The event was held over 4 days, including 3 preliminary games on Saturday and Sunday to determine seeding.  On Saturday, July 26th the boys started off the tournament with a 2-0 loss to Alaska Rush ’92 but then rebounded with two quality wins on Sunday against Great Falls GFA Premier (VA) 5-0 and against Oceanside Classic (NY) 3-2.  Those two wins allowed the Strikers to be placed in the Championship Bracket on Monday, where they were seeded as the 15th seed and the tournament began all over again.

On Sunday, the Strikers took on the undefeated, #2 seed Brampton East Chiefs from .  After falling behind 0-1 in the opening minute of the game, the Strikers turned up the pressure and fought back to tie the game at 1-1 before giving up a second goal in the middle of the 2nd half.  With 3 minutes remaining in the game Matt Nigro scored the goal of the tournament with a beautiful head ball that scorched the back of the net to force PKs.  The Strikers were nearly flawless in the PK session with Goalkeeper Connor Darrell coming up with 2 big saves to propel the team into the quarterfinals.

Later in the afternoon, in 95 degree weather, the Strikers faced, once again, the #7 seed Alaska Rush ’92 in the quarterfinals.  Again, the Strikers played fiercley and forced PKs.  Connor Darrell came up big again with two more saves and the Strikers advanced to the semifinals to face the #11 seed Virginia Beach FC.

In the semis on Tuesday morning, the Strikers played like men on fire and pounded Beach FC 2-1 to place them in the Championship Game.  The score was not indicative of the play of the game as the Strikers missed many scoring opportunities.  At 12:15pm, the Strikers faced the Tennessee State Champs, TNFC Blue (#8 seed) for the Championship.  After jumping to an early 1-0 lead, the 98 degree heat and injuries started taking its toll.  Tennessee turned the game into a kick-and-run affair and the Strikers couldn’t adjust.  Two unmarked men quickly turned the momentum around as TNFC took a 2-1 lead late in the second half.  The Strikers were able to mount a counter attack but just couldn’t find the open net, falling to TNFC 2-1.

It was an outstanding weekend for the Strikers, scoring more goals than any other team there.  They showed that they could compete with Nationally ranked and elite teams at a very high level event, while maintaining there "Local Club" status.  A good showing that will hopefully lead to some contacts for the boys from the colleges/universities whose coaches were on hand.