After three tough soccer matches in the stifling Louisiana heat, the East Ridge Futbol Club U15 Boys have made an impressive showing.
The U15 team coached by Chris Gibson, has now advanced further in the United States Youth Soccer Association Regional tournament than any other Chattanooga area team in the history of the competition.
ERFC advanced to the quarterfinals stage on Monday against the Oklahoma State Champions in a noon starting time.
"They hope they take an even deeper step into the final stages of the tournament," said ERFC Director of Coaching Matt Yelton. "Teams from all over the southern portion of the United States took the field with the goal of taking the next step towards claiming the coveted US Youth Soccer National Championship, presented by the National Guard. The East Ridge FC, that is representing Tennessee as the state champion, dispatched teams from South Texas (2-1 win), North Carolina (2-0 win), and Alabama (1-0 win) in pool play to advance to Monday’s match."
The 2014 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships feature 198 of the top boys and girls teams from the 12 State Associations that make up US Youth Soccer Region III, with each squad competing for the 2014 regional title. Preliminary games were held June 20-22, with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals taking place June 23-26. All games will be played at the BREC Burbank-Soccer Complex in Baton Rouge, La.
Regional winners of the Under-13 through Under-19 age groups earn a berth to the 2014 US Youth Soccer National Championships, presented by the National Guard, which will be played July 22-27 at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, Md.
The US Youth Soccer National Championships will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls age groups, as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the Under-14 through Under-18 Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 96 teams.