National Championship Run Ends in Final Match for Bloomfield

The Bloomfield Soccer Club's U15 Boys miracle run at the US Club Soccer National Cup championship tournament ended at the championship game when the Bloomfield team lost to to the Premier Elite team from Raleigh, N.C.

After defeating Pittsburgh and the same Raleigh team they lost to in the final, the Bloomfield boys tied Washington to take first in their bracket.

Bloomfield Soccer Club president Barry Weiner emphasized that reaching second place in a national tournament is no small feat. 

 "What more can you ask," Bloomfield Soccer Club president Barry Weiner said in an email. "We went to a National Championship game and lost to a great team we had the good fortune of beating two days earlier, so our team leaves Colorado with second place finish and the knowledge that they beat the US Club Soccer's National Cup Champion."

Weiner said the the Bloomfield United team has 13 players on the roster that hope to play for the Varsity High School team this fall. 

"The Bloomfield boys are not a composite super all-star team representing players from all over like these other teams," Weiner said. "These players grew up in Bloomfield, joined our Little Cleat program and played in-town soccer. They play teams that call themselves Premier, Elite, Super, and Academy - this group of boys just calls themselves Bloomfield."

Weiner said John Ricca and Assistant Head coach Andres Crespo accelerated plans for the soccer club's success beyond anyone's expectations. 

He continued to say the soccer club it was not a one team program and noted the success of their other teams. He said the U11 boys the Cheetah Thunder finished first over-all in the spring in the Mid-NJ-Youth Soccer Association out of 60 teams and the U13 boys the Arsenal finished 1st overall last fall in MNJYSA out of some 60 teams and second over this spring. Both played in the Mid-Atlantic Premier Soccer league.

He said that the U15 Boys Bloomfield United players are going back to work.

"They want to bring a high school state championship home to Bloomfield High School this fall and then back to work next year to get back to the National Championship game," Weiner said