Eastside Teams Shine on the National Stage

As the summer of 2026 winds down, we offer a huge congratulations to BU16 ECNL and Coach Shaun Spencer for taking top honors at the prestigious Man City Cup in San Diego this past weekend.

Eastside was well represented nationally, with 11 teams competing across three premier tournaments, continuing to showcase the depth and quality of our club at the highest levels of youth soccer.

Alongside BU16 ECNL, four more EFC ECNL teams were competing in California, with BU19 ECNL putting together an outstanding run all the way to the final before falling narrowly in the championship match. BU13  battled through to the semifinals before falling in penalty kicks, while BU14 ECNL competed in the tournament’s highly competitive BU14 Super Group and also reached the semifinals. In total, four Eastside ECNL teams advanced to the knockout stages, a tremendous showing against some of the strongest teams in the country.

Our BU11 and BU12 Pre-ECNL I teams were invited to compete in the inaugural ECNL International IBERCUP in Raleigh, North Carolina, giving our young players the opportunity to test themselves against elite clubs from across the United States and around the world. BU11 finished second in a challenging group that included South American powerhouse Grêmio, ranking 9th overall among the 24 Elite clubs in the group phase and earning a place in the Gold Playoffs. BU12 also advanced to the Gold Playoffs, finishing 17th out of 24 in the group phase before making an impressive run to the Round of 16 out of 64 teams.

The BU12 run ultimately came to an end against Palmeiras of Brazil, one of the world’s most respected youth development clubs and the eventual tournament champion. For our BU11s, the tournament produced an unforgettable quarterfinal against Portuguese powerhouse Benfica, one of the most renowned academies in world soccer. Eastside fought all the way to the final moments, scoring a dramatic equalizer at the death to make it 1-1 before narrowly falling in kicks from the spot.

Four Eastside FC girls teams took on strong regional competition at the 2026 Blues Cup, combining for 42 goals while conceding just 27 across 14 matches. The GU12 Pre-ECNL II side led the way with a 3-1 record and 16 goals scored, while GU10 Red added a semifinal run to a productive weekend. Across the four age groups, Eastside finished 6-8 overall, with each team showing plenty of attacking quality and competing well against high-level opposition.

From San Diego to Oceanside to Raleigh, Eastside teams spent the weekend competing, learning, and representing the club on some of the biggest stages in youth soccer. These experiences are about more than results—they provide our players with the opportunity to challenge themselves against elite competition, experience different styles and cultures, and continue growing as players and people. We are incredibly proud of the way our teams represented Eastside FC and excited about what these experiences mean for the continued growth of our ECNL and Pre-ECNL programs.