TOLEDO, Ohio — A northwest Ohio youth soccer club is bringing some of the best local talent to the national stage.
The Toledo Celtics missed out in 2022. This year, they qualified for the U.S. Club's National Premier League (NPL) Finals. The tournament is a collection of the winners of the regional level leagues across the country. The winner will be crowned the national champions
"It is special for us and we are really excited," head coach Yousef Aliakbar said.
The team is made up of young men under the age of 17, each going into his Junior or Senior year of high school. Each is likely to play with his respective varsity team.
Goalkeeper Brodey Roth said the group has really connected on their goal this year.
"The last few years we've kind of failed at State Cup, falling short of our expectations and how well we can play," Roth said. "This year we put it together and it looks good."
Celtics right winger Josh Brennan said it's been rewarding to finally win in the Midwest Developmental League.
"It's been very fun with this team, we've been close for many years and it's finally paid off," Brennan said.
"We have not been able to send a team to Nationals for six years," Aliakbar said. "It is a really tough ask and these guys are a really special group."
Just a week before the final qualifying game, these boys finished second in a major regional tournament in Erie, PA. They competed against teams from Pennsylvania, New York, Canada and Ohio.
"It's gone beyond our goals. Our goal was to be top of the table in our league and we've accomplished that so I'm happy," Brennan said.
With an overall record on the season of 16 wins, 2 ties and 4 losses across all tournaments, leagues, and competitions, the team heads to Denver in July. Roth said that's the prize for all of the hard work the team put in this spring.
"I think we're more close this year and defensively we've been really strong. Teamwork has been a lot better and connecting on passes," Roth said.
The team's coach says the trip provide more than competition.
"The ability for them to be on a national stage and get recruited by college coaches at such a high level," said Aliakbar. "A lot of these guys are going to get really great opportunities."
The team hopes those opportunities bring new experiences that will last a lifetime.
"I've never been to the West, I've only stayed East in America. The high level of play and where we stack up with the best teams in the nation is what I'm looking forward to. Having fun is obviously the most important part," Roth said.
The NPL Finals are July 6-12 in Denver, Colorado.
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