lletget goes in at midfield, and Watts switches to defense.  McInerney sets up Lletget for a shot that goes wide.

11:23 EST  New York Red Bulls U16s still lead Chicago Fire 1-0 with 22 minutes remaining in the game.

Subs for the US MNT:  Spencer Richey came on at half in goal.  Carlos Martinez comes in for Stefan Jerome.

In the FC Dallas-South Charlotte game, Bryan Leyva has been dominant in the midfield for FC Dallas.  We hear he's a pro-signing target.

11:18 EST GGOOAALLSS!  Real So Cal U16s take the lead 2-1 over Sockers FC.  The goal puts them back in the group lead over PDA.

USA takes the lead over Carolina Dynamo 2-1.  Luis Gil earns a corner.  Polak cross is headed in and a Dynamo field player palms it away on the goalline for a red card and a penalty kick.  Stefan Jerome hits the penalty, it's saved by the Dynamo goalkeeper, but the rebound is put in the back of the net.

11:15 EST The first two goals by FC Dallas U16s were scored by Daniel Garcia and Brian Leyva.

11:12 EST  Former U17 MNT player Eddie Ababio is booked for a foul from behind on current U17 MNT player Zach Herold.  Carolina midfielder Scott Rojo gets a warning for a hard foul.  The USA is having more of the ball in the second half.

11:08 EST SCSA's come back didn't last long as they give up a PK.  FC Dallas' Ruben Luna converts to put his team up 3-1.

11:07 EST  GGOOAALL!!  South Charlotte U16s score to try to come back from a 2-0 deficit at half.  FC Dallas still leads 2-1.

11:04 EST U17 MNT sub:  Joe Shinsky in at right mid for Nick Palodichuk.

11:00 EST  USA 1, Carolina Dynamo 1 at half.  Also, CASL still leads Arsenal 2-0 in the U18 age group.

10:50 EST  More half time scores: FC Dallas U16 2, SCSA 0

Real So Cal U16 1, Sockers FC 1.  If the score remains the same, PDA would advance to the finals out of Group G.

PDA U16 2, North Meck 0.

Derby County Wolves U16 0, Columbus Crew 0.  Wolves would advance with a draw.

10:48 EST GGOOAALL!!  The USA equalizes!  Jerome pressures the retreating defender into a miscue with the goalkeeper.  Jerome chases down the ball and taps it into the empty net.  On the other end, Earl Edwards makes a great 1v1 save.

10:47 EST  Half time score:  New York Red Bull U16s 1, Chicago Fire 0.

10:45 EST  Good chance for the U17s.  Palodichuk gives the ball to McInerney who hits it just wide, then McInerney intercepts the Dynamo goalkeeper's clearance and hits the post with the goal wide open.

10:42 EST PDA U16s lead North Meckby a score of 2-0 in the first half.  Goals by Robert Barrera and Brandon Allen.

10:40 EST CASL now leads 2-0 over Arsenal in U18 Group E play.  CASL's goal came from Martin Murphy with an assist by Ryan Metts.

10:36 EST  Update on FC Dallas vs. South Charlotte U16s:  FC Dallas leads 2-0 in the first half.

10:34 EST The US gets its first real attack.  A Polak cross finds McInerney running from the right, but his header goes over the bar.  Then a near miss from Carolina on a cross by Lewis to Daniel Roberts who volleys it over.

10:32 EST  CASL U18s go up 1-0 over Arsenal with 22 minutes left in the first half.  Seph Babington scored the goal with Jared Girard providing the assist.  The game has been end to end.

10:30 EST  The USA have not really gotten behind Dynamo.  Gary Lewis of Dynamo goes 1v1 with USA's Zac Herold and shoots wide.  Good defense by Herold against the quick forward.

10:25 EST  U17MNT left back Tyler Polak is doing a good job for the USA.

10:24 EST  Zavaleta gives up a free kick just outside the penalty area, but the Carolina Dynamo cross is handled by Dynamo player Fejero Okiamah, and the score is still 1-0 Dynamo.

10:22 EST FC Dallas leads South Charlotte 1-0 in the early going of that U16 game.  FC Dallas advances with a win or a tie.  South Charlotte needs to win this one to make it through.

10:21 EST Nice play from Jerome and Gil to put McInerney through, but the Georgian is called for offside.

10:17 EST  The USA is playing a 4-3-3 with Palodichuk and Jerome taking wide forward spots.

