Youth soccer team chosen

Norpoint FC 87, a U14 boy’s soccer team based in Northeast Tacoma, was chosen to represent the Seattle Sounders in the Northwest Division of the Super-Y League this summer.

The Super-Y League began play in 1998 and is structured for youth players who aspire to play at the highest levels.

The youth teams will play a 16-game schedule against teams from Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

The Super-Y League is professionally run, and many of the teams are affiliated with top professional clubs in the United States and Canada. Last year’s national champion in the U14 boy’s division was the youth team of Major League Soccer’s DC United

Norpoint FC 87 coach Scott Nelson feels the Super-Y League will help boost the development of his players.

“Instead of spending the summer playing local tournaments where a team might have to play five matches in order to face one or two strong opponents, the Y-League should provide us with the opportunity to play challenging, meaningful games all summer long,” Nelson said.

This spring Norpoint qualified for the Washington State Youth League’s Premier One Division, the highest level of league play available in the state.

During the recently completed Premier One season, Norpoint FC 87 took home the league championship, losing only a single game in the process. Currently the team is in the semi-finals of the Washington State Cup.

The champions of the Northwest Division will join 11 other regional winners in North Carolina at the end of August to decide the Super-Y national champion.

In an effort to get the program off to a strong start, the Sounders decided that a strong, well-established team would have a greater chance of success than a team built from scratch. In the U14 division, for players born on or after Aug. 1, 1987, the Sounders chose Norpoint FC 87 to represent them.

The Sounder’s youth teams plan to play several games at Seattle Memorial Stadium prior to Seattle Sounders professional matches. Possibilities for the top players to visit professional clubs abroad for additional training in the future have also been discussed.

Players interested in joining the team can find more information, including tryout details, at the team’s Web site: www.eteamz.com/norpointwolves.

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