Wisconsin Soccer Central

Milwaukee's Xavier Rico was named the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Boys Competitive Coach of the Year, the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association announced.

He is now one of four finalists for the national award, which will be presented next month during the U.S. Youth Soccer Workshop at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Baltimore.

Rico coaches at Strike FC Wisconsin, the Delafield-based club formed in 2012 when Oconomowoc SC, Wales' Kettle Moraine United and Hartland's Lake Country United merged. He previously coached with Lake Country United.

During the 2014-15 season, Rico led three SC Waukesha teams to Wisconsin State Cup titles: Under-13 and Under-17 boys and Under-17 girls. The Under-13 boys team went on to advance to the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II final last spring.

Rico, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, also was the WYSA Girls Competitive Coach of the Year in 2011. He coaches Under-10 and Under-11 boys teams at Strike FC Wisconsin and also conducts training sessions for other age groups.

• FC Wisconsin Eclipse turned in the best performance in club history at an Elite Clubs National League event, with four teams combining for a 7-3-2 record in their final fall matches Nov. 13 to 15 in Phoenix. Dani Rhodes (Waukesha West) had three goals and Ana Portz (Waukesha North), Jess Cooley (Mequon Homestead), Sam Fonk (Kenosha Indian Trail) and Kate Del Fava (Kenosha St. Joseph) added one apiece as the Under-18 team went 2-0-1 on the weekend. The Under-15 side posted the same record, getting goals from Aryssa Mahrt, Maddie Tabor, Emma Jaskaniec (Menomonee Falls) and Maddie Fahey. Ali Menard (Whitefish Bay) and Kayla Zimdars (Mequon Homestead) helped the Under-16 team record a pair of victories, while Libby Snyder (Milwaukee DSHA), Mikaela Hoard (Mequon Homestead) and Hannah Compernolle (Racine Prairie School) were on the scoresheet as the Under-17 side went 1-2-0. The next competition for FCWE team will be Dec. 28 to 30, when the Under-16 and Under-17 teams head to the ECNL event in Sanford, Fla. Results/schedules/rosters
• Three Wisconsin players helped Region II teams finish on top of the standings in both divisions at the U.S. Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program Florida Interregional, which wrapped up Monday in Bradenton. Appleton SC's Evan Dujardin (Neenah) and Nathan Feiner (New Richmond), who plays with Minnesota club Sporting St. Croix, were part of the 1998 squad that went 1-0-2 – Dujardin scored the opener in Monday's 2-0 win over Region IV. Meanwhile, North Shore United's Manuel Valenzuela (New Holstein) and the 1999 team went 2-0-1 in the round-robin competition.
• Bavarian SC's Evan Donini (Waukesha West) and Sporting St. Croix's Jack Longville (Eau Claire Memorial) will play for the Region II ODP 2000 team at the IMG Interregional, which is Dec. 16 to 20 in Sarasota, Fla.
• FC Wisconsin Nationals' Jordan Stump (Verona) will play in the U.S. Club Soccer id2 training camp for players born in 2002, which starts Thursday in Casa Grande, Ariz. The id2 Program also is an Olympic Development Program.
• Eight state teams played in this year's Capital Area Soccer League Showcase events in Raleigh, N.C. The club's four tournaments included nearly 1,400 teams from 34 states. North Shore United's Under-18 team won its bracket at the Boys Showcase for the second straight year, going 2-0-1 in the Under-19 Elite Black Division. Here's a look at how the Wisconsin sides fared:

CASL Boys Showcase, Nov. 20 to 22
Under-16 Elite White: Elm Grove SC Blues (1-1-1). Under-17 Elite Grey: SC Waukesha (0-2-1). Under-17 Premier Black: North Shore United (2-1-0). Under-19 Elite Black: North Shore United U18 (2-0-1).

CASL Girls Showcase, Dec. 4 to 6
Under-15 Premier Black: SC Waukesha (0-1-2). Under-16 Elite Red: SC Waukesha (0-1-2). Under-16 United White: Elm Grove (0-1-2). Under-17 Premier Black: SC Waukesha (0-3-0).