Wisconsin Soccer Central

Several Wisconsin players – and others who will play college soccer in the state – were in Frisco, Texas, last week for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs.

Incoming University of Wisconsin freshman Jack Shaw (Milwaukee Marquette) and Vitalis Takawira Jr. (Greendale) scored as the Chicago Fire topped Florida's Kendall SC 3-2 in the Group G opener of the Under-17/18 competition.

The Fire finished in a three-way tie atop the group with a 2-1-0 record, but the Philadelphia Union claimed the title thanks to a better goal differential (plus-3 to plus-2). Each of the eight group winners earned spots in next week's quarterfinals.

Shaw finished the season with four goals in 27 matches for the Fire (16-7-5), while Takawira had four in just eight matches with the Under-17/18 team – the son of the former Zimbabwe international and Major League Soccer striker of the same name spent much of the season with the club's Under-15/16 side, scoring three times in 15 appearances.

Marco Fabiano (Kenosha Bradford) also made the trip to Texas, but didn't see game action. Incoming Marquette freshman Connor Alba (Waukesha Catholic Memorial), who made 12 appearances this season, wasn't on the roster for the playoffs.

Takawira's season might not be over, as the Fire's Under-15/16 team (18-7-3) won its group and plays at Florida's Weston FC (23-4-8) on Wednesday. Quarterfinal winners advance to the Academy Championships, which are July 14 and 16 in Carson, Calif.

Stan Anderson (UW-Parkside), a former Marquette and UW men's assistant, is among the assistants on Fire Academy coach Gonzalo Segares' staff.

Luka Prpa (Wind Lake/Muskego), another incoming Marquette freshman, started all three matches along with UW recruit Nick Klabjan as Chicago Magic PSG went 0-1-2 in Group D in Under-17/18 play. Prpa, a former U.S. Under-17 national team member, finished the season with six goals in 18 appearances, while Klabjan had three goals in 17 matches for the team coached by Milwaukee Wave forward Bato Radoncic. Rade Novakovich (Muskego) was on the Magic PSG Under-15/16 roster, scoring once in seven appearances this season, but didn't play in the playoffs.

Defender Andre Baires, who is headed to UW-Green Bay this fall, started two matches as the Vancouver Whitecaps Under-17/18 team won all three games in Group A. They'll play host to Sacramento Republic in a quarterfinal Thursday.

Two incoming freshmen at state schools, UW's Mitchell Guitar and UW-Green Bay's Aashil Mehta, were part of the Vardar team that went 0-2-1 in the same group as the Whitecaps. Guitar started all three games and scored in the Michigan club's 1-1 tie against the Los Angeles Galaxy, while Mehta also started that match. And Michael Cohen, who will join Baires and Mehta with the Phoenix, appeared in two games as Michigan's Crew SC Academy Wolves Under-17/18s finished 1-0-2 in Group F.

• Shaw, Takawira and the Fire Academy players had a memorable practice last month, as they trained with the Argentina national team on June 11 in Chicago. One night earlier, Lionel Messi came off the bench and recorded a hat trick in 19 minutes in a 5-0 rout of Panama in a Copa America Centenario match at Soldier Field.

• Takumi Ikeda (Madison) started all three matches as the Fire's Under-13/14 team lost all three of its matches in the Development Academy Showcase in Frisco by 3-1 scorelines. The midfielder made 12 appearances this season. Miguel Herrera (Waukesha), who had six goals in 20 games for the team, didn't play in Texas.
• Two FC Wisconsin girls teams concluded their Elite Clubs National League season at the league's playoffs last week in Oceanside, Calif. The Under-17 side went 1-2-0 in the Showcase Cup bracket, posting a 3-2 victory over Idaho's FC Nova, while the Under-15 team lost all three of its matches in the North America Cup competition. FC Wisconsin ECNL results and rosters
• The National Premier Leagues Midwest Developmental League is changing its league structure for the 2016-17 season, eliminating the Academy and Independent divisions and creating geographic divisions for each age group. The Madison 56ers and FC Wisconsin Nationals, the two Wisconsin clubs in the U.S. Club Soccer league, will be among the eight teams in the West Division along with Illinois' Campton United and Sockers FC, the Minnesota Thunder Academy, Minnesota Twin Stars, St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro and St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri. The top two finishers in the East and West divisions will advance to the playoffs. The MDL also is adding an Under-17 division and re-classifying its oldest age group as Under-18/19 to accommodate high school seniors with fall birthdates. Read FC Wisconsin Nationals news release
• The Wisconsin Olympic Development Program teams were in Dayton, Ohio, this week for the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II ODP Challenge Cup. The three-day event included boys and girls sides from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio South in 14 divisions – 1999 through 2003 birth years, with the 2002s and 2003s split into older and younger teams. Teams earned points based on their spot in the standings after round-robin play. Illinois claimed the overall title with 60 points, Minnesota was second with 49 and Wisconsin and Ohio South tied for third with 39. State teams were a combined 23-25-8, with boys sides going 14-10-4 and girls teams 9-15-4. The Wisconsin 2000 girls dominated their division, outscoring opponents 11-0 in winning all four of their matches, while the 2001 and 2003 boys each posted 3-1-0 records. Region II ODP Challenge Cup results and standings
• Region II ODP ID camps for players born in 1999 through 2003 start next week in Saginaw, Mich. The boys camps are Tuesday through July 9, with the girls camps July 12 to 16.