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FC Virginia u17 Explosion win Disney gold, upset Japanese super team in finals

Jan 4, 2010
The u17 FC Virginia Explosion shocked the Disney Soccer Showcase crowds by downing the impressive Japan Football Association Academy team in the finals Sunday afternoon at the newly named ESPN Wide World of Sports facility in Orlando, Florida. It was a game seemingly no one thought any team at Disney event this year would have had a prayer of winning, except the team that did.

JFA had just won all three of their Predator Division group games by a combined score of 27 to 1, quickly becoming the “buzz” of what many consider to be the best youth girls soccer tournament on the planet. Their run in the event was even featured by Soccer America Magazine on Saturday under the title “Japanese academy steals show”, with an opening line of “No team has dominated at Disney’s Soccer Showcase quite like Japan’s JFA Academy Fukushima”.

The SA piece wasn’t an altogether over-the-top statement considering the quality of the teams the Japanese equivalent of US Soccer’s Bradenton Academy – a residential academy focused on teaching soccer – had just dismantled.

Game 1: 7-0 win over Ohio Premier Eagles, Ohio South State runners up
Game 2: 11-1 win over Baltimore Bays 93, defending Maryland State Cup Champions
Game 3: 8-0 win over Hershey Soccer Kickkats, CASL and Jefferson Cup Champions

However, from the first news of the 7-0 win over Ohio Premier, the staff and players with FCV started dreaming of the opportunity to face off against the Japan team in the finals. It would provide just the sort of challenge, and opportunity for learning that FCV feels is most important for the development of their players.

“We would rather play a great team and lose, then play a game against a team we already know and win,” said club President Terry Foley, who also holds the post of General Manager at the expansion WPS club – Philadelphia Independence. “The opportunity play against the team that virtually every coach I spoke with said was the best youth team they had ever seen, provided an amazing opportunity that youth club teams just don’t get very often. It was literally priceless, and now our girls have a newfound confidence that will carry them even further – and make them much more seasoned college recruits to be considered by all those same coaches who thought we could never win that game.”

The Explosion earned the opportunity to play JFA by virtue of their own impressive run in the tournament, which also doubled as their first three of nine regular season Elite Clubs National League matches. By luck of the draw, FCV’s ECNL group was aligned to play the champion of the open group A, the one with JFA. FCV won all three games, to take nine out of nine possible points in ECNL play, while clinching first place in their group after the first two wins.

Game 1: 3-2 win over Soccerplus Connecticut (goals: Caitlyn McLaughlin, Aly Shaughnessy, Kelly Abt. Assists: Meredith Doherty)
Game 2: 1-0 win over Birmingham United Elite, Alabama State Champs (goal: Lauren McKenzie, unassisted)
Game 3: 2-0 win over Freestate United (goals: own goal off Ashleigh Hammer corner, Kelly Abt. Assist Meredith Doherty)

With other group results helping FCV clinch the final after two games, the third win would have not have been necessary. However, while the team may have used that opportunity to rest for the final against JFA in a non-ECNL event, this mentality was not allowed to creep into the thinking, as every game in ECNL play counts towards the national league standings.

“Three more points in ECNL play was far more important than resting to play in a final that contributes nothing to the team’s league position. That is a new, but welcome change in the typical youth soccer thinking, and is exactly why we play in this league”, said Foley. “The development of our players is maximized when every game counts, and every game is against good competition.”

Foley’s focus on ECNL paid dividends, as FC Virginia now sit in a 4-way tie for sixth place in the league’s Challenge B division. Not entirely impressive at first glance, but FCV is one of only three clubs in twenty to have a 100% win record, and every club ahead of them in the standings has either finished all nine games of their season, or played at least six – three more than the Explosion.

After the 2-1 win over JFA, the competitors showed what the sport is all about by spending over an hour hanging out together after the awards ceremony. The socializing started with a group picture, and followed with both teams' players teaching each other their language, giggling about boyfriends, eventually playing fun pranks on each other. The teams exchanged autographed team photos, and then exited the Disney facility arm in arm - a truly touching display of international sportsmanship.

CURRENT ECNL U17 CHALLENGE B STANDINGS

Club, Games Played, Win, Loss, Tie, Goal Difference, Points
Birmingham United 9, 6, 3, 0, +12, 18
FC Delco 6, 4, 1, 1, +6, 13
San Juan SC 6, 4, 2, 0, +5, 12
Concorde Fire 6, 4, 2, 0, +4, 12
St. Louis Scott Gallagher 9, 4, 5, 0, -3, 12
SC Del Sol 3, 3, 0, 0, +8, 9
Albertson Fury 3, 3, 0, 0, +5, 9
FC Virginia 3, 3, 0, 0, +4, 9
CESA Premier 6, 3, 3, 0, +4, 9
CASL Spartan Elite 6, 2, 2, 2, -1, 8
Pleasanton Rage 3, 2, 1, 0, +2, 6
Challenge SC 6, 1, 2, 3, -2, 6
Crossfire Premier 3, 1, 1, 1, +1, 4
Minnesota Thunder 3, 1, 1, 1, 0, 4
Soccerplus Connecticut 3, 1, 2, 0, -2, 3
Atlanta Fire United 6, 0, 3, 3, -4, 3
Sereno SC 3, 0, 2, 1, -3, 1
Solar 6, 0, 5, 1, -8, 1
Freestate SA 3, 0, 3, 0, -7, 0
Virginia Rush 6, 0, 6, 0, -24, 0