Four Sporting KC Academy teams set for regional and national tournaments

Four Sporting Kansas City Academy teams are set to compete in regional and national tournaments this week as the 2015-16 campaign draws to a close.

The U-16s and U-18s will kick off the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs at Toyota Park in Frisco, Texas, playing Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in the group stage of a competition that features the best youth talent in the country.

Meanwhile, the U-14s and U-15s will compete in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships at Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana. Both teams will play group stage matches Friday through Sunday, with the semifinals and finals slated for Tuesday and Wednesday next week. 

The U-16s, who clinched a playoff berth as a top-three finisher in the Central Conference’s Frontier Division, were drawn into Group G alongside Georgia United and fellow MLS sides LA Galaxy and New England Revolution. The U-18s punched their playoff ticket as a wild card team after finishing fourth in the Frontier Division. Joining them in Group H are the San Jose Earthquakes, Capital Area Railhawks (North Carolina) and Blau Weiss Gottschee (New York).

The U-15s and U-14s — comprised of U-13s playing up an age group — both won the Kansas State Cup at the beginning of June to qualify for the regional championships. The U-15s are grouped with CUP Gold (Ohio), Toledo Celtics (Ohio) and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Elite, while the U-14s will battle SC Waukesha (Wisconsin), Pennine United (Ohio) and Team Challenger FC (Ohio).

Follow @SKCAcademy on Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates as all four Sporting KC academy squads take the field in the coming days.

SPORTING KC ACADEMY SCHEDULE: JUNE 22-26