ST. LOUIS (Nov. 6, 2020) — The 2020 US Youth Soccer Midwest Conference Girls St. Louis Showcase kicked off Friday 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. For Premier I sides, the highest-placed, non-State-Cup-winning team in each age group this fall (15U-19U) earns the right to advance to the 2021 USYS Midwest Regional Championships.

Meanwhile, top finishers in the Premier II Divisions in the 15U-18U age groups can earn promotion into the Premier I Division for next season.

The showcase weekend continues on Saturday and will conclude with matches on Sunday. 

The weekend started with a victory for Croatian Eagles Red 2003 (WI), which secured a 2-0 win over Strikers FV 03/04 Premier (IL) in the 18U Girls Premier I Division. The Wisconsin State Cup winners are looking to hold on to the top spot in the division and add a Midwest Conference title to their season’s resume.

Croatian Eagles coach Mickey Mala praised his team’s performance, which saw players step up for missing teammates, and said it means a lot to be among the top-performing teams in the Midwest Conference.

“There are a ton of great teams in Club vs. Club and Premier I. So, when you can throw your name in a hat with some of those clubs, we take a lot of pride in that,” Mala said. “We definitely want to do our best to finish on top. It is certainly a prestigious league, and the girls are representing our club really well.”

The Midwest Conference Girls St. Louis Showcase is in its third consecutive year as an end-of-season event, which also provides a special stage for the players to enjoy the competition.

“We feel honored to be in showcases like this. St. Louis is a hotbed of soccer, so it’s always exciting to come down and be a part of this really neat atmosphere,” Mala said. “It’s a really good environment late in the year. It’s a great setup. National League has done a really good job of communicating and making sure that safety measures are taken.”

Some notes from Friday’s matches:

• SC Wave Juniors 07 Girls (WI) defeated Ela Soccer Club 2007 Elite 1 (IL), 2-1, on Friday in 14U Girls Premier I Division action. That result secured a first-place finish for Nationals Union 07 Girls Black (MI), which picked up 15 points to top a very tight division race.
• KCSG Academy 04 (KS) continued its pursuit of the 17U Girls Premier I Division title with a 7-3 win against Shattuck-St. Mary's 04 (MN). The Kansas side has a key match against second-place Legends FC 2004 Girls Black (MI) on Saturday.
• In the 16U Girls Premier I Division, Liverpool Central 05 G Academy (MI) picked up a key 3-2 win against Chicago Inter 2005 Black (IL) on Friday. Liverpool has multiple games in hand on many teams in the group and has a chance to climb the standings with its remaining games this weekend in St. Louis.
• Legends FC 2005 Girls Black (MI) secured a shutout win on Friday to keep hold of its place atop the 16U Girls Premier II Division standings.
• TKO Premier 04G Blue (MI) and Alliance FC Academy Elite 04 (MO) played to a 3-3 draw in an entertaining 17U Girls Premier II Division match. That result left TKO in first place, as it holds a slim one-point lead over Alliance in the standings.
• In the 18U Premier I Division, Croatian Eagles Red 2003 (WI) secured a 2-0 win on Friday to maintain its three-point lead at the top of the standings. It will look to hold that advantage as the weekend in St. Louis continues, while second-place Evolution 03 Girls Mercurial (IL) will attempt to close the gap.
• MI Burn 03 Black (MI) came away with a hard fought 3-2 win against JB Marine - Pardo (MO) to move to the top of the standings in the 18U Girls Premier II Division. MI Burn will try to hold off Kingdom SC 03 Red (MI), which is just one point back and has a game in hand.
• Lou Fusz Athletic ORourke (MO) maintained its perfect record in the 19U Girls Premier I Division with a tight 1-0 win against Michigan Rush Jackson 03/02G (MI).

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.