10:15 EST GGOOAALL!!  New York Red Bulls U16 take the lead 1-0 against Chicago Fire on a Samuel Adjei blast from 25 yards out. The game is 15 minutes in...

10:05 EST  Hello to all the U17 fans!  Carolina goes up in the early minutes on a goal by Gary Lewis (UNC).

The U17 lineup:  GK, Earl Edward; defenders-Perry Kitchen, Zac Herold, Eriq Zavaleta, Tyler Polak; midfield - Brian Duran, Nick Palodichik, Luis Gil, Jared Watts; forwards- Stefan Jerome, Jack McInerney,

10:00 EST We have live coverage of the U17MNT game vs. Carolina Dynamo as well as more playoff action.  Fans are looking for coverage of Charles Renken's recovery and info on other key players from the U17s.

A Chicago fan says, "You guys are amazing!"  Well, I don't know about amazing, but we're doing our best to keep you in the loop!  We'll try to cover that U16 Chicago Fire vs. New York Red Bulls game today.

Some key matchups at the 10:00 hour are PDA vs. North Meck, Real So Cal vs. Sockers FC, New York Red Bulls vs. Chicago Fire, and South Charlotte vs. FC Dallas in the U16 age group.  The U18s feature CASL Chelsea vs. Arsenal FC.

9:55 EST Final scores: Derby County Wolves U18 2, FC Dallas 2.  Wolves goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer makes a big save late for the Wolves to preserve the draw, but the top seeded Wolves are disappointed to be going out.

Chicago Magic U16s 4, Los Angeles FC 0.  Magic advances.

9:49 EST  Final scores:  Dallas Texans U18 3, Santa Cruz County Breakers 0.  The Texans are on their way to LA, too!

DC United U18s 5, Los Angeles FC 0

PDA U18s 2,  Albertson 1.  PDA advances to the national finals.

9:47 EST  Final score:  Vardar 2, Matchfit Chelsea 2, and a sloppy tie at that.  Looks like Washington Premier is on its way to LA.  And a Washington Premier mom says, "Woot!  Woot!"

9:45 EST  Final score:  Washington Premier 1, CASL 0 in the U16 age group.  Unless Vardar can pull out  a win by 3, Washington Premier advances.

9:42 EST  In U18 Group G play, PDA leads Albertson 2-1.  A huge, huge save by PDA goalkeeper Garon Smith keeps PDA ahead. There's been a red card for each team, so it's 10 on 10 now.  If this result holds, PDA advances, but Albertson advances if they can get a draw.  There are less than 10 minutes remaining...

9:40 EST The U18 Wolves tie the game at 2-2 with Shane Lyons netting the equalizer.

9:37 EST Then DC United is awarded a penalty kick when Michael Burgos is fouled by the Los Angeles FC goalkeeper.  Burgos cooly placed the spot kick in the lower right corner to put DC United up 5-0

9:36 EST GGOOAALL!  DC United's Michael Burgos scores to give his team the 4-0 lead over Los Angeles FC in U18 Group H action.  DC United will advance to the finals.

9:33 EST  Our reporter in the Vardar-Matchfit Chelsea game was a little worried about his earlier prediction of more goals, but his worry was all for nothing. Joseph Dillon scores off a corner to put Vardar up 2-1, but the lead was instantly relinquished by Rob Crowley of Matchfit who tied it up again at 2-2.

9:29 EST  SCC Breakers get a red card for assault and battery.  FC Dallas scores on the Wolves to take the 2-1 lead.  The top seed in U18 is going out...

9:27 EST  It looks like the Texans will advance out of U18 Group A.  Blake Wise has a long throw-in to Will Diebold who scores to make it 2-0.  Then Ray DeLeon feeds Conor Doyle who finishes to make the score 3-0.

9:20 EST  Chicago Magic goes up 4-0 on LAFC after converting a penalty kick.

9:15 EST  GGOOAALL! Washington Premier U16 scores on a goal by Casey Phillips.  At this point, Washington Premier would advance over Vardar.  Chicago Magic advances out of Group C in the U16 age group.

9:12 EST   Near miss by the Breakers.  Good free kick from Leo Flores forces a stretch save from Texans goalkeeper Ryan Aubrey.

The Wolves just missed a good scoring chance in the U18 matchup with FC Dallas.  The Dallas goalkeeper spills the free kick and the rebound falls forward, but the shot from 10 yards out was over the crossbar.

