ODP West Championships Day 1: Complete!

PHOENIX—It was a crazy, hectic day at Reach 11 Sports Complex as the 2020 USYS ODP West Championships got underway under the bright Arizona sky. Washington’s 22 teams played quite well overall, and even those who didn’t get the results they wanted, they still worked incredibly hard and put on a good showing for themselves on such a prominent stage.

One of the first teams to kick off the action for WYS EPD was the Girls 05 WA squad, who beat Alaska by a whopping 8-0 scoreline in one of the most dominant performances we’d see all day. They didn’t take their foot off the gas in the second game later in the day either; they beat Arizona 4-0 to put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat in their bracket heading into day two. 

The Girls 07 WA team, who won their division at last year’s regional ODP championships, started their quest for back-to-back trophies well with a 7-0 win over New Mexico. Despite a valiant effort, they lost their second match to Cal South 3-1. But with one more match to go tomorrow, the reigning champs still have a chance to hold onto their crown.

Not everyone win on Friday was a blowout; many squads fought tooth and nail for their three points, some just squeaking by with dramatic late winners and paper-thin leads. The Boys 03 WA squad, coached by former pros James Riley and Amadou Sanyang, only played one match on the day, an exciting 3-2 win over local rivals Oregon. The Boys 04 squad, after finishing on top in a 5-3 thriller over Nevada South, managed a 2-1 win in the evening against a strong California South squad to top their group.

Even though Washington Youth Soccer is not split between western and eastern parts of the state, EPD is divided in such a manner to ensure that all players have access to the elite coaching and resources of the program no matter where they live. This means that EPD can send two teams per division, one from western Washington and one from the eastern part of our state. 

Plenty of our teams hailing from eastern Washington had a strong first day, including the Boys 03 EWA squad that won their morning match 2-1 over Colorado and the Boys 04 EWA squad that defeated Montana 4-2 in an entertaining afternoon game. Many of those squads only played in one match on day one, and we’re excited to see what they can do in their final two games on Saturday. 

Check out the full day one results and photo gallery for Washington below, and follow us on social media for more info on day two!