ST. LOUIS (Nov. 7, 2020) — The 2020 US Youth Soccer Midwest Conference Girls St. Louis Showcase continued Saturday at the SLYSA Complex in St. Louis, Mo.

More than 70 Midwest Conference teams, including all Premier I and Premier II Division teams in the 15U-19U Girls age groups, are competing in some of the final games of their fall season at the event. Saturday saw several tight games, many of which came in contests that held a tremendous impact on the top of the standings.

In the 17U Premier I Division, Legends FC 2004 Girls Black (MI) and KCSG Academy 04 (KS) met in a matchup of the top two teams in the standings. Though KCSG held a two-point advantage entering Saturday, Legends FC managed to grind out a 4-1 win to overtake the Kansas side and move to the top of the division.

Jake Zammit — the coach of Legends FC and 2018 US Youth Soccer Girls Competitive Coach of the Year — said that Saturday’s game was well-played by both sides, and he was happy with his team’s persistent play to earn the win. He said the success in the Midwest Conference is notable for both the team and club.

“We’re appreciative of the opportunity to put Legends FC on the map. This team in particular has had a wonderful stretch of games,” Zammit said. “They just won the Michigan State Cup a couple weeks back. They were prepared to come in this weekend to prove themselves on a national stage and really solidify themselves as one of the top 17U teams in the country. I think we’ve done a good job of that this weekend and hope to continue that tomorrow.”

In addition to the players having the opportunity to prove themselves against the top competition in the region, Zammit said the Midwest Conference Girls St. Louis Showcase also helps players in their pursuit of earning a chance to play at the next level.

“We talk about this journey as a coaching staff to make sure we’re giving all of our players the tools and the guidelines prior to these events to reach out to the college coaches,” said Zammit, who expects about half of his 17U team to have commitments lined up by the end of this seasonal year. “We want them to understand what that looks like and put them in position to gain some notoriety and to be seen by these college coaches around the area. Certainly, we love these events for that particular reason.”

The showcase weekend will wrap up with games on Sunday, when many teams will play the final games of their fall season.

Some notes from Saturday’s matches:

• In the 14U Premier I Division, Friday’s results allowed Nationals Union 07 Girls Black (MI) to secure a first-place finish.
• In the 15U Premier I Division, Michigan Fire Juniors 06G Navy (MI) entered the weekend with a chance to secure first place with a pair of wins. However, the Michigan side drew, 2-2, against Chicago Soccer Academy 06 Girls Real Madrid (IL) on Saturday, which will make the remainder of the title race a little more interesting.
• In a matchup of unbeaten teams, Michigan Tigers FC 2006 Girls Gold (MI) secured an important 3-0 win against Alliance FC Academy Extreme 06 (MO) to take full control of the 15U Premier II Division.
• Kingdom SC 05 Red (MI) remained on top of the 16U Premier I Division with a 3-0 win on Saturday against JB Marine Thunder (MO). Meanwhile, Liverpool Central 05 G Academy (MI) and Lou Fusz Athletic Tottleben 05 (MO) each picked up big wins on Saturday. Both Liverpool and Lou Fusz are in the title race, and each team has a game remaining against Kingdom.
• Elmbrook United Elite (WI) picked up a tight 2-1 win against Legends FC 2005 Girls Black (MI) to move into first place in an extremely tight 16U Premier II Division. Five of eight teams in the group are still capable of winning the division with just one day left in the season.
• In the 17U Premier I Division, Legends FC 2004 Girls Black (MI) moved into first place with a 4-1 win over previous group leader KCSG Academy 04 (KS). With its alert play for the full 90 minutes, the Michigan side flipped the standings while picking up a key win in the race for the division title. Legends FC has two games left in its Midwest Conference season.
• Alliance FC Academy Elite 04 (MO) and Pegasus FC Premier 2004 (IL) each picked up shutout wins on Saturday to set up a matchup between the two sides on Sunday in which the winner would clinch first place in the 17U Premier II Division.
• In the 18U Premier I Division, Croatian Eagles Red 2003 (WI) tied Michigan Hawks 03 Dugan (MI), 1-1, which allowed Evolution 03 Girls Mercurial (IL) to inch closer to first place after the Illinois side’s 1-0 victory over EBU Elite (WI).
• MI Burn 03 Black (MI) secured a 1-0 win against Kingdom SC 03 Red (MI) to remain on top of the 18U Premier II Division. MI Burn faces DCFC West 03 Maroon (MI), which is just one point back in the standings, in the teams’ final match of the season on Sunday.
• In the 19U Premier I Division, Lou Fusz Athletic ORourke (MO) picked up a win on Saturday to remain a perfect 7-0-0 on the season.

The Midwest Conference is one of 13 Conferences under the USYS National League in the multi-state tier, and it consists of teams primarily from Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

To follow the Midwest Conference results and standings this weekend, click here.

Click here for more information on the Midwest Conference. For more information on all of the National League Conferences, the National League Showcase Series, and the National League Playoffs, click here.