We took a little break last week to enjoy Thanksgiving with our family; we hope you did too. But now we’re back and there’s so much to talk about.
In this round-up, we feature news from youth soccer to professional (US and European). Take a look and enjoy!
- MLS NEXT Fest 2024 Kicks Off: The premier winter showcase event in North American youth soccer will kick off on Friday, December 6, at the Empire Polo Ground in Indio, California. The event will feature over 400 teams competing, nearly 630 matches, more than 7,000 players, and the first-ever Generation Adidas Cup qualifiers for U16 and U19 age groups. (A great opportunity for talent evaluation by college, national team, and professional scouts)
- ECNL Boys South Carolina: The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Boys are hosting a national event in South Carolina from December 6-8.
- Youth Soccer Safety Research: The University of Delaware is conducting research that could lead to major improvements in soccer players’ safety, particularly regarding heading guidelines. Read more about it here.
- Youth Football Framework in Northern Ireland: The Irish Football Association launched a new Youth Football Framework aimed at revolutionizing youth football in the country. Read details about the framework here.
- UNC Advances to Championship: No. 2 seed North Carolina defeated No. 1 seed Duke 3-0 in their College Cup semifinal match. Details here. UNC’s Kate Faasse became the nation’s leading goal scorer in Division I women’s soccer with her goal in the semifinal match.
- Division III Tournament: The NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship is also ongoing, with the semifinals taking place on December 5 and the national championship game scheduled for December 8 in Las Vegas. Read the details here.
- NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship final is set to take place on Monday, December 9. Schedule and details here.
- Fort Lauderdale United Showcases Young Talent: South Florida’s first professional women’s soccer team, Fort Lauderdale United, has signed two local high school students, Reese Klein and Taylor Smith. The team, part of the United Soccer Leagues Pro Women’s Division, was formed a few months ago. Read the story here.
- NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals Set for Saturday, December 7. Three ACC teams will battle it out. Details here.
- MLS Cup 2024 Set for Saturday: The LA Galaxy will host the New York Red Bulls in the 2024 MLS Cup final on Saturday, December 7 at 4 PM ET. Great matchup!
- LA Galaxy playmaker Riqui Puig tore his ACL in the Western Conference Final and will miss the MLS Cup. This is a major blow for the Galaxy’s attack. How will this affect their game? We will need to tune in and see.
We hope you enjoyed this week’s Ideal 11. As always, we welcome input from our readers. Reach out with any interesting highlights you would like us to feature.
Let’s get ready for kick-off!