The EDP Winter Showcase took place over the weekend featuring top 17U-19U boys and 15U-17U girls teams in the country. Held at Capelli Sports Complex in Tinton Falls, NJ, and Heavenly Farms in East Brunswick, NJ, the invite-only event from across different platforms created a best vs. best atmosphere, with top-level matchups all weekend long. College coaches lined the sidelines from top Division 1, Divisions 2, and Division 3 schools from around the region. Coaches from the Big Ten, Big East, Ivy League, Patriot League, VAA, A-10, America East, MAAC, NJAC, NESCAC, and other top conferences were all in attendance.
EDP Soccer partnered with SportsRecruits and Next Level Video for the event to enhance the recruiting experience for players and coaches. Both digital and printed player profiles were available for all coaches in attendance, and all games were recorded and will be provided to the teams and college coaches.
A look back at some of the top matchups from the weekend:
At Capelli Sports Complex, Saturday kicked off with EPYSA State Cup Champion Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 05B Black drawing 0-0 with Cedar Stars Academy Monmouth 2005B MLS Next. In the second time slot, college coaches flocked towards field 3 where MLS Next National Finalist PDA MLS 19U boys took on STA ECNL 19U. PDA showed its class from start to finish, winning by a 5-2 scoreline.
Next up was Cedar Stars Academy North 04 NL vs PA Dominion FC 04, a battle between two of the top USYS teams in the nation. In the first half, the sensational Ransford Gyan set up Cedar Stars' first goal, and in the second half he wowed all the coaches in attendance when he scored the team's second goal to secure the 2-0 win. Both sides will look towards a potential rematch at USYS Nationals this July. The day started to close out with Baltimore Armour 19U MLS Next vs Penn Alliance Select Elite ‘04, where Baltimore Armour star center back and Loyola-commit Jahvar Stephenson battled with Penn Alliance striker Patryk Rojek for 90 minutes. The back-and-forth matchup saw both teams battle, and Baltimore Armour came out on top 3-1. The final time slot of the day had BVB International Pittsburgh 05B Premier face off with Cedar Stars Academy Bergen 2005B MLS Next. Both sides were extremely organized, and neither team was able to find a winner late in the second half as the game ended in a 2-2 draw. Sunday morning had New York Soccer Club MLS Next take on STA ECNL at both the 17U and 19U age groups, with STA winning 2-1 at 17U and and New York SC winning 4-0 at 19U. In the second time slot, FC Florida got the better of Baltimore Armour 2-0, and PA Dominion FC 2004B scored two first half goals in the 2-0 defeat over FC Westchester 19U MLS Next. One of the most anticipated matchups of the day was between PDA MLS 19U and Cedar Stars Academy North 04 NL, but neither side was able to find the back of the next and the match ended in a 0-0 draw, while BVB International Pittsburgh 05B Premier drew 2-2 vs Baltimore Armour 17U MLS Next behind two goals by Donavan Phillip. In the last game of the weekend, Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 04B Black defeated Cedar Stars Academy Monmouth 03/04B MLS Next 2-0. At Heavenly Farms, PDA girls teams showed their quality, with each of their four teams going unbeaten over the weekend. On Saturday in the 17U age group, PDA 2005G ECNL Blue Strikers defeated STA 05 GA 3-1 while USYS National Finalist Philadelphia SC Coppa 05 Rage and Cedar Stars Academy Monmouth 2005 GA had a very close contest, with Cedar Stars coming out on top 2-1. In the 16U age group, USYS Regional champion Real Jersey FC 06 defeated Cedar Stars Academy Monmouth 2006 GA 3-0, while PDA 2006G ECNL Blue Wolves defeated STA 06G GA 3-0. On Sunday, NJ Nationals made it two wins out of two with a win over NJ Stallions 05 North, while Philadelphia SC Coppa 05 Rage came up just short against STA 05G GA with the game ending 3-2. In total, the boys side had 11 MLS Next teams from NJ, MD, and NY, 13 teams who participated in this season's National League P.R.O. and four teams in ECNL Boys. The girls side had four teams from ECNL Girls, five teams from Girls Academy League and eight teams that compete in USYS National League. The full list of results for the weekend can be found here.
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