Two Conference Championships As FC Wisconsin Sends Four Teams to ECNL National Playoffs

FC Wisconsin is proud to report that four of our Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) teams (U15, U16, U17, and U18) have qualified for the ECNL National Playoffs that will be hosted in Browns Summit, North Carolina (near Greensboro) the week of July 3-9, 2021. To advance to the National Playoffs, our ECNL teams had to finish in the top-three within their conference at the U15, U16, and U17 age groups, and at the top of the U18/19 age group. FC Wisconsin’s U16 ECNL and U18 ECNL teams won their regular season championships. As a result, the U18 team will compete for a National Championship in North Carolina.

 

The ECNL Midwest Conference (North and South) consists of 14 top clubs from across the Midwest region from the following states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York. Only the professional outfit of Louisville City Academy have sent more teams to the ECNL National Playoffs from our region than FC Wisconsin – what a fantastic achievement by our players and coaches!

 

“It is a massive accomplishment for FC Wisconsin to send four teams to the ECNL National Playoffs, and a testament to the all the players and coaches that put so much work in on a day-to-day basis. The success of these teams highlights that our long-term player development curriculum and commitment to helping all players reach their goals is paying dividends for everyone associated with our club. In what has been a difficult year for everyone, to achieve this success is a credit to everyone’s commitment and determination to succeed. While we are thrilled with this achievement, the strength, resilience, and unity that everyone associated with FC Wisconsin has shown each other during these tough times is what we are most proud of,” said FC Wisconsin Co-Director of Coaching Ben Shepherd.

 

The U18 ECNL team will get a chance to place another national championship star on our club logo. During their years with FC Wisconsin and prior to the inception of the Boys ECNL League, the age group has competed in the USYS National Championship and NPL National Championship. In the 2019-2020 season they were ranked the #1 team in the ECNL heading into the post-season. After some key injuries, they lost in the ECNL Regional Final to the eventual National Champion Runner-Up. This year, FC Wisconsin’s U18 team is ranked #4 in the country behind the professional clubs of FC Dallas and Louisville City.

 

As a club, FC Wisconsin is the only boys club in the state to have ever won a National Championship (2017). We are proud to be the only team in the state competing for an ECNL National Championship this year within the top developmental platform in the country. 

 

“We set a goal at the beginning of the year to have all our teams in the hunt for the ECNL National Playoffs. Every group made huge progress and strides in development, quality of play and defending, goalkeeping, and togetherness. All our teams’ success is amazing, but I think we’re most proud of the continued culture being set by all these groups. It’s amazing when our younger players hang out at the fields, know all the older players’ names, give them a high five, and wish them good luck every weekend. Our culture, which was already unmatched, has gotten even better. All our teams training and playing games at one facility, creating relationships and mentorships within the age groups, is why we coach. Our teams’ and club’s success will continue to grow thanks to the example being set at the top with all our U15, U16, U17, and U18 teams. We are family,” shared Co-Director of Coaching Billy Solberg.