18 KC-area youth soccer teams win state championships, advance to regionals

Eighteen Kansas City-area teams have advanced to the 2016 US Youth Soccer Region II Midwest Championships from June 24-29 in Westfield, Ind.

Fourteen of the teams are from Kansas, including two Sporting Kansas City Academy teams in the Under-14 and Under-15 boys division. All of the teams who advanced won state championships for their age group.

KC Fusion advanced to the regional with its Under-13 boys team. Three Kansas Rush Academy teams advanced to regional in the Under-16, Under-17, and Under-19 boys divisions.

Four teams from the Sporting Blue Valley Soccer Club are headed to the regionals; the club advanced in the Under-13, Under-14, and Under-15 girls divisions and Under-18 boys division. In the other girls divisions, KC Blaze advanced in Under-16, Sporting Kaw Valley in Under-17, KC United in Under-18, and KC Dynamos in Under-19.

All four Missouri teams who advanced to regionals are part of the FC Kansas City girls program. FC Kansas City Rostov advanced in Under-15, FC Kansas City Pink Panthers in Under-16, FC Kansas City Force Elite in Under-17, and FC Kansas City Sardar in Under-18.

The Midwest Championships will host 216 youth soccer teams from 14 surrounding states. The Midwest regional is one of four that will be played over the next three weeks under the US Youth Soccer umbrella. The group stage of the Midwest regional will run from June 24-26, with the semifinals on June 28, and the finals on June 29.

The regional winners in each age group will advance to the 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships from July 26-31 in Frisco, Texas, to compete for the James P. McGuire Cup.

This story was originally published June 13, 2016 at 4:37 PM with the headline "18 KC-area youth soccer teams win state championships, advance to regionals."