Three teams went in, and none came out. But find out how close the Rockford Raptors FC teams came of getting through at nationals.
The Rockford Raptors FC boys program has wrapped up another powerful summer of soccer.
And while none of the teams that advanced to nationals got down to the Round of 16, two of the three that were there almost kept it going.
"The national level is a whole different game," said Hugh Jewelry, the head coach of the Raptors 2008 (U17) Boys Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) team.
The Raptors 2008 team, comprised of more locals than any of the other elite Raptors' boys teams, tied its first two games and won its last game 2-0, but fell just short of advancing to the Round of 16.
"That's not terrible, and not great, you know," Jewelry said. "That was a positive. But what they really got out of it is they learned what it takes to play at this level."
The top 64 teams from around the country in each age division advanced to the national tournament. The Raptors 2008 boys, at nationals for the first time, were joined by the 2009 and 2011 boys in the ECNL National Playoffs in Redmond, Washington, just outside of Seattle. The tournament ran from June 25 to July 1.
They were trying to get to the National Finals which were in Richmond, Virginia, from July 17-20. But none of them made it out alive.
Rockford's 2008 boys were close, and that was after a very rocky start. They lost Andres Segovia, their leading scorer, to a torn ACL two day before leaving for Seattle.
"We played hard and we played well as a team," Jewelry said of the group that made it to nationals for the first time. "It's been a really cool group to watch, and they've really grown a lot.
"I told them: 'Now you made nationals, it's time to take it to the next step. To the next round."
Rockford's 2008 boys earned a 1-1 and 0-0 tie, and then the 2-0 win in their final game. Alvin Hernandez, a Boylan player, and Luis Rojas, a Guilford player, each had goals in the tourney.
The other local players on the team were: (from Boylan) Tyler Anderson and Skyler Sowell; (from Belvidere North) Mason Moore, Jonas Reece and Kristian Vujicic; (from Guilford) Drew Bachta; and (from Harlem) Amar Avdic and Cesar Pelayo.
Last year, the Rockford Raptors FC organization had three teams make it to the ECNL National Playoffs as well, with the 2009 boys advancing all the way through to the Final 4. They made it further than any other Rockford Raptors team before them.
This year, that 2009 team was close to advancing to the Round of 16, like its 2008 counterparts, but it tied its final matchup at the ECNL National Playoffs, and bowed out.
The Rockford Raptors FC boys teams will reconvene in November when the boys high school seasons are done.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at [email protected] and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford Raptors FC teams just short of getting through at nationals
Category: General Sports
