Thursday, February 14 TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the opening of the application process for sites interested in hosting the third annual Super-20 League North American Finals. Prospective hosts must first meet a number of prearranged standards to be eligible for consideration. Applications should be submitted to USL’s Associate Director of SYL & Super-20 Operations, Erin McGauley, no later than Wednesday, April 30. USL will name a host by Thursday, May 15.
“The level of growth the Super-20 League has enjoyed in its first two seasons has allowed us to open the application process to any interested organization in the U.S and Canada for the summer of 2008,” said USL’s Senior Director of Youth Development, Jeff McRaney. “The professional approach of our Super -20 League clubs and the standard of play at the finals leads USL to believe that the Super-20 League North American Finals can attract a considerable amount of interest from the local soccer community if the tournament is hosted in the right location.”
The Super-20 League North American Finals will officially begin Thursday, July 31 and run through Sunday, August 3. Teams competing in the tournament will arrive on Wednesday, July 30.
Both the 2006 and 2007 Super-20 League North American Finals were hosted by New Hampshire’s elite soccer club, Seacoast United, at their $5 million dollar outdoor complex in Epping, New Hampshire. Each year the event drew in a total of 24 top level U20 Men’s and Women’s teams from across North America, simultaneously catching the eye of coaches beginning their college preseason schedule and attentive professional scouts looking to bring in top prospects.
About clubs competing in the Super-20 League North American Finals
Teams earning the right to compete in the Super-20 League North American Finals must first battle through the arduous Super-20 League regular season. The league’s Mid Atlantic Division, for example, contained 20 teams. Only the top six teams were invited to represent the division in the finals. Those clubs’s combined record following the regular season was an impressive, 41-7-6, a winning percentage of .759.
About clubs competing in the Super -20 League
As the premier Under-20 league in North America, USL’s Super-20 League contains U20 academy teams of Major League Soccer, United Soccer Leagues First and Second Division and United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League. On the women’s side, the league contains teams from United Soccer Leagues W-League and two members of the newly formed WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer). The league also includes teams representing the top established youth clubs in North America.
