GIRLS READY FOR FINAL TEST AT ECNL NORTH CAROLINA
More than 185 teams across the U15, U16 and U17 age groups will head to Greensboro to take part in ECNL North Carolina for the final girls National Event of the 2020-21 regular season. The top clubs from across the country will then meet at the ECNL National Playoffs in just a few short weeks in Lakewood Ranch, FL.
ECNL North Carolina begins Friday with three days of intense competition, featuring teams from all nine conferences in cross-conference matches between sides of similar competitive levels. The event provides the last opportunity for clubs to evaluate their teams against other top clubs from across the country prior to National Playoffs, which are on the horizon. To view the full team list, click here.
Heading into ECNL North Carolina, there are plenty of compelling storylines and significant games to be had. But there are a few teams that stand out to watch over the weekend.
In the U15 age group, Connecticut FC heads to ECNL North Carolina with one of the most compelling schedules of the showcase. Currently sitting in second place in the New England Conference with a 10-3-0 record, and trailing first place by just 0.02 points per game, CFC will face Penn Fusion (9-5-2, third in North Atlantic Conference) Friday, Alabama FC (9-6-1, fifth in Southeast Conference) Saturday and NC Fusion (6-4-4, fourth in Mid-Atlantic Conference) Sunday. Each match on their schedule features a team on the bubble of moving up in postseason competition, meaning every game will have something significant on the line for both sides.
A hallmark of the national events is being able to play teams you don’t know very well, and for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds U16 squad, that means playing teams from the other side of the country. At ECNL North Carolina, Pittsburgh will battle Phoenix Rising (8-6-1) Friday and Portland Thorns (7-3-0) Sunday, with a contest against Tampa Bay United Rowdies (9-5-2) sandwiched between them.
For the first time all season, So Cal Blues’ U17 team will be attending an ECNL National Event, and sitting in second place in the Southwest conference with less than a month to go until playoffs, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The California-based squad will take on Charlotte Independence (10-4-0) Friday, PDA South (5-4-4) Saturday and Colorado Rapids (5-4-1) Sunday.
In total, there will be 285 games across 21 fields between the three age groups at ECNL North Carolina. With so many games, combined with more than 350 schools and more than 550 coaches expected to attend ECNL North Carolina, it will be one of the largest recruitable events in youth soccer history. To view the full scout list, click here.
ECNL North Carolina merchandise is available for pre-sale online or can be purchased at the event itself. All items must be picked up at the event. To view items on sale and learn more information about pre-ordering, click here.