LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL - Saturday night, the stars of the ECNL Boys were out at Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, Florida for the first Continental Tire ECNL National Selection Game of 2025.

The East struck first in the 28th minute of the match when Landon Petz (NCFC Youth Academy) dribbled through the West defense and slotted a shot in the corner to put the East up 1-0.

The West nearly responded moments later, but Ryan Collins (Concorde Fire Platinum) made a number of tremendous saves throughout the first half to keep the West off the board.

Just before halftime though the West got the breakthrough goal when Carson Banham (Tulsa SC) got the rebound of his initial shot and scored a tap-in goal to tie the game up before the half.

Early in the second half the East put the pressure on the West, highlighted by a long distance strike that nearly found the upper corner, but instead ricocheted off the post, keeping the game knotted at 1-1.

In the 57th minute, the West grabbed the lead from a great free kick that was redirected in by Timothy Ratokhin (Atlanta Fire United) to make it 2-1.

The East pushed for an equalizer throughout the second half, but behind a strong defensive effort led by Grant Brokaw (Ohio Premier), the West held onto their 2-1 lead.

After the game, Brokaw was named the Man of the Match for his performance, and said someone had to step up and help be a leader for the team.

“It’s always fun to come out and try your hardest and be a leader among leaders,” Brokaw said. “We were all chosen in this game for a reason and someone had to step up. That was me today.”

When the West went down 1-0 in the first half, Brokaw said the team didn’t get rattled, helping them battle back to earn the win.

“So what? We’re having fun out here. Let’s get another, play for it, and we got it. Then we got another right after. We stayed disciplined the whole game and stuck it out to get the victory.”

Brokaw said coming to the ECNL has helped develop him greatly as a player and having the support of his teammates at Ohio Premier, coming out and watching him play tonight, meant a great deal to him.

“They came out to support me today, which meant a lot to me,” Brokaw said. “They’ve furthered me a lot as a player. I never thought I’d be here, but I stuck it out and I’m really happy I joined this league.”

Charlotte SA Builds Momentum With 3-0 Weekend

Charlotte SA's B08 team had an outstanding weekend in Florida, going 3-0 across their three games, helping them build momentum as they head into the second half of their Mid-Atlantic Conference schedule.

“We played some really good soccer against some really good teams. We took our chances when we needed to and defended astutely,” said Charlotte SA Director Steve Gummer.

Charlotte began the weekend picking up a 3-1 win over Concorde Fire Premier, before defeating Tulsa SC 2-1 on Sunday, and closing the event out with a 2-1 win over FC Stars. Gummer said the three wins will certainly build confidence in the team as they move forward.

“Anytime you win three games that gives a natural confidence throughout any team, but it also enhances it because we did it playing the style we want to. We didn’t have to break our style too much. Players can buy into the success of it and that it will work," Gummer said. “Three in a row at a top event like this will give anybody confidence.”

San Antonio FC B08 Goes Unbeaten in Florida

Following draws in their opening two matches in Florida, San Antonio FC concluded the event with a thrilling 3-2 win over Florida Kraze to finish the weekend unbeaten in Florida.

“It is a testament to the commitment of our players," said Head Coach Juan Lamadrid. "We know that these events are for them and we tell them to come here and enjoy that we are part of this fantastic league.”

San Antonio FC picked up a draw in a high scoring 3-3 opening game against SUSA FC, before scoring a stoppage time equalizer in a 1-1 draw with United PDX on Sunday.

On Monday though, they found the extra goal in the second half to pick up the win over a Florida Kraze team that was also unbeaten going into Monday's game.

“We stay loyal to who we are as a club, create a lot of chances, enjoy the game, and we are very pleased with our performance," Lamadrid said.

Lamadrid believes the weekend was also a great chance for his players to adapt and try to match the different styles of play they saw from different teams around the country.

“It is great for them because they always challenge teams from other conferences when they try to match the strengths and styles of play of other clubs. It is a great opportunity for us to adapt, compete, and solve the problems that these clubs we play create.”

Perfect Weekends

Over the weekend, 26 teams went 3-0 across their three games. In the B07/06 age group CESA Triumph, Connecticut FC, Dallas Texans Academy, DKSC, Maryland United FC, NC Fusion, Oregon Premier FC Academy, Sporting Springfield, and Union KC won all three of their games. Arlington Soccer, Baltimore Celtic, BVBIA, CESA Triumph, Charlotte SA Academy, Crossfire Academy, FC Wisconsin, HEX FC Dominion, and NVA all went 3-0 at the B08 age group, while in the B09 age group Florida Kraze, Florida Premier FC, HEX FC Dominion, Maryland United FC, Match Fit Academy, Ohio Premier, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and VDA all had perfect weekends.

Red Isn't Your Color™

At ECNL Florida, team captains wore a Red Isn't Your Color™ armband for all games at the event, and signage promoting the fair-play initiative was lined throughout the complex. Fans, players and coaches alike were also encouraged to sign the Red Isn't Your Color™ pledge.

Sign the Pledge