national championship tournaments in Aurora this weekend and next are projected to give the local economy a $4.2 million boost — and offer fans a chance to watch clubs that gave a start to four men and women picked for U.S. and Canadian Olympic squads.
National Premier Leagues Finals and the National Cup XV Finals will combine to create the largest economic impact from youth sports in the state, the association said, outpacing the $1.5 million generated earlier this year by USA Hockey’s annual President’s Day Tournament.
This is the second time U.S. Club Soccer has hosted its national finals in Colorado; the first was 2013. The tournaments are being held at the , which has 23 grass fields and four synthetic-turf pitches where teams can train.
“This facility is one of the top facilities in the country,” NPL general manager Leo Garcia said. “And there’s a lot to do in this area other than soccer.”
Garcia said the 141 teams playing in the NPL finals arrived Wednesday night before the tournament started Thursday.
Teams play a game a day. Afterward, Garcia said the more than 2,500 players plus their families typically explore the area, in ways as simple as hiking or dining out, or as ambitious as whitewater rafting.
“We have a lot of teams that are enjoying the Colorado experience,” Garcia said.
He said U.S. Club Soccer spent $100,00 to put on the event. Teams that qualify don’t have to pay their own way and the association covered the bill for 4,000 hotel room nights at properties all within 30 minutes of the sports park.
The association rotates its finals around the country. Garcia said it’s too soon to say if the Aurora Sports Park will get the tournament again, but he said the facility is always on the list.
The 2016 National Premiere Leagues Finals features U-13 through U-18 clubs from across the country that won the championships in their respective leagues. NPL is made up of 19 leagues across 23 states.
Seven Colorado teams fought their way to the finals. has U-13, U-14 and U-16 boys teams in the tournament. has U-16 and U-17 girls and U-14 boys teams. has a U-18 boys team.
And if past performance is any indication, spectators might be watching the next generation of pro and Olympic players.
Colorado Storm alum Dillon Serna, a Colorado Rapids midfielder, was picked for the men’s U.S. national team, although the team did not qualify for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next month.
Previous FC Boulder player also was named to the U.S. national team. The defender is on loan to Cambridge United, a fourth tier team in England, from Cypriot club Apollon Limassol. He was signed with the Rapids from 2012 to 2015.
Former Real Colorado player Mallory Pugh, 18, will travel to Rio with the women’s national team. Janine Beckie, another Real Colorado alum and current Houston Dash forward, will compete with her Canadian national team.
U.S. Club Soccer is hosting the National Cup XV Friday through July 25, which will feature 120 U-13 through U-17 boys and girls teams. Unlike the NPL Finals, where teams qualified based on their overall performance, teams played through a tournament system to reach the National Cup.
Want to watch? Find the NPL schedule at (semi-final games are Sunday and finals are Monday) and the National Cup XV schedule at .
UPDATED at 10:39 a.m. Monday: This story has been updated to correct the status of the men’s U.S. national team. The team did not qualify for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio.