9:10 EST There is a loud appeal for a penalty by the Breakers, but the referee doesn't want to hear any of it.  The Breakers then miss a sitter from the 6-yard box, so the score remains 1-0 for the Texans.

9:05 EST Penalty for Texans!  Mark Daus converts the spot kick and the Texans now lead the Santa Cruz County Breakers by a 1-0 margin.

The Derby County Wolves and FC Dallas U18 matchup is still scoreless in the second half.  If these results stand, the Texans will advance to the finals at the Home Depot Center in a couple of weeks.

9:00 EST  Anxious Mom in Puyallup, WA is thankful for our updates on the Washington Premier vs. CASL game and writes, "...it's tough to sit at home and wait - your updates have been a welcome diversion :)"

I know exactly what you mean, Anxious Mom.  I have three children who play soccer.  My son played in Dallas Cup for the first time two years ago and it was nerve racking sitting at home waiting for those updates.  We're here to help!

8:55 EST  It's halftime now, and Vardar vs. Matchfit is still tied. There is a lot of intensity and physical play in this one.

8:51 EST  Anyone know who the goal scorers were in the U16 Chiago Magic game?  They lead 3-0, but our team has not received the report yet, so let us know if you have some info.  And by the way, the reader who wants to know, also says we're AMAZING...we love it!

8:48 EST  We just got an update on that CASL Chelsea-Washington Premier U16 matchup.  It's halftime and they're still at zeros.

GGOOAALL!  DC United increases its lead over Los Angeles FC with another goal by Andy Najar. It's hat trick time...

8:45 EST GGOOAALL FC Dallas!  Steve Adams crosses from the left and Ethan Kendro puts it in the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1.

8:37 EST  Washington Premier fans want to know if there's any update in the U16 game vs. CASL Chelsea Academy.  We have someone sending us updates for that game, so unless we hear, we'll assume the score is still 0-0.

In the Dallas Texans-SCC Breakers game, Christian Diaz of the Breakers runs through the middle, but his shot is saved by Texans keeper Ryan Aubrey.  Blake Wise sets up Conor Doyle, but a great double save by Breakers goalkeeper Jose Flores.

U16 Chicago Magic now leads Los Angeles FC by a 3-0 margin and it's almost halftime.

U18 Derby County Wolves midfielder Josh Gatt makes a great weaving run, but his shot is just wide.

8:34 EST  Vardar and Match Fit Academy Chelsea are still tied at 1-1, but the play has been end to end and the score is likely to change...

8:29 EST  Chicago Magic U16s take a 2-0 lead against LAFC in the first half of play.  The Derby County Wolves' David Yang steals the ball and feeds Shane Lyons who scores to give the Wolves a 1-0 lead over FC Dallas in this key U18 matchup.  The Wolves would advance if this score stands.

8:26 EST  Yilson Asani had a chance for Derby County Wolves U18s, but his effort was wide.  SCC Breakers score against Dallas Texans, but the goal is called back for offside.

8:20 EST  GGOOAALL!  PDA goes ahead 2-1 on a goal from Ryan Finley.

8:18 EST  Chicago Magic U16s take the lead over Los Angeles FC on a header from a corner about 15 minutes in.  Readers from Chicago are taking a liking to this scoreline...

8:16 EST  Blake Wise of Dallas Texans U18 is active early, while goalkeeper Ryan Aubrey makes a big save on a counter by the SCC Breakers.

8:13 EST  Matchfit scores early in the U16 matchup against Vardar, but Vardar's Fatai Alashe makes a beautiful run across the top of the box and scores unassisted to tie the game at 1-.

8:12 EST GGOOAALL!  Two quick goals from Andy Najar have put DC United's U18s up 2-0 over LAFC.

8:09 EST  PDA and Albertson are tied at 1-1 in the early going in the U18s.  Jossimar Sanchez was the goal-scorer for PDA.  Albertson will advance if the score remains the same.

8:02 EST  Teams are huddled together one last time and we are off and started.

8:00 AM EST  WE ARE LIVE!  Key 8am games in the U18s are Derby County Wolves vs. FC Dallas, Dallas Texans vs. Santa Cruz County Breakers, DC United vs. Los Angeles FC, FC Westchester vs. Sockers FC, and Albertson FC vs. PDA.  U16 games include Chicago Magic vs. Los Angeles FC, Vardar vs. Match Fit Chelsea, and CASL Chelsea Academy vs. Washington Premier FC.

Check out our Development Academy playoff coverage to keep up to speed on this past weekend's events!