
State Cup Finals Preview
The Illinois State Cup is the most prestigious tournament in Illinois. The winners of the competition will be tasked with representing Illinois at the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships where they will be fighting to earn their place at the US Youth Soccer National Championships. First things first, win the State Cup. Come Saturday November 2nd, Champions will be crowned.
Click on the respective age groups below for a preview of each of the Fall 2024 Illinois State Cup Final.
2010 (15U) Girls
2009 (16U) Girls
2008 (17U) Girls
2006 (19U) Girls
2010 (15U) – GLSA Libertyville FC vs Ajax FC Naperville
Both Libertyville FC 1974 Elite and Ajax FC Naperville found their journey to the 15U Girls State Cup Final to be quite similar. Each team finished second finish in their respective group, went on to take home a Quarterfinal win and followed that by beating the undefeated first-place team from the other group. Heading into Saturday’s Championship match, both feel momentum is on their side.
“The strength of this group has definitely been their togetherness and bond as a team,” said Bryan Mancill, GLSA Head Coach. “We had a few tough moments in group play games, that I am sure they have learned from and those moments will make us stronger as we go into the Final.”
“We are going to try to stick to what we know and take this feeling from the Quarters and Semis into the Final,” Ediz Yorulmazoglu, Ajax Head Coach said. Soccer is a game of small margins, it only takes one tackle, one pass, one moment to make a difference. We both lost and beat opponents off of those margins. I think this game will come down to who wants it more and who can control their emotions.
GLSA began the group stage with a commanding 6-0 win but would only earn 1 more point over the next two matches, still good enough to finish 2nd in Group A. To kick off the elimination rounds, the Libertyville side would take on reigning US Youth Soccer National Championships Champion, Galaxy SC. Their 1-0 Quarterfinal win over Galaxy earned them a spot in the semis against Chicago Lightning, the undefeated Group B winner. Showing no signs of fatigue from their Quarterfinal match, GLSA handsomely took care of business again, in a 3-1 win over Lightning.
Ajax FC has been playing impressive soccer this Fall. They finished 2nd in USYS Midwest Conference Premier I and since hitting the elimination rounds have been red hot, outscoring their opponents 7-0. . Incredible numbers to come into a Final with. Like GLSA, their route to the finals included a 2nd place group play finish and victories over a group play bracket winner, to secure their spot in the Championship match.
Every game is different but these two teams look very evenly matched coming into the Final and what a game it will be.
“There is no doubt that all involved will feel the pressure, but pressure is a privilege,” Mancill said. “It is about getting them to embrace the pressure without being overwhelmed by it. We train on a daily basis at the speed, intensity and physicality that we want to play with so I am sure we’ll come in with the right attitude and be ready to compete for the Cup!”
“We have a very tough opponent in front of us. Libertyville is a very well organized club and all of their teams always play good disciplined ball which I appreciate as a coach. The most impressive part about our team is our core has been together for 7 years competing at different levels. These girls are more than just a soccer team, we have become family throughout our journey. They thrive off of big moments because we have always stated that the most important thing is not the result of each game but what we learn from each of our opponents.”
The 15U Girls State Cup Final kicks off at 4:30pm in Rockford on Saturday. The game will be available via purchasable live stream here.
2009 (16U) – Evolution SC vs FC United
The battle for the Flo Dyson Cup will be a rematch of an intense group play game that will see Evolution and FC United go head-to-head for the second time in less than a month. The 2009 (16U) division was made up five teams, causing each match to be even more incredibly important. In order to win the State Cup, you may have beat teams twice, a difficult task when talking about some of the best teams in Illinois.
“The 2009 age group (in Illinois) is one of the most competitive I have seen in a long time. I believe the quality of all the teams (in State Cup) to be exceptional, and all well coached sides,” Sean Palacios, FC United Head Coach said. “Our team has tremendous grit and pride, and you need that to advance in any knockout event.”
Defending State Cup Champions, Evolution SC, finished atop the group and enter the Final confident, after pulling out the win in the previous head-to-head match. With all but one of their matches being one goal wins, this group has shown their championship experience and ability to persevere in high pressure situations.
