A record 17 British Columbia-based Pacific Northwest Division teams are headed to Florida to compete in the USL Super Y-League North American Finals in November.
There will be a distinct BC flavour to this year's Super Y Finals, as each of the seven clubs in the Pacific Northwest Division are sending at least one team to the North American championships.
With each age category from U-13 to U-16 Boys and Girls sending the top two teams from the division, many of the spots were up for grabs heading into the last matches of Super Y-League play this past weekend.
The most experienced Super Y clubs lead the way once again, with Coastal WFC and Mountain WFC sending four teams each, while West Coast Capitals from the Island, are sending three teams and newcomers Coquitlam Metro-Ford are sending two sides. Abbotsford Mariners qualified one team, while Surrey WFC will send a single team for the second straight year. For the first time, Thompson Okanagan will send a team to Florida. |
<img src="//www.whitecapsfc.com/files/YouthUploads/wfcbcsa1.jpg" style="border-style: solid;" border="0"> |
<strong>GIRLS </strong> |
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U-13 Girls |
1. Coastal |
2. Coquitlam Metro Ford |
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U-14 Girls |
1. Coastal |
2. West Coast Capitals |
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U-15 Girls |
1. Mountain |
2. West Coast Capitals |
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U-16 Girls |
1. Surrey |
2. West Coast Capitals |
3. Coastal |
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<strong>BOYS</strong> |
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U-13 Boys |
1. Mountain |
2. Coastal |
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U-14 Boys |
1. Coqiutlam Metro-Ford |
2. Okanagan |
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U-15 Boys |
1. Mountain |
2. Abbotsford |
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U-16 Boys |
1. Coastal |
2. Mountain |
Mountain WFC excelled on the Boys side, with their U-13 and U15 teams winning the league, while their U-16 Boys finished in second place. The U-15 Girls also won their division. Coastal WFC had teams win the U-13 and U-14 Girls divisions, while the U-16 Boys won their division and the U-13 Boys took second place. Coastal's U-16 Girls finished third in their division this summer.
The West Coast Capitals will be sending teams to the finals for the first time as their U-14, U-15, and U-16 Girls teams each finished second in their respective divisions.
Coquitlam Metro-Ford continued a successful inaugural year by sending two teams to the Finals. The U-14 Boys won their division, while the U-13 Girls finished in second place.
Thompson Okanagan will be making their debut at the Finals, as the U-14 Boys earned second place in their division.
Abbotsford qualified their U-15 Boys after they finished second in their division, while second-year club Surrey WFC round out the group by matching their 2008 total, sending one team after their U-16 Girls won their division.
In 2008, 13 BC-based teams advanced to the North American Finals in Florida. Coastal WFC, Mountain WFC, and Surrey WFC sent a combined ten teams to Florida. Five of them came from Mountain and included the U-13, U-14, U-15 and U-16 Boys, as well as the U-16 Girls. The four teams from Coastal included the U-13, U-14, U-15, and U-16 Girls, while the lone team from Surrey came in the form of their U-14 Boys team. In addition, Abbotsford qualified three teams to the 2008 Finals by way of the U-14, U-15, and U-16 Boys. Success was achieved by Mountain’s U-16 Boys, who went on to win the Super Y-League North American title last year after a 2-0 victory over TSF Academy in the final.
This year, the Whitecaps - in conjunction with BC Soccer - announced a restructuring from the Super Y-League affiliate program to a re-branded 'Professional Development Partners' program. The 2008 affiliates (Coastal WFC, Mountain WFC, and Surrey WFC), along with Abbotsford Mariners, Okanagan WFC, West Coast Capitals, and the newly-formed Coquitlam Metro-Ford, all became Professional Development Partners in 2009.
The transition from affiliate to 'Professional Development Partners' recognizes that the participating clubs within the established district structure are independent, but partners in the overall professional development of players and the game of soccer.
