Local boys make good;
form FC United team that wins national title
Unheralded FC United squad shocks the McGuire Cup field
By Bob Narang
A previously unaffiliated group of Chicago-area futbolers that nicknamed itself “The Leftovers” became the main course July 25 at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Bradenton, Florida.
FC United’s U19/U20 boys team shocked the club soccer world when it took the prestigious James P. McGuire Cup with a 2-1 win over Miami (Fla.) Strikers FC for the Glenview-based club’s first national title.
It was a five-star win in elite competition for a team that was more or less put together by guys just asking around. The group featured primarily Division III players.
“Many of us had played only in passing, but never had the opportunity to play together on the same team,” said Ryan Grady, a Deerfield graduate who currently tends the net at Middlebury College in Vermont. “It was so special for a group of Division III guys to win it.
“We adopted that as part of our mentality. In our run through the State Cup, we faced many players from established Division I schools, but we were confident in our ability to prevail.
“Many of our players had Division I interest, but chose to play Division III for a variety of reasons. We championed a phrase of ‘D3 grit.’ That Division III aspect of our team made it so special.
“No one else in the country made a run with a team like ours.”
It was only the fourth time that an Illinois team won the McGuire Cup, which began in 1935. It is called the oldest youth sports competition in America.
Grady, Glenbrook North graduate Joey Martens and Warren alum Nolan Ehlers helped organize the team.
“At the beginning of the season, we all weren’t expecting to play club,” said Ehlers, now a sophomore at Wisconsin-Whitewater. “We were looking at U23 or other teams. We decided to make a group chat with a couple of players. After that, we had a lot of guys, so we decided to ask some of the younger guys.
“Over time, we threw ourselves together and started training and got coaches (head coach Andy Parry and assistants Mike Skupien and Craig Blazer). We didn’t expect it to be like this.
“We knew our team was special, probably more special than other teams we had, because we had a great connection. We played really well as a team, especially in the championship game where we all came together and defeated a really great team. It showed our toughness, talent and chemistry.”
The networking ended with a 19-player roster: New Trier (Ryan Ball, Aidan Crowder, Will Franzen, Jake Krueger and James Paden – senior at NT); Loyola (Oscar Blazer, Dylan Gripman, Mario Hrvolevic); Warren (Nolan Ehlers); Deerfield (Grady); Glenbrook South (Jhovanny Guardarrama); Hersey (Ronan Wilcox, who missed the Fla. games due to injury); Glenbrook North (Martens); Barrington (Daniel Hesselbein, Aidan Lew); Evanston (Quinn Ackman and academy player Aiden Pape); West Aurora (Zach Thompson); Stevenson (Alem Duratovic); and Lake Zurich (Andrew Juarez).
A special exemption due to the coronavirus pandemic allowed 2020 high school graduates to play club soccer, even if they were on a college team this season. The normal age limit of 19 was increased to 20 this season to allow players who missed the 2020 club season an opportunity to compete.
The improbable championship run started at the Illinois State Cup in early June. Wins over Naperville’s Galaxy 01 and 02 teams in the quarterfinals and semis preceded a 1-0 victory over FC74, of Libertyville, that vaulted the new team to a berth in the Midwest Regional Tournament.
FC United dropped its only game of the run in the opener (1-0 against Arsenal, of Pittsburgh). The team bounced back with a 5-0 win over Toca FC (Kansas) and a 3-1 win over Vision Soccer (Iowa) to win their group. In the semis, FC United defeated Cincinnati United Premier 5-0 before claiming the regional title with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over St. Louis Scott Gallagher.
At nationals, FC United opened with a 2-0 victory over Lehigh Valley United, of Pennsylvania, defeated Miami Strikers FC 2-0, and tied Team Boca (Fla.) 2-2 to finish first in their group. In the semifinals, FC United scored in stoppage time to claim a 2-1 win over Tuzos (Arizona). In the title game, FC United scored twice in a 15-minute span in the second half to go up 2-0. The Strikers pulled one back late, but United held fast.
“The Leftovers” left Florida with the big trophy in a game that was broadcast on ESPN3.
