Local soccer club Neusport didn't need its under-12 girls team to win a regional championship in order to expand its record of consistent success.
In the last 10 years, the club has won more than 40 state championships, five U.S. Club Soccer Regional titles and took the top prize in more than 100 tournaments in Southern Nevada and beyond.
But, consistent success wouldn't be as consistent if Neusport didn't keep winning. The club's FC 95 Green under-12 girls team became the only Las Vegas squad at the U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV Championships -- and the first Nevada girls team ever -- to win a regional title with a 2-0 victory over Southside Ireland of Oregon on June 25 at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex near Cimarron-Memorial High School.
The young team is not quite old enough to advance to the national championships in July in Texas, where most regional winners will be advancing to, because of the 14-year-old minimum age requirement. But coach Eric Garriss said nationals will be the goal for the squad, which was assembled three years ago and is expected to stay together to work toward that goal.
The Neusport Football Club is the largest and most successful soccer club in Nevada and the state's only Nike Premier Club.
"There are not many of those clubs in the country, so that is an important designation for us. It makes all the difference," said Steve Cooke, Neusport coaching director.
The club fields more than 40 boys and girls teams in different age groups from ages 9 to 19, as well as offering camps, clinics, tournaments and other youth programs, including a preschool program.
The under-12 girls team isn't the only Neusport program to receive recognition recently. Neusport Football Club '90, an under-17 boys team, was ranked No. 3 in the nation in April by GotSoccer.com, one of the largest youth soccer Web sites, which tracks more than 23,000 teams nationally.
The team also is ranked No. 1 in Region IV, which includes California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Hawaii, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
Neusport FC '90 earned the rankings after impressive showings in events like the Disney Soccer Showcase, the Las Vegas College Showcase and the Dallas Cup, considered one of the most competitive tournaments in the country.
"To be ranked third in the nation and No. 1 in the region is a remarkable achievement for a team from Nevada, a small soccer state in comparison to some of the others," said the team's coach, Meir Segal.
For more information on Neusport, visit www.neusport.com.
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