In October, the ECNL hosted the second Pre-ECNL Cup in the 2025-26 season in North Carolina. 72 boys teams and 76 girls teams competed over two weekends in Wilmington, North Carolina to be crowned the inaugural Pre-ECNL Carolina Cup Champions.
The Pre-ECNL Cups are designed to inspire U10-U12 players in challenging regional tournament play and to supplement the growing number of Pre-ECNL leagues around America intended to improve the local competition environment for players, coaches, families and referees. The Pre-ECNL Carolina Cup was the second of four Pre-ECNL Cups throughout the 2025-26 season, culminating with the first-ever Pre-ECNL Champions Cup in late Spring. The Pre-ECNL Champions Cup will invite winners of the other Pre-ECNL Cups throughout the year, and other top teams, for a season-ending celebration of soccer.
Following two weekends of exciting competition in both the boys and girls Carolina Cups 17 teams were crowned Carolina Cup Champions.
View the Carolina Cup champions as well as the upcoming Pre-ECNL Cups below.
U14B Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: NCFC Youth Academy
U14B Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: NC Fusion
U13B Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: NCFC Youth Academy
U13B Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: South Carolina Surf
U12B Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: Doral SC
U12B Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: Dallas Texans McKinney
U11B Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: Arlington Soccer
U11B Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: Richmond United Orange
U14G Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: Ohio Premier
U14G Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: Maryland United FC
U13G Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: Richmond United
U13G Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: Maryland United FC
U12G Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: Concorde Fire Platinum
U12G Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: Wilmington Hammerheads Youth
U12G Carolina Cup Champions Tiempo: Richmond United Red
U11G Carolina Cup Champions Phantom: Sting Lomax
U11G Carolina Cup Champions Mercurial: Maryland United
Also in October, both North Carolina events and ECNL San Diego held ECNL Spotlight Games, a collaboration between the ECNL and the US Club Soccer id2 Program to provide scouting-based identification opportunities for top ECNL and ECNL Regional League male and female players for youth national teams and beyond.
In each of the games, 36 players were selected to compete, based on recommendations from club directors, as well as on-field scouting from US Club Soccer and id2. Combining scouting results with club recommendations, US Club Soccer and id2 then assembled the rosters for each U14 Spotlight game, creating an all-star game filled with the very best athletes in that age group.
In San Diego, Lawson Wiggins (California Odyssey SC) was named the boys Nutmeg Sports Media Player of the Match, while in the girls Spotlight Game Fei Fabiola Garcia (So Cal Blues) was named the Nutmeg Sports Media Player of the Match. In North Carolina, Marc Vignier (VDA) and Katherine Boyd (NC Courage) were named the Nutmeg Sports Media Players of the Match, for the boys and girls games, respectively.