“For us to do that was special,” Ehlers said. “It was a long journey, plus we had some injuries. Once that final whistle blew, it was surreal. I didn’t know how to react. We made history. We only had one Division I player on the field (incoming Duquesne freshman Blazer). The rest of us are either not playing in college or playing Division III.”
New Trier graduate Krueger, now a Denison freshman, said he always will cherish the experience of winning a national title and his goal in the final. Juarez netted the other goal.
“It was such a surreal feeling to score in such an important game,” Krueger said. “To have won and score in the final will be a memory I’ll hold for a lifetime. Miami was a world-class team. To beat a team like that in the final just made everything even more special.
“We took pride in ourselves, in our Division III grit, as we said before every game. There were so many kids on the team that have the talent to play Division I. So, it just shows that you don’t need a team of Division I athletes to win a tournament like this.”
The team’s head coach said he wasn’t surprised at the outcome.
“The boys have beaten top teams all season and shown they could compete with anyone,” Parry said. “Their attitude and commitment to the whole process was excellent. Their approach to everything was outstanding.
“All of the asks we had as coaches they fulfilled both on and off the field. To do so in the manner they did was so refreshing to see and made us very proud.
“Winning nationals was fully deserved, and the journey to achieving it was something I’m sure they will never forget.”
Grady, Krueger and Pape were named to the tournament Best Eleven team. Grady won the Golden Glove as the final’s top keeper.
The recognition added to his post-high school success. As a freshman at Middlebury in 2019, he was named a third-team All-American for D3Soccer.com, the New England Small College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and placed fifth on the school’s all-time single-season list with nine shutouts.
Without a college season in 2020 due to the pandemic, the club championship resonated even more.
Grady said the team had a special bond. After nearly eight years with FC United, he capped off his club career in style with a championship with many of his friends. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
His father, Deerfield girls head coach and boys assistant Rich Grady, called it a special experience to watch his son compete at a high level with his teammates and friends.
“It was an awesome experience, especially since he’s never really been on a team that was on this level,” the elder Grady said. “Everything just clicked for this team. This is a great advertisement for the quality of soccer in this area.”
form FC United team that wins national title
Unheralded FC United squad shocks the McGuire Cup field
By Bob Narang
A previously unaffiliated group of Chicago-area futbolers that nicknamed itself “The Leftovers” became the main course July 25 at the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Bradenton, Florida.
FC United’s U19/U20 boys team shocked the club soccer world when it took the prestigious James P. McGuire Cup with a 2-1 win over Miami (Fla.) Strikers FC for the Glenview-based club’s first national title.
It was a five-star win in elite competition for a team that was more or less put together by guys just asking around. The group featured primarily Division III players.
“Many of us had played only in passing, but never had the opportunity to play together on the same team,” said Ryan Grady, a Deerfield graduate who currently tends the net at Middlebury College in Vermont. “It was so special for a group of Division III guys to win it.
“We adopted that as part of our mentality. In our run through the State Cup, we faced many players from established Division I schools, but we were confident in our ability to prevail.
“Many of our players had Division I interest, but chose to play Division III for a variety of reasons. We championed a phrase of ‘D3 grit.’ That Division III aspect of our team made it so special.
“No one else in the country made a run with a team like ours.”
It was only the fourth time that an Illinois team won the McGuire Cup, which began in 1935. It is called the oldest youth sports competition in America.
Grady, Glenbrook North graduate Joey Martens and Warren alum Nolan Ehlers helped organize the team.
“At the beginning of the season, we all weren’t expecting to play club,” said Ehlers, now a sophomore at Wisconsin-Whitewater. “We were looking at U23 or other teams. We decided to make a group chat with a couple of players. After that, we had a lot of guys, so we decided to ask some of the younger guys.
“Over time, we threw ourselves together and started training and got coaches (head coach Andy Parry and assistants Mike Skupien and Craig Blazer). We didn’t expect it to be like this.
“We knew our team was special, probably more special than other teams we had, because we had a great connection. We played really well as a team, especially in the championship game where we all came together and defeated a really great team. It showed our toughness, talent and chemistry.”
