North Carolina FC beats Chelsea FC to win inaugural ECNL International Tournament

North Carolina FC was crowned as the inaugural ECNL International Tournament, powered by Coaches’ Voice and in association with Everton International Academy, as the team defeated Chelsea FC in penalties to cap off the international event.

Kicking off the inaugural championship match, North Carolina FC and Chelsea FC both spent the early part of the early part of the match feeling each other out and looking for ways to break down the other side. It did not take long for one side to break through though, as 10 minutes in, Chelsea worked the ball down the left side of the pitch. Cutting into the middle, Kobi Ugbana rifled a shot into the top left corner of the net to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.

Their lead did not last very long though, as minutes later, North Carolina FC pressed the Chelsea defense, forcing a turnover and immediately countering. Jordan Hatchell received the ball at the top of the box and ripped a shot into the top left corner, knotting the game at 1-1.

In the second half, both teams traded chances forcing the respective goalkeepers to make timely saves and for defenses to stand strong. North Carolina FC and Chelsea did everything they could to find a go-ahead goal, but regulation was not enough as the game was forced to penalties.

In PKs, both teams failed in their first attempts but converted their second, third and fourth attempts. On the fifth and shooting first, Chelsea’s shot sailed over the crossbar, setting up North Carolina FC for victory. NCFC stepped up to the spot and put a shot just underneath the crossbar, clinching the championship for North Carolina FC.

“It was great playing all these different teams and seeing their different styles,” said North Carolina FC U13/14 coach Ramon Gallardo. “Our boys have had to adapt a lot. All of the credit goes to the boys for their play in the tournament. Super happy for them and it was amazing to see how inspired they were, how together they were in this game and the whole tournament. To see it all pay off, against the level of competition we played every day, it’s incredible.”

The day’s first semifinal pitted two ECNL clubs against each other in Oklahoma Energy and North Carolina FC, both looking to advance to the first-ever ECNL International Tournament Championship. Just minutes into the match, Oklahoma Energy appeared to take a 1-0 lead, but an offside call negated the goal, keeping the game level. Despite the temporary setback, the two sides went back and forth until near the end of the first half, when Oklahoma Energy broke through for real. A pass from the midfield led to Jhase Ladd winning a 50-50 ball. His shot bounced off the left post and into the net for the 1-0 lead.

Oklahoma Energy brought that lead into halftime and continued to look dangerous in the second, but halftime adjustments allowed North Carolina FC to start to tilt the field in their favor. In the dying minutes of the second half, North Carolina FC evened the contest, forcing penalty kicks to decide a winner. In PKs, North Carolina FC beat Oklahoma Energy three times, moving on to the championship match.

On the other side of the bracket, Eastside FC faced off against Chelsea FC, and the game went full throttle from the opening whistle. Just one minute in, Eastside FC jumped on a pass from the Chelsea goalkeeper, they quickly sent the ball right in front of the goal. Mathew Isaac quickly took a shot, beating the keeper to take a 1-0 lead. Minutes later, Chelsea FC leveled the game 1-1 on a PK. After being fouled in the box, Chelsea took a PK that was saved, but they converted on the ensuing rebound for the goal. Chelsea quickly took a 2-1 lead in the second half, and then added two more goals for a 4-1 win to advance to the championship against North Carolina FC.

At the conclusion of the tournament, North Carolina FC’s Jordan Hatchell was named Best Goalscorer, while Dillon Wilson was named Best Goalkeeper. Chelsea’s Kobi Ugbana was named tournament MVP.

To relive all of the matches from the ECNL International Tournament, click here. To see full scores and schedules, and to see the schedule for the girls division of the ECNL International Tournament, click here.