“Last year’s success was incredible, but for us, true success lies in each player’s growth and development,” Presi Huitron, Evolution Head Coach said. “We keep the team hungry by focusing on personal and collective improvement, embracing each challenge as a new opportunity to learn. The back-to-back experiences have taught them resilience and have shown them the importance of commitment to the journey, not just the destination. Ultimately, they’re writing their own great story, one that goes beyond wins and trophies, and reflects the dedication and heart they bring every day.
FC United’s journey to the State Cup Final has been a roller coaster. They alternated win, loss, win, loss in group play to finish third in the table and sent them on the road for the semifinal. As mentioned, beating a quality team twice in a short period of time is a tough thing to do and FC United avenged their opening game loss with their semifinal win over GLSA. FC United knows they can compete with any team in this group and have proved it, as their losses have only been by one goal.
“In youth sports, it should be all about growth and improving each day,” said Palacios. “We played GLSA one month ago from our Semifinal match, and our team grew a lot in many ways. Over the course of the event, we have stressed to continue to grow and improve. I am proud of our team for their hard work each and every day, that carries onto the match pitch.”
Competing against a familiar opponent in a State Cup Final means both these teams will need to adapt and adjust to be crowned State Cup Champs. And based on how both teams have played so far, we expect that they will.
“The key is staying focused on the basics, working as a team and supporting each other every step of the way,” said Huitron “If they bring the same grit, determination, and teamwork they’ve shown all season, I know they’ll give their all on the field. They play selflessly, not just for themselves but for each other, and that spirit makes this journey incredibly rewarding to witness. Ultimately, it’s about playing with heart and giving their best as a team, whatever the result.”
“We just need to be ourselves, play loose and enjoy the moment because very few players can say they have played in a State Championship,” Palacios said. “We cannot wait to hit the field as a team and family one more time in this event.”
The 16U Girls State Cup Final will be played Saturday in Rockford and starts at 2pm. The match will be available via purchasable live stream here.
2008 (17U) – FC United vs GLSA Libertyville FC
FC United looks to win their second consecutive State Cup in the 2008 age group but will have to defeat familiar foe, Libertyville FC 1974 Elite, in order to reach that feat. Neither of these sides have lost a match so far in group play with FC United going 4-0 thus far and GLSA having earned 3 wins and a draw. Saturday, one will of them will unfortunately have to taste defeat.
Both of these teams have been tremendously impressive on both sides of the ball throughout their State Cup run, FC United has only surrendered one goal in tournament play while scoring 13. In their semifinal match, they showed their grit, outlasting Wheaton United in scoreless contest that took kicks to decide.
“We have a mature, experienced and focused group of players,” Sean Palacios, FC United Head Coach said. “We understand that no game is alike, learn from each moment and stick together. All the games in state cup are competitive and score lines don’t always tell the story. There are no easy games in this event, and we have the experience in dealing with all different types of matches.”
GLSA has shown to be just as stoic on defense and aggressive offensively as they have put up an imposing +8 goal differential thru their four Cup matches.
“Our attacking players have been firing and playing so well in front of goal that on any given day anyone can be the one who scores the goal to win us the game and they have done so at some point this season,” said Bryan Mancill, GLSA Head Coach. “Our defenders, as well as goalkeeper, all have the mentality of hating to get scored on, which means they defend with an extra bit of tenacity and physicality which I love to see. I would be remiss to leave the midfielders out as well, as they’ve been an absolute engine for the team in how we play.”
Both these teams are among the best teams in the Midwest and with each of them firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball, there will be little room for error as these teams compete for the Charlie Dyson Cup.
“We obviously have to respect the other team, but the longer I coach, the more I feel it is about how we play and what our mentality is like versus how our opponent decides to play,” Mancill said. “This group has developed such a solid style of play this season that I’m beyond proud of. Libertyville FC 1974 is about playing an attractive brand of possession based, attacking soccer which this group has really bought in to. I am proud of what we have done so far.”
“I’ve been most impressed with our player’s pursuit of greatness and to be the best team possible,” said Palacios. “With each training and game that we have , it’s evident that our players are growing into incredible young women, who are givers and leaders. The team culture is strong and it’s one of empowering the players to grow alongside their teammates. This year’s team is different, and we have many new players or players who have different roles. The goal each year is to play in the last game of the season , and our players have been focused on that with each week of the season.”
The 17U Girls State Cup Final starts State Cup Championship Saturday at 11:30am in Rockford. The match can also be viewed via purchasable live stream here.