U.S. Youth Soccer crowns champs

The U.S. Youth Soccer national tournament ended Sunday with championsh crowned in the under-14 through under-19 age groups.

GERMANTOWN, Md. Here are highlights from Sundays championship matches:

THE TEAMS

Under-16 Boys: Southern Cal United, considered a long shot after a slow start in the tournament, won the title, defeating Albertson (N.Y.), 2-0. Diego Barrera and Joshua Levy scored the goals.

Under-16 Girls: San Diego Surf used an own goal to help reach the shootout, then stunned the Bethesda (Md.) Excel on PKs after a 1-1 draw.

Under-17 Boys: The Chicago Magic emerged as champion in a strong tournament field, defeating Sereno (Ariz.) Golden Eagles, 2-0. Jack Smithson and Eric Ortega scored the goals.

Under-17 Girls: Carmel (Ind.) Commotion came close, but couldnt pulled off the tournaments greatest comeback, falling 3-0 to Sereno (Ariz.) Golden Eagles in the final. The match was scoreless at halftime.

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THE PLAYERS

Boys

* Christopher Seitz, U16 Southern California United. Seitz allowed only three goals in four matches, the best of the four starting keepers in the U16 field.

* Diego Barrera, U16 Southern California United. Barerra ended up with the Golden Boot with only two goals.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

* Robert Findley, U17 Sereno (Ariz.) Golden Eagles. Very athletic front-runner emerged with the Golden Boot following the teams runner-up finish.

* Chay Cain, U17 Chicago Magic (Illinois). Cain is the next outstanding keeper coming through the Magic program. He allowed only one goal after the teams first-day loss.

Girls

* Susan Gamble, U16 San Diego Surf. Gamble saved the day for the Surf, as the team won a national title on PKs.

* Amanda Poach, U16 Bethesda Excel. Poach scored in each of the Excels three round-robin matches, helping the team reach the final.

* Joslyn Slovek, U17 Sereno (Ariz.) Golden Eagles. Slovek was seldom challenged during the tournament, but came up big when she was. Slovek snuffed out a breakaway in Sundays final a total momentum-turner and the Golden Eagles responded with a goal at the other end.

* Levise Robertson, U17 Sereno (Ariz.) Golden Eagles. Robertson, a state track champion, used her speed to set up the Golden Eagles second goal in Sundays title win over Carmel. Robertson recovered nicely from a first-day stomach flu to finish with three goals. Oddly, Robertson got the Golden Boot over teammate Alissa Oldenkamp, who scored four goals during the event.

THE STORIES

* Update to an earlier note on Snickers involvement in the U.S. Youth Nationals. Snickers and U.S. Youth Soccer signed a 20-year contract in 1993, but a source confirmed Sunday that U.S. Youth Soccer is terminating the contract.