Disney 3v3 World Championships bids earned at Jefferson Open
(Via Richmond Strikers) – The Jefferson Open 3v3 was played over the weekend at West Creek Complex, one of the home venues of the Richmond Strikers. More than 100 teams from as young as the U-8/9 age group up to adult divisions competed in the tournament, a qualifying event for the Disney 3v3 World Championships.
Strikers teams represented the host club well claiming 13 division championships, as the local players prepare for the upcoming fall season. Two teams from Fredericksburg-based CFC Milan won division titles at the Jefferson Open, while sides representing other Virginia clubs such as Braddock Road Youth Club (BRYC) and the Richmond Kickers also took home championships. Another team composed of both Strikers and Kickers players took the Girls U-14/15/16 Orange Division.
Some independent squads went with satirical team names like ‘Zlatans Nose Bighimovic Bois’, the eventual champions of the U-15/16 Boys Recreational Division. Regardless of club affiliation or lack thereof, the top four teams in each division have advanced directly to the Disney 3v3 World Championships in Florida, with no need to go to a regional event in order to qualify.
Held in January 2016 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida following the conclusion of the Disney Soccer Showcase, the 3v3 World Championships play host to more than 800 teams annually from all over throughout the continental United States, Puerto Rico, and other nations such as Brazil, Canada and China.
The 2015 event featured teams from 27 U.S. states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
More than 30 Virginia teams attended the 2015 World Championships, several of which qualified by way of the Jefferson Open. Among those teams were the Strikers Soccer IQ U-9 Boys, who went on to place second in Bracket A of the Invitational Division.
“We’ve had teams go down to Orlando for the Disney Showcase and for the 3v3 World Championships, and it’s always a great opportunity,” said Richmond Strikers Tournament Director John Faircloth. “It’s basically the Jefferson Cup for 3v3 down at Disney, where the best teams in the nation and beyond are able to match their skills against the top players from different regions, and it’s as much a social and cultural experience as it is a competitive environment.’
See below for a full list of champions from the Jefferson Open 3v3.
Boys
U-8/9 Recreational: Halifax Bertrum’s Bandits
U-11/12 Recreational: Strikers Jaguars
U-15/16 Recreational: Zlatans Nose Bighimovic Bois
U-9: Strikers Barcelona
U-10/11: CFC Milan Soccer Nutz
U-11/12 Orange I: Strikers All Star Ballerz
U-11/12 Orange II: Strikers Soccer IQ
U-12 Black: CFC Milan Soccer Nutz
U-13/14: Strikers Arselona
U-14: Glen Allen Gunners
U-15/16: Strikers Orange
U-15 Black: Strikers Genetworx
U-16/17: Strikers Animaals
Men’s Open: Kickers East Side Foreigners
Girls
U-10: Strikers Fire
U-11/12: BRYC Virginia’s Diva-All Stars
U-12: Strikers Thunder
U-13/14: Strikers Redbacks
U-14/15/16 Orange: Kickers/Strikers Cleans on Fleek
U-14/15/16 Black: Strikers Destiny
Women’s Open-HS: Strikers White
