Group A Preview

Returning National Champion McLean 00 Green (VA) leads Group A and will be looking to defend its 2016 title after advancing via the National League. McLean is joined by fellow its National League team, West Coast FC Armour (CA-S), who topped the National League Blue Division with a 6-1-0 record — allowing just four goals through seven games. Santa Clara Sporting 00 Green (CA-N) returns back to Nationals and will look to improve on its group stage exit from 2016. Michigan Jaguars round off Group A and are competing as the Region II Champions where they went undefeated. The Jaguars defeated Group B’s Raiders FC, who finished as 2016 National Finalists, in the Region II Championships final.

Group B Preview

Group B is led by the 2016 National finalist Raiders FC (IL) and joined by Sparta 00 JK (UT), who fell to McLean in last year’s semifinals. Raiders advance via a perfect National League season in which they went 7-0-0 while scoring an age group high 29 goals. Sparta, also advancing through the National League, finished with a 5-1-1 record in the White Division. Baltimore Celtic returns to the National Championships with a new look team, which contains a handful of veterans who competed in the 2014 and 2015 National Championships. Celtic went undefeated in National League play but its two ties put it one point short of Group A’s West Coast FC Armour. Completing the foursome is an FC Dallas team that defeated the 2015 National Champions, Houstonians 2001 (TX-S), on the way to its Region III title.

Region I: Baltimore Celtic SC 2000 (MD)

How they got to Nationals
Baltimore Celtic SC 2000 (MD) won its third State Cup on its road to the 2017 Regional Championships. Celtic went 3-0-0 in group play, scoring 10 goals while allowing just one against. Celtic earned a 4-1 semifinal win and then another 4-1 win in the final to secure its spot in the 2017 National Championships.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2014, 2015, 2017
Region Champs: 2014, 2017
2016-17 National League Blue: 2nd (5-0-2)
2015-16 National League Red: 4th (3-4-0)
2014-15 National League Red: 1st (5-0-2)
2014 National Championships: 3rd Place
2015 National Championships: Group Stage (0-0-3)

Player Accolades
2017 Region I Championships Top Scorer: Justin Gielen
2017 Region I Championships Top Scorers: Brandon Knapp (tied for 5th)
2017 Region I Championships Top Scorers: Herson Morales (tied for 5th)
2015 National Championships Top Scorers: Luke Davis (tied for 2nd)

College Programs
Tyler Collins – U.S. Naval Academy
Justin Gielen – University of Maryland, College Park
Nicholas Richardson – University of Maryland, College Park
Benjamin Stitz – University of Pennsylvania

Coach
Barry Stitz

Region II: Michigan Jaguars 00 Green (MI)

How they got to Nationals
Michigan Jaguars 00 Green (MI) advanced to the 2017 Region II Championships via the Midwest Regional League. The Michigan side advanced through group stage with a 2-0-1 record. Jaguars defeated Nationals Union 00 Black (MI), 2-1, in the semifinals and then came back to defeat 2016 National finalists Raiders FC (IL) in overtime to claim the Regional title.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2014, 2015
Region Champs: 2017

Player Accolades
2017 Region II Championships Top Scorer: Alexander Dalou (T-1st)

College Programs
Alexander Dalou – Western Michigan University
Dominic Gatson – University of Detroit Michigan
Braydon Walker – Saginaw Valley State University

Coach
Dan Diac

Region III: FC Dallas 00 Premier (TX-N)

How they got to Nationals
FC Dallas advanced to the Region III Championships as winners of the Southern Regional Premier League West Division. FC Dallas earned a perfect nine points through the group stage and then earned a close 3-2 quarterfinal victory over SLSC 2000 Blue (OK). FC Dallas defeated Houstonians 2000 (TX-S), 3-0, in the semifinals and then claimed a 4-1 victory over CASL Red 00 North (NC) in the final.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2017
Region Champs: 2017

Player Accolades
2017 Region III Championships Top Scorers: Reed Berry
2017 Region III Championships Top Scorers: Tucker Littleton
College Programs
Trevor Jackson – University of Central Arkansas

Coach
Scott Dymond

Region IV: Santa Clara Sporting 00 Green (CA-N)

