The first-ever National Academy Championships wrapped up last week at IMG Academy in Florida.
The event featured 32 of the best elite academy clubs (U-16, U-17 and U-18/19) from MLS NEXT coming together for a tournament atmosphere in an energetic environment with elite-level competition.
Boston Bolts (Mass.) and Beachside (Conn.) were the only clubs from New England selected from the application process. Teams were drawn into group games to compete to qualify into the knockout rounds, eventually crowning a champion.
The event also proved to be a massive success and valuable opportunity for players with exposure in the college recruiting process. There were over 200 college coaches in attendance from conferences around the country, most notably from the ACC, Big Ten, Pac 12, Big East, Ivy League, Sun Belt and Patriot League.
