Below are the four teams that will be heading to the USYS National Championship Series next week in Frisco, Texas. Listed are the teams finals matches that qualified them for Nationals.
17U Boys - TBU
After winning the 2018 Florida State Cup. Last year's national winners bypassed Southern Regionals and will play directly in Fresco, Texas at the USYS National Championships.
18U Boys - Davie United
Davie United Sharks 2000 Blue (FL) defeated FC Dallas Youth 00 Boys (TX-N) in kicks from the mark to claim the 18U Boys Regional title. After a scoreless first half, age group leading goal scorer, Andoni Garrogericaechebarria broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute with his eleventh goal of the tournament. It looked like Davies might claim victory in regulation but FC Dallas’ Joshua Stone equalized late in the second half to send the game to overtime. Brandon Torres pushed FC Dallas to a 2-1 lead in overtime but Davies leveled shortly after. Davies earned a penalty kick in the 111th minute and Abel Caputo stepped up and buried the chance to tie the game. The game advanced to kicks from the mark where the first FC Dallas kicker missed his first attempt. Tyler Hogan repaid all his teammates for making their shots and made a big save diving to his right to claim the victory for Davies United.
18U Girls - Sunrise Sting
Sunrise Sting 2000 (FL) defeated Mandeville SC Lakers Elite (LA), 4-0, to book its ticket to the National Championships. Sunrise started of strong in the first half as Alysa Vazquez gave her team the lead. Vazquez took a few dribbles up the right side and hit a bomb from deep to the back left side of the goal for a 1-0 lead. Sunrise kept its foot on the gas scoring two more goals by Cydni Turner and Liliana Fernandez to push the halftime advantage to 3-0. Kayla Fernandez scored just one minute into the second half to increase the lead to 4-0. Mandeville could not produce any more comeback magic, as Sunrise becomes the new 18U Girls Southern Regional Champions.
19U Boys - TBU
Tampa Bay United (FL) held on to beat South Carolina United FC 99 Elite (SC), 4-3, in the 19U Boys final. Tampa Bay scored a flurry of goals in the span of five minutes in the first half to take a 3-0 lead into halftime. Hale Lombard opened the scoring in the 30th minute and teammate Tristen Andre notched a brace in the next five minutes to give Tampa a big advantage. South Carolina got a breath of life in the 75th minute as a long cross-field pass that was hit back across the face of goal to William Dudley who was waiting for the tap in. Tampa quickly responded on a 2v2 fast break just three minutes later. A cross came in off the break to Andre who took the ball off his chest, stepped away from the defender and then calmly slotted his chance beyond the keeper. As the clock was winding down, United cut the lead to two off a freekick from Dudley. United pulled within one during stoppage time scoring a header goal off a ball floated into the box but could not find the final equalizer before the final whistle. Tampa Bay United now advances to Nationals to compete for the 19U Boys James P. McGuire Cup.