The Northern Virginia Royals Super 20 League team, currently residing in second place in the South Atlantic Division, earned an automatic berth into the United Soccer Leagues Super 20 North American Finals. Last Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over nearby rival Fredericksburg Gunners awarded the Royals a spot in the prestigious tournament.
The Super 20 Royals finished the season 5-2-3, only losing to South Atlantic Division leader Carolina Dynamo during their 2008 campaign. With two games remaining, the Hampton Roads Piranhas could move ahead of the Northern Virginia, but their place in the finals is already insured as tournament hosts. Fredericksburg loss to the Royals mathematically eliminates them from contention, despite still having two games to play.
The Super 20 Royals opened the 2008 season undefeated in their first six games, with several close decisions in a very tight South Atlantic Division. After suffering back-to-back losses to the upstart Dynamo, the Royals claimed their spot in the finals by beating East Tennessee and Fredericksburg in the final three days of their season schedule.
The USL Super 20 North American Finals will be held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is scheduled to run from July 31st through August 3rd. A total of sixteen U20 men’s teams and eight U20 women’s teams from around the United States and Canada will face off over the five day event. For the first time in USL history the Super-20 North American Finals will run in conjunction with the 14th Annual W-League finals, creating a dynamic soccer atmosphere on the Atlantic Coast later this month.