How they got to Nationals
Santa Clara Sporting 00 Green (CA-N) advanced to the Region IV Championships after winning the Cal North State Cup. A 2-0-1 record in group play earned Sporting a spot in the quarterfinals, where it claimed a 5-1 victory over Club America of CO Gladiadores 00 (CO). In the semifinals, Sporting claimed a close 1-0 victory over FC Portland 00 Navy (OR) and then defeated Seattle United Copa (WA), 2-1, in a close final.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2016, 2017
Region Champs: 2016, 2017
2016 National Championships: Group (1-2-0)

Player Accolades
2017 Region IV Championships Top Scorers: Ramon Inda Felix (T-3rd)
2017 Region IV Championships Top Scorers: Angel Avalos Guzman (T-4th)
2016 National Championships Top Scorers: Rudolfo Pedroza (T-2nd)
College Programs
Harrison Kepp – University of San Fransisco

Coach
John Azevedo

National League Black: McLean 00 Green (VA)

How they got to Nationals
McLean 00 Green (VA) is back at Nationals and ready to try to defend its 2016 National Championship after qualifying this year via a top finish in the National League Black Division. McLean finished with a 5-0-2 record while scoring 13 goals for and allowing just five through its seven games.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2013, 2015
Region Champs: 2015
2014-15 National League Red: 6th (2-4-1)
2015-16 National League Blue: 2nd (4-2-1)
2016-17 National League Black: 1st (5-0-2)
2016 US Youth Soccer National Champions

Player Accolades
2016 National Championships Top Scorers: Jeff Bisset (T-2nd)

Coach
Jamil Walker

National League Blue: West Coast Armour 2000 (CA-S)

How they got to Nationals
West Coast FC Armour (CA-S) is advancing to its first National Championships after qualifying for the event via a first-place finish in the National League Blue Division. West Coast finished its season 6-1-0, scoring 17 goals for and allowing just four against.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2017
Regional Quarterfinals: 2015, 2016, 2017

Player Accolades
2015 Region IV Championships Top Scorer: Blake Bowen

Coach
Neil Armour

National League Red: Raiders FC (IL)

How they got to Nationals
Raiders FC (IL) advance to Nationals after completing a perfect 7-0-0 season of National League to top the Red Division. Raiders scored 29 goals while allowing nine on the way to its National League title. Raiders FC will be looking to build on its second straight perfect National League season by earning its way back to the National Championships final.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2015
Regional Champs: 2016
Region II Finalists: 2017
Region II Semifinals: 2015
National Championships Finalists: 2016
2015-16 National League Red: 1st (7-0-0)
2016-17 National League Red: 1st (7-0-0)

Player Accolades
2015 Region II Top Scorers: Christian Crespo (tied for 1st)
2016 Region II Top Scorer: Evangelo Spartiatis
2016 Region II Top Scorers: Christian Crespo (3rd)
2016 Region II Top Scorers: Luis Moreno (tied for 4th)
2015-16 National League Top Scorer: Evangelo Spartiatis
2015-16 National League Top Scorers: Christian Crespo (tied for 4th)
2016-17 National League Top Scorer: Evangelo Spartiatis
2016-17 National League Top Scorer: Christian Crespo (tied for 4th)
2016 National Championships Top Scorer: Josiah Ash (tied for 1st)
2016 National Championships Top Scorer: Evangelo Spartiatis (tied for 1st)
2016 National Championships Top Scorer: Josue Espinoza (tied for 2nd)

Coach
Salvador Valencia

National League White: Sparta 00 JK (UT)

How they got to Nationals
Sparta is advancing to the National Championships for the second year in a row via the National League. After finishing second in its group last year, Sparta topped the White Division with a record of 5-1-1 to qualify. Sparta’s 12 goals for and seven against earned enough points to qualify the Utah side for its second straight Nationals.

National Championship Series History
State Champs: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
2014 Region IV Championships: Semifinals
2015 Region IV Championships: Finalists
2014-15 National League Red: 4th (4-3-0)
2015-16 National League Red: 2nd (5-2-0)
2016-17 National League White: 1st (5-1-1)

Player Accolades
2015 Region IV Championships Top Scorer: Brandon Cervantes (T-3rd)
2016-17 National League Top Scorer: Fabian Gonzalez Limones (T-5th)

Coach
Justus Koelliker