2022 Women’s Academy Playoff Preview | club football

It’s a busy week in women’s club football, with the Women’s Academy League playoffs kicking off on June 22nd.

Under 13, Under 14 and Under 19 teams start playing on June 22, with Under 15 (June 23), Under 17 (June 24) and Under 16 (June 25) teams starting shortly thereafter.

The oldest and youngest age groups will become champions in California on June 27, while the remaining four age groups will send the final four to Missouri to compete in the national finals.

Below is a preview of each age group.

U13

A tireless line-up that has reached the century mark, Nationals SC will certainly be among the favorites when this age group kicks off. This year the team won the Champions League.

There will be a relentless pursuit of quality teams looking to beat the Michigan powerhouse. Both TopHat Gold and Indy Premier were deadly in the last third, hitting 77 and 87 games for the season, respectively.

Lou Fusz Athletic, LA Surf SC, Albion SC, SJEB FC, Lamorinda SC and TSJ FC Virginia finished in the national top 10 with impressive overall campaigns. Don’t be surprised if sides like IMG Academy and Beadling SC could cause trouble when things start later this week.

U15

The top teams in the 2007 age group include many talents from across the country.

Ranked first in the national standings, TopHat Gold had an unbeaten regular season, winning 21 games and drawing just twice. Georgia Force are definitely among the favorites to win the group. But as the Champions League event showed, anything can happen, as that year’s top 10 Cincinnati United Premier players won the tournament.

Strength will come to California from every region. Lamorinda SC won’t have too long a run while SC del Sol had a strong season, posting a 21-1-3 record in the west. Chicago United’s group enemies did a great job overall with three teams making the playoffs. Among the teams with the shortest commutes, City SC has achieved high quality in the past and intends to do the same this week.

There are several clubs in the east that have been successful this season. NEFC, TSJ FC Virginia and Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals are some of the best teams on the east coast. Baltimore Celtic and IMG Academy are also two teams that have a long way to go this week.

U16

Both in terms of depth and quality, this age group is full of talent and should prove extremely competitive.

TSJ FC Virginia has a 20-0-0 record and can provide quality on both sides of the ball. But that’s a long list of teams that will hit the road this week in search of victory. The IMG Academy group scored 67 times in 23 games, conceding just 12 along the way. The Colorado Rush won the Champions League this year by joining forces in Florida and will look to do it again.

In addition to the top three seeds, there are a few more. NEFC was strong in the northeast and Tophat Gold made an impression in the southeast along with IMG. Albion SC Dan Diego was one of the best teams in California along with Lamorinda SC and Palo Alto SC. Lonestar SC, STA and Nationals are some of the other teams that can really get ahead in California.

U17

Spring Champions League winners Florida United boast the highest-scoring offense in the under-17 age group and can certainly deliver a high-octane attack. This is sure to create a lot of problems for Group H as Chicago United, Cedar Stars Academy-Monmouth and Spokane Sounders Shadow look to deal with it.

But the South Florida team is far from the only team to have a strong 2021-2022 campaign. Utah Celtic’s record of 20-1-1 reflected the team’s success on both sides of the ball, trailing only Florida United in total goals in the 05 age group. result 17-1-1.

Other typically GA strengths dot the top ten, including a very good lineup of TopHat Gold, Colorado Rush, STA, IMG Academy and Lou Fusz Athletic. Sporting Saint Louis, PA Classics, OL Reign and SC Wave are some of the other sleeper teams that could make some noise.

U18/19

This is the end of an impressive era for Bay Area Surf, a team built from the San Jose Earthquakes Girls Academy team that dominated the Development Academy years ago. Assuming there’s a talented senior class, the NorCal side is putting their 17-0-0 mark on the line for the final title chase.

The oldest age group will become Oceanside champions as several high schoolers play their final club games before embarking on their college careers. Chasing the Champions League winners will be a field full of talent. The Sockers have suffered only one defeat this season, while Florida United are going strong in their 03/04 age group.

Since there are only 16 teams making the trip, there will be little margin for team promotion. Keep an eye on group B, as there may be several teams that advance there. TSJ, FC Virginia, OL Reign Academy, West Coast FC and Houston Dash all make for a magical week.