ECNL National Champions - 2011 Boys Academy
Winning a national championship doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not decided in a one eighty-minute game. It takes countless hours of relentless effort, trust in each other from family, teammates, coaches, friends, and a shared idea to settle not for anything less than a championship. Going back on our journey to the start, our national championship run was not just the trophy we lifted, but by the standards we have and the connection we built along the way with our teammates, coaches, and people around us.
Every championship run has its obstacles, and ours started right at the beginning. Starting the season with two ties against two teams we knew we should have beat was a reality check, but letting frustration and doubt get into our heads was not going to happen. We adjusted our mindset and came with a team mentality to win. We accepted the slow start, put it behind us, and used the early stumbles to refocus our standards and attitudes for the rest of the season.
After the slow start, Coach Ri pushed us to our limits, and sometimes beyond, to places we never thought we could go with our fitness. You can’t win a national championship without elite fitness, “My teams might not be the strongest, the fastest, or most athletic, but my teams will always be the fittist”(Ri Armstrong). Our ability to outlast teams late in games proved to be one of our biggest strengths. In the Round of 16 in San Diego, we played LV HEAT SURF who dominated play in the first half. We stayed positive, and our conditioning kicked in and helped us progress through the second half. We scored a few goals after tiring them out, leading us to victory.
Championships are won with small details that nobody points out. Every single day, our team showed up with a growth oriented, sharp mindset with everyone prepared to put the team ahead of themselves. We brought that same mindset wherever we went, on and off the field. Nobody showed up only for themselves. We sacrificed for our teammates, coaches, and all people that surround us.
Lastly, none of this would have been possible without support off of the field. Throughout the long stretch of almost 11 months to the national title, our families and friends were there for every single part of the difficult journey. For the two of us that was our parents, grandparents, and siblings showing up for us every time we needed them, whether that is driving us to practice, coming to games, traveling across the country for support, or even a little brother coming in the huddle after the games. None of this would have been possible without our families and countless sacrifices they made for us.
A national championship run requires sacrifice and commitment. It doesn’t come around very often, so we will cherish this moment forever with new memories and bonds created with every one of our teammates. In the end, we didn't just win a national title, we won it together, for each other, as one unit.
*Written by London and Huxley Jones - ECNL National Champions