Orlando City Youth Soccer’s (OCYS) Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) teams competed against the U14 U.S. Girls’ National Team (GNT) in back-to-back friendlies Tuesday night, receiving a developmentally-rich experience. The matches against the premier 36 U14 players in the country took place at City’s official training ground, Seminole Soccer Complex, which is currently hosting the U14 USGNT for its second training camp of the year.

City’s ECNL all-star pool competed closely with the nation’s best in both fixtures, providing an in-depth look at the national level for the Lions’ top female prospects. After both games, Executive Director Stephen Rammel commented on the National Team’s overall impact on the local community.

“The most important thing was that our ECNL players, coaches and the community were able to see the national level up close,” said Rammel. “The games gave our young ladies an up-close view at what it takes to reach that high level of play. Their players’ hard work and willingness to improve was very evident last night.”

Orlando’s ECNL program features talented female players from the local area. The ECNL league provides a viable platform for OCYS players to compete at the national level, which is only offered by one other youth club in the State of Florida.

Founded in 2009, the ECNL was created to enhance female youth soccer through a variety of avenues, including improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players for the U.S. Soccer Youth National Teams.