Tuesday November 21, 2006
           Six teams from the Atlanta Silverbacks PDP program qualified for the Super-Y League North American Finals this past weekend in Tampa, FL. All six teams of Atlanta Silverbacks Juniors began first round play on Friday as a part of the United Soccer League’s Soccer Fest, an event of national scale which included the Super-Y League Finals and the USL Annual General Meeting.
           The Silverbacks PDP program consists of five girls’ and five boys’ elite-level teams that compete regionally during the summer. After the summer season, teams who qualify are invited to play for the championship in November. Since its start four years ago, the Silverbacks’ PDP program has grown stronger every year and expanded its presence at the finals every year. This year, more than half of the teams from the Silverbacks PDP program qualified for the SYL North American Finals.
           On the boys’ side, three Silverbacks Juniors teams qualified for the finals: the U-13 boys, the U-14 boys, and the U-16 boys. The U-13s, coached by Kostas Hatzikoutelis, went 2-1 during the first round of play. Although the Silverbacks Juniors beat HC United 1-0, their opponents advanced to the semi-finals based upon goal differential. The U-14s, coached by Ignace Moleka, went 1-1-1 on the weekend. Rounding out the boys’ side, the U-16s, coached by Chad Carithers, went 2-1 during the first round of play. All three teams played consolation matches on Monday before returning to Atlanta.
           The girls’ side also had three Silverbacks Juniors teams qualify for the finals: the U-13 girls, the U-14 girls, and the U-17 girls. The U-13s, coached by Mo Ganda, went 1-2 on the weekend with a close 1-0 loss in their first match. The U-14s, coached by Ellie Davis, went 2-1 over the weekend with another 1-0 loss that kept the team just shy of advancing to the semi-finals. Rounding out the girls’ side, the U-17s, coached by Chris Dunlap, went 1-2 during the first round of play; the U-17s also had a 1-0 loss to the team that would later advance from their bracket. All three teams played consolation matches on Monday before returning to Atlanta.
           Tryouts for the Silverbacks Juniors’ 2007 squads will be held in January, and the Silverbacks will be looking to take even more teams to the national tournament next year. For more information on the Atlanta Silverbacks Juniors or tryouts, please visit www.atlantasilverbacks.com.
   
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