For the first time in six years, a boys team from Wisconsin will play at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships.
The SC Waukesha Under-17 team received confirmation Thursday that it has qualified for nationals, which are July 23 to 28 in Overland Park, Kan.
The team lost to Cincinnati United Premier Crew Juniors Gold 6-0 in the Region II final on Wednesday in Des Moines, Iowa. But the Ohio side already had earned a nationals berth by winning the National League Blue Division earlier this year, so SC Waukesha will be part of the six-team field as the Region II representative.
SC Waukesha is the first state boys team to qualify for nationals since the FC Milwaukee Under-17 team in 2007.
Complete records of state teams at the tournament aren't available. However, FC Milwaukee has sent three other boys teams to nationals, in 1996 (Under-15), 2005 (Under-18) and 2006 (Under-16), and the Mequon United Under-19 team qualified in 1993.
No Wisconsin boys team has won a USYS national title; in 2007, FC Milwaukee lost to Texas' Andromeda 3-2 on penalty kicks in the Under-17 final after a 2-2 match in which both sides scored in extra time; while Mequon United lost to California's Shooting Stars in the Under-19 final in 1993.
SC WAUKESHA ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Tyler Moore (Brookfield Central), Dominic Spano (Kettle Moraine).
Defenders: Trevor Bednarek (Muskego), Andy Chmielewski (Kettle Moraine), Evan Knop (Mukwonago), Colin Koerber (Hartland Arrowhead), Petar Krecak (Muskego), Kurt Schneider (Madison La Follette), John Schwalbach (Kettle Moraine).
Midfielders: Michael Benash (Waukesha Catholic Memorial), Kai Bottum, Ben Ducett (Mukwonago), Austin Gorenc (Waukesha South), Brody Kraussel (Muskego), Jay Reardon (Mukwonago), Ryan Rice (Hartland Arrowhead), Bennett Wiley (Pewaukee).
Forwards: Colin Dibb (Hartland Arrowhead), Mitchell Krismer (Waukesha Catholic Memorial), Kent Nguyen (Waukesha West).
Editor's note: This article has been updated from its original posting with further information regarding state teams to qualify for nationals.