Vail Valley Soccer Club teams qualify for US Youth Soccer national championships

Three Vail Valley Soccer Club squads punched their tickets to Provo earlier this month.

The U14, U15 and U18 Boys Navy squads each won their respective USYS Colorado State Cup titles to advance to the 2026 US Youth Soccer National Championships, scheduled for July 13-23 in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah.

“VVSC’s success is built on a long-term development model focused on technical training, decision-making and player progression through age groups. The club has consistently translated strong regional performance into state championships, national tournament appearances, and a growing presence in elite platforms such as NPL and Presidents Cup Nationals,” stated Kerri Thelen, executive director for the Vail Valley Soccer Club. “This continued success across multiple age groups reflects the depth of the boys program and the club’s commitment to developing players capable of competing at both the state and national level year after year.”

The Colorado State Cup is open to 11U-19U boys and girls teams that play in any Colorado Soccer Association league. Boys and girls in the 12U and 14U divisions, as well as 15U to 19U girls age groups, contest State Cup in the fall. The U14 team, coached by Erik Garcia and Josie Castillo, was victorious against Albion SC Denver B12 Academy 4-3 on Aug. 30 and 4-0 on Aug. 31.

The current U15 team won the Presidents Cup national title last year and recently secured qualification for the National Premier League finals this summer. Led by coaches Jeremy Thelen and Jaime Najera, Vail defeated Albion SC Denver B11 Academy 6-0 on March 29 and took down Indios Denver SC 3-0 on April 12 to win the State Cup.

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The current U18 group finished runner-up in the President’s Cup national tournament in 2024 and were semifinalists last year. On April 12, the veteran squad defeated Chivas Denver 2007 Premier 4-2. Vail defeated the Denver squad again, 5-0, a week later to secure the state title. Coaches for the U18 team are Joel Rabinowitz and Cameron Kamin. The U18 team is also 4-0 on the year in Colorado Advanced League Premier 1 play, where it faces the top

The US Youth Soccer National Championships is US Youth Soccer’s premier competition. Both boys and girls teams will be grouped into a 32-team ‘Super Group’ and a 32-team ‘Premier Group.’ All three Vail teams are set to compete in the Super Group, the top-tier of competition.

To support travel costs, the Vail Valley Soccer Club is currently selling raffle tickets and accepting tax-deductible donations to ensure every qualified player can participate in the championships in Utah. All proceeds benefit the VVSC Scholarship Program and team travel funds. Mail-in donations can be sent to the Vail Valley Soccer Club at PO Box 2728, Edwards, CO 81632. To donate or purchase raffle tickets, reach out to director@vailsoccer.com.