On July 12 at Brown's Island in downtown Richmond, VA, the qualifying teams for the ECNL Champions League Finals and ECNL North American Cup Finals were welcomed to the national championship event and learned their match-ups for the competition at "The Rivah Draw."

On July 12 at Brown's Island in downtown Richmond, VA, the qualifying teams for the ECNL Champions League Finals and ECNL North American Cup Finals were welcomed to the national championship event and learned their match-ups for the competition at "The Rivah Draw."

The Rivah Draw started with a red carpet entry for all players across the bridge to Brown's Island, where they were welcomed by hundreds of flashing camera bulbs and other ECNL pageantry.  The welcoming ceremony and video presentation concluded with the formal draw itself, as the opponents and match-ups for every team in the competition were determined.  At U15, U16 and U17, 8 teams qualified for the ECNL Champions League Finals and 8 teams qualified for the ECNL North American Cup Finals.    

Like every team in Richmond, the FC Wisconsin Eclipse U17s earned their berth in Richmond by winning their play-off group in Seattle at the ECNL Play-Offs.  A 4-1 win over Orlando City and a 4-2 win over Continental FC (formerly FC Delco) two weeks ago secured qualification for the team.

The 2014 U17 ECNL North American Cup Finals highlights the depth and strength of the ECNL Midwest Conference, as 4 of the participating teams and Play-Off Group Winners hail from the Midwest.  In total, the 8 qualifying teams were drawn into groups of 4, where they will face each other in a 3-game round robin with the group winner advancing to the Championship Game.

• Play-Off Group A: St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Internationals (OH), Minnesota Thunder Academy, FC Wisconsin Eclipse
• Play-Off Group B: Utah Avalanche, FC Bucks (PA), East Meadow (NY), and St. Louis Scott Gallagher - Illinois

Competition starts on Sunday, with teams also playing group games on Monday and Wednesday.  Tuesday is a rest day, and the ECNL North American Cup Championship will be played on Thursday, July 17.