The networking ended with a 19-player roster: New Trier (Ryan Ball, Aidan Crowder, Will Franzen, Jake Krueger and James Paden – senior at NT); Loyola (Oscar Blazer, Dylan Gripman, Mario Hrvolevic); Warren (Nolan Ehlers); Deerfield (Grady); Glenbrook South (Jhovanny Guardarrama); Hersey (Ronan Wilcox, who missed the Fla. games due to injury); Glenbrook North (Martens); Barrington (Daniel Hesselbein, Aidan Lew); Evanston (Quinn Ackman and academy player Aiden Pape); West Aurora (Zach Thompson); Stevenson (Alem Duratovic); and Lake Zurich (Andrew Juarez).
A special exemption due to the coronavirus pandemic allowed 2020 high school graduates to play club soccer, even if they were on a college team this season. The normal age limit of 19 was increased to 20 this season to allow players who missed the 2020 club season an opportunity to compete.
The improbable championship run started at the Illinois State Cup in early June. Wins over Naperville’s Galaxy 01 and 02 teams in the quarterfinals and semis preceded a 1-0 victory over FC74, of Libertyville, that vaulted the new team to a berth in the Midwest Regional Tournament.
FC United dropped its only game of the run in the opener (1-0 against Arsenal, of Pittsburgh). The team bounced back with a 5-0 win over Toca FC (Kansas) and a 3-1 win over Vision Soccer (Iowa) to win their group. In the semis, FC United defeated Cincinnati United Premier 5-0 before claiming the regional title with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over St. Louis Scott Gallagher.
At nationals, FC United opened with a 2-0 victory over Lehigh Valley United, of Pennsylvania, defeated Miami Strikers FC 2-0, and tied Team Boca (Fla.) 2-2 to finish first in their group. In the semifinals, FC United scored in stoppage time to claim a 2-1 win over Tuzos (Arizona). In the title game, FC United scored twice in a 15-minute span in the second half to go up 2-0. The Strikers pulled one back late, but United held fast.
“The Leftovers” left Florida with the big trophy in a game that was broadcast on ESPN3.
“For us to do that was special,” Ehlers said. “It was a long journey, plus we had some injuries. Once that final whistle blew, it was surreal. I didn’t know how to react. We made history. We only had one Division I player on the field (incoming Duquesne freshman Blazer). The rest of us are either not playing in college or playing Division III.”
New Trier graduate Krueger, now a Denison freshman, said he always will cherish the experience of winning a national title and his goal in the final. Juarez netted the other goal.
“It was such a surreal feeling to score in such an important game,” Krueger said. “To have won and score in the final will be a memory I’ll hold for a lifetime. Miami was a world-class team. To beat a team like that in the final just made everything even more special.
“We took pride in ourselves, in our Division III grit, as we said before every game. There were so many kids on the team that have the talent to play Division I. So, it just shows that you don’t need a team of Division I athletes to win a tournament like this.”
The team’s head coach said he wasn’t surprised at the outcome.
“The boys have beaten top teams all season and shown they could compete with anyone,” Parry said. “Their attitude and commitment to the whole process was excellent. Their approach to everything was outstanding.
“All of the asks we had as coaches they fulfilled both on and off the field. To do so in the manner they did was so refreshing to see and made us very proud.
“Winning nationals was fully deserved, and the journey to achieving it was something I’m sure they will never forget.”
Grady, Krueger and Pape were named to the tournament Best Eleven team. Grady won the Golden Glove as the final’s top keeper.
The recognition added to his post-high school success. As a freshman at Middlebury in 2019, he was named a third-team All-American for D3Soccer.com, the New England Small College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and placed fifth on the school’s all-time single-season list with nine shutouts.
Without a college season in 2020 due to the pandemic, the club championship resonated even more.
Grady said the team had a special bond. After nearly eight years with FC United, he capped off his club career in style with a championship with many of his friends. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
His father, Deerfield girls head coach and boys assistant Rich Grady, called it a special experience to watch his son compete at a high level with his teammates and friends.
“It was an awesome experience, especially since he’s never really been on a team that was on this level,” the elder Grady said. “Everything just clicked for this team. This is a great advertisement for the quality of soccer in this area.”