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I post this somewhat hesitantly with the USYSA Regionals still looming.

However, Bridge FA is very proud of the showing 3 of our teams had last weekend at the US Club Soccer Region C Championships in Columbus GA. All 3 teams, the Bridge FA 90 Gold, Bridge FA 89 Gold and the Bridge FA 88 Gold (playing up) made the finals, with one champion continuing on to the National Cup IV in Jacksonville, FL.

More info can be found here .

2nd place is a good result for the Gold 88 team. They were playing up at U17? So that team will play U17 in the fall? Strictly Soccer is a quality U17 team - maybe 3rd or 4th best in FL.

Yes the 88 Gold will be playing U17 in the fall. The ages for this tournament were based on current season, so the 88 Gold is a current U16 team.

That makes their 2nd place finish even more impressive. Strictly Soccer is currently a U17 team and will play U18 in fall, and did finish #3 in FL. state cup.

You admitted to the trepidation of starting this post since you did. Having gone to this in yrs past; the only problem is that it doesn't take anything to qualify to get to these Region championships.
That aside, any time kids get to play and strive to improve it is a good thing.

swimmer,
Surely you are not dismissing the fact that a U-16 club team finished 2nd to a U-17 FL club team that was 3rd in FL (probably the strongest state in Region III) ?

Swimmer,
My trepidation of starting this post had nothing to do with the format of the tournament. Yes, unlike the USYSA Regionals, there is no qualification required. My trepidation of starting this post was centered solely on not wanting to attempt in any way to compare the two, and not to detract from the success that CESA had in earning all but one of the qualification spots for SC. (I think DSC Mutiny is the only non CESA team playing, but could be wrong.) So are these successes on the same level as winning or being the finalist in the USYSA Regional, no. Would we have liked to be playing in the USYSA Regional, absolutely, just like every other club in SC that fields competitive teams.

That being said, our decision to support and play in the US Club Soccer National Cup IV, was based on other factors.

After tryouts and team formations we felt that the teams were competitive teams, but the rosters were a significantly different mix of players. Until they competed we wouldn't really know what we had. With one team, 88 Gold, playing in the premier league, we felt it critical to first year success to play some competitive games over the summer to get ready for the fall season.

As stated, we are proud of the accomplishments of last weekend, however, we feel that the results of last weekend demonstrate that the Bridge FA concept works. Within these particular teams, there has been significant support of players from non alliance member clubs. Some of the basis for this opinion:

Last spring the SSC Rapids Blue faced the CFC Redstar in a tournament in Atlanta, playing to a 0-0 tie. Bridge FA 90 Gold faced them twice last weekend, 11-0, and 8-1.

Last season the SSC Sporting lost 3-0 to the same Strictly Soccer team Bridge FA 89 Gold faced last weekend. This match could have been decided several times earlier, but unfortunately with a late goal mouth scramble, Strictly Soccer defeated them 1-0.

Striker has it right with the Bridge FA 88 Gold. In the first match of the tournament, the 88 Gold, gave Strictly Soccer almost all they could handle, losing a very close 2-1.

Last weekend clearly demonstrated that united the low country can field teams that can be competive outside of SC. However, with the exception of one team, we will have to wait until the fall State Cup to see if we can be competitive within SC.

Well done Bridge FC.

Playing out of State is always good fun and challenging.

CESA is great and has done a fantastic job.

However, in support of your activity, more visibility of SC players is good for everyone.

It's great to see Lowcountry teams doing well on a "regional" level. Good job to all those involved in getting this movement started! The visibility is great for the kids and SC soccer in general. Keep us posted!