RESULTS UPDATE - Northwest clubs kick off 2013 national youth title campaigns

[UPDATES: Scroll below for northwest team results] 

With US Club Soccer's National Cup XII and National Premier Leagues Champions Cup events in beginning Thursday, it marks the start of a two-week period that concludes in Overland Park, Kansas with the US Youth Soccer National Championships. During the 'Champions Week' 13 teams in the INWsoccernews region (WA/OR east of Cascades and into ID & MT) will by vying for national titles as part of a larger group of 39 teams from the northwest participating in the three events.

One club making headlines is Boise Nationals FC, which is sending a team from Idaho to the US Youth Soccer Championships for the first time in state history as its 15G side advanced as a regional finalist. The accomplishment by the girls team at regionals was matched by the 18B side, marking the first time two teams from the state reached championship games at regionals in the same year.

Working Together: Reaching USCS National Cup XI a victory itself for ID-WA team

You know that cliché used at the beginning and end of every championship sports event? Every team and player is a winner just for being here, regardless of what happens on the field. Well, that saying could not be more apropos for the Lewiston-based Valley Thunder’s aptly-named Alliance.

Though they only earned one win in Waukegan, Ill. last weekend at the US Club Soccer National Cup XI, the biggest victory for the U16G Premier side came in reaching the tournament itself. It was a huge accomplishment for a team that a year ago it was not expected to even exist.

The fact that the squad was almost entirely comprised of U15 players is completely overshadowed upon closer examination when you find out half the team resides in Idaho and the other half in Washington. And it’s not just a nearby town across the border in the Evergreen State, but all the way on the other side of the Cascades in Seattle - a distance of around 300 miles.

Shadow among pride of the Northwest at National Cup XI

In the end, only the Vancouver Timbers were able to come away as champions at the US Club Soccer National Cup XI in Chicago on Monday. But the Spokane Shadow were one of only three clubs from the region to advance to their bracket's championship game, reaching the U15G Premier final.

Overall, the teams representing the region struggled amongst the national competition in Waukegan, Ill. Only four of the 20 northwest-based teams were able to earn two victories and put themselves in contention to compete for a title – all on the girl’s side of the event. In addition to the Shadow and Timbers, FC Portland and the Northwest Nationals had outstanding results.

Four INW teams headed to USCS National Cup XI in Chicago

Four teams from the Inland Northwest are part of a 20-team contingent from the Northwest that are participating in the US Club Soccer National Cup XI this weekend, July 27-29, in Waukegan, Ill. The foursome consists of a pair of Spokane Shadow teams and the Idaho duo of Valley Thunder (Lewiston) and Idaho Thunder (Post Falls).

The other 16 Northwest clubs are from the other side of the Cascades. The event features 122 teams (64 boys, 58 girls) competing for 20 titles (10 for each gender).

The four INW teams are headed to the greater Chicago area as winners of the Northwest Regional tournament held June 23-26 in Seattle. The Spokane Shadow teams, a fraction of a successful turnout at the Northwest Regionals, will be competing for the U16 Boys Super and U15 Girls Premier championships. Courtesy of their Northwest Regional performances, the Idaho Thunder will be vying for the U17Boys Super crown while Valley Thunder, advancing as runners-up from the Regionals, are in the U16 Girls Premier bracket.