Wisconsin Soccer Central

The two state members of the National Premier Leagues Midwest Developmental League, FC Wisconsin Nationals and the Madison 56ers, are enjoying strong seasons in the U.S. Club Soccer boys competition.

FC Wisconsin's Under-13, Under-14, Under-16 and Under-18 teams all lead their respective Independent Division standings and have clinched berths in next month's MDL playoffs in Loves Park, Ill. According to a club news release, FC Wisconsin is currently the only MDL club with four teams qualified for postseason play.

Each MDL age group is split into two divisions: The Academy Division includes only clubs who also have teams in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, while the Independent Division is for clubs that are not USSDA members.

The winner of each division advances to the playoffs, along with the next two teams with the highest average points per game, regardless of division. The four playoff teams will meet in a round-robin competition June 11 to 13, and the MDL champion earns a spot in the NPL finals from July 14 to 18 in Aurora, Colo.

The 56ers have several teams in contention for playoff spots, too, as their Under-13 and Under-16 teams are second behind the Nationals and their Under-14 side is third in the standings heading into the final matches of the season.

One interesting note: The NPL already is using birth years for its rosters, ahead of the U.S. Soccer Federation mandate that goes into effect in fall 2017. The Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association will implement the birth-year standard starting this fall.

• Group play at the Wisconsin State Championships is this weekend at Scheels USA Youth Complex in Appleton, with 132 teams shooting for titles in six boys divisions and three girls divisions. The WYSA event begins Friday night with two Under-18 boys games, which were moved up to avoid conflicts with high school graduation ceremonies, while all other teams will play pool matches Saturday, Sunday and Monday as they seek to earn spots in the June 4 semifinals. The finals are June 5, and state champions qualify for the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships from June 25 to 29 in Westfield, Ind. Schedules, results and standings
• U.S. Club Soccer and the Elite Clubs National League announced Thursday that they will team up to create a new national boys soccer competition, the Elite National Premier League, scheduled to kick off in August 2017. The program aims to provide local and national regular-season competition, national showcases and playoff competition for five age groups of boys teams – Under-14 through Under-18/19 – much as the ECNL has done for girls teams of the same ages over the past eight years. Read news release
• The FC Wisconsin Eclipse Under-17 team will play three games over the holiday weekend at the ECNL New Jersey event in Zarephath. FCWE will face North Carolina's Charlotte SA on Saturday, Oregon's Crossfire United on Sunday and New York's Albertson Fury on Monday. FC Wisconsin Eclipse 2015-16 schedules, scores and rosters
• Todor Atlija (Franklin) and the FK Vozdovac 1997 team beat host FK Internacional 2-1 on Wednesday for their 13th consecutive victory and clinched the title in its division in the top youth league in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo below) In addition to the league championship, Vozdovac (23-2-2) earned promotion to the country's top junior league for the 2016-17 season. Atlija has played with the team since March, moving up to the squad after starting out with the 1998 team (the team for his birth year), and has featured at right or left forward for a Vozdovac that has outscored opponents 78-15 with two matches left in the season. The 17-year-old Atlija, who has dual American and Serbian citizenship, is set to return to Wisconsin on June 12 and has been offered the opportunity to return to the club next season. "They would like me to stay," he wrote in an email. "I have been very pleased with the work that has been done at the club and am excited for the future and being able to compete at the top youth league in Serbia."