Great first season for the Barça Academy Pro New York

The Barça Academy Pro New York finished off its first season with three League championships, that could soon become four. The biggest highlight was the title achieved by the 2004 Red team, which won the New York Club Soccer League - National Premier League (NYCSL NPL), one of the region’s most important competitions.

The 2004 Red team, led by Daniel Rivas, finished the regular season in first place to directly qualify for the final, where it beat SUSA FC, which finished the regular season in second place. The Barça Academy Pro New York had yet to beat SUSA FC all season long before winning in the title game, 4-0, at Brentwood State Park.

Barça’s 2004 Red team will now vie for the National Championship when it faces the other East winners in the ENPL Eastern Playoffs, to be held in Boston.

Meanwhile, the Barça Academy Pro New York’s 2007 Red team won the NYCSL NPL Under-12 title, after winning the regular season despite fielding a team made up of younger, Under-11 players.

Elsewhere, the 2006 Red team could win the NYCSL NPL U-12 Blue category championship in the coming days. The team, led by Daniel Rivas, was the runner-up in the NY State U-12 Cup last Sunday, falling in the final on a penalty kick in the waning moments of overtime.

Finally, Barça Academy Pro New York’s 2004 Blue team won the championship in the NYCSL Metropolitan League, a regional league just below the NPL. The 2004 Blue team clinched the title with three games still to play. The title qualified the team for the Tri-State Final Four, which was played last Sunday. Barça won the title there, as well, beating the CT Rush of Connecticut, 2-1, in overtime.