ESPN RISE

Eight national champions will be crowned Sunday on the final day of play in the U.S. Youth Soccer national championships at Citizens Bank Fields at Progin Park, and there is no shortage of interesting notes tied to the 16 participants:

Twice Would Be Nice: Liz Burchenal led St. Ursula (Cincinnati) to Division I state title in Ohio last fall. Now she's helping Ohio Elite is pursuit of a national title. Burchenal, one of two rising high school seniors on a team of college-bound players, scored once in Ohio Elite's nine goals as the team went 2-0-1 through group play at the US Youth Soccer under-18 national championships. Ohio Elite will face FC Bucks Viper in Sunday's national final. The teams played to a 2-2 draw Friday morning.

Coaching Connections: Hassan Nazari, who is the director of the Dallas Texans club program and coach of the Texans' under-16 boys finalist, has the highest playing accolades among the coaches of Sunday's teams. Nazari played in the 1976 Olympics and 1978 World Cup for Iran. & DeAnza Force, a finalist in the under-16 girls' age group, is coached by Shawn Medved, a former professional player. Medved played from 1990 through 2000 and appeared in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and MLS. & Triangle United, a finalist for the under-17 boys title, is coached by Elmar Bolowich, the University of North Carolina men's coach. Bolowich's Tar Heels won the 2001 NCAA Division I title, and now he's going after a club crown.

Title Droughts: Florida is regarded as a strong soccer state, however, its U.S. Youth Soccer performances would suggest otherwise. Ponte Vedra Storm (Fla.) has a chance Sunday to become Florida's first national champion since 1995. & The FC Bucks (Pa.) will be vying to become Pennsylvania's first-ever girls' national champion Sunday when it faces Ohio Elite in the under-18 final. The association's 15 national titles are the fifth most in U.S. Youth Soccer history, but not a single one on the girls side.

Close Call: The boys' under-15 six-team group ended in a three-way tie for second between Sereno 94 White (Ariz.), Spirit United (Pa.) and Grand Rapids Crew (Mich.). Casa Mia Bays (Md.) won the group and a berth in Saturday's national final. The three tied teams all went 2-1-0 in group play. The tiebreaker for the second national final spot was awarded to Sereno on goal differential, but all three teams were brought together by event organizers to review the tiebreaker procedure and announce the decision.