🇺🇸 Freedom Cup Recap: 104 Teams, 20 Champions & Steel City Up Next

Good morning,

Last weekend, 104 teams from Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and West Virginia filled Hughesville for the second annual Veterans Day Freedom Cup. Twenty of them went home as champions, and every one of those champions earned a place at the 2027 Tournament of Champions.

This week, we're celebrating what made the Freedom Cup special, then heading west for the inaugural Steel City Fall Finale.

Here's what's happening.

🇺🇸 Veterans Day Freedom Cup: A Weekend to Remember

November 7–8 | East Lycoming Soccer Complex | Hughesville, PA

In year one, 85 teams joined us. This year, 104 did: girls on Saturday, boys on Sunday, across 20 divisions from U9 to U16.

More than a few teams showed up in stars and stripes, a fitting look for a weekend built around honoring those who served.

Thank you to every club, coach, referee, family and volunteer, to East Lycoming Soccer Association, and to the local sponsors and community partners who made the weekend possible.

More photos from the weekend are on our Facebook page. Tag your team!

📺 WBRE's 2-minute story on the weekend

🏆 Celebrating Our 2026 Freedom Cup Champions

Twenty divisions, twenty champions. A few stories stood out:

• Back-to-back for NU United. NU United Chaos (U13 Girls) and NU United Strikers (U14 Girls) were both champions at last year's inaugural Freedom Cup, and both won again. With NU United Saints (U9 Girls) and NU United Rangers (U11 Boys), the club took home four titles.

• Celtic SC's big Sunday. Celtic SC won U12 Boys Gold and U14 Boys, and reached the U13 Boys final, where PA Classics claimed the title.

• A double for Carrollton City FC. Carrollton City FC won both U10 Boys Silver and U12 Boys Silver.

• A hometown title. Hughesville SC Thunder won U12 Girls Silver on home soil.

Every champion now heads to the 2027 UnitedGoals USA Tournament of Champions, August 14–15 at River City Sportsplex in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Our finalists earn a priority invitation. See how the Tournament of Champions works.

❤️ Playing for Pennsylvania's Veterans

Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors is a volunteer-run nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to veterans and their families facing hardship. Their motto says it all: “No Warrior Without Help.”

100% of official Freedom Cup apparel proceeds go to Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors. Last year, those proceeds totaled $6,350. We're finalizing this year's total and will share it as soon as it's confirmed.

To everyone who wore a Freedom Cup sweatshirt this weekend: thank you.

⚽ Next Up: The Inaugural Steel City Fall Finale

November 14–15 | Graham Park & North Boundary Park | Cranberry Township, PA

Pittsburgh is where UnitedGoals USA began, with the first 7v7 Colonial Classic in 2023. This weekend, we return with our largest tournament yet: 128 teams from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, supported by Seneca Valley Soccer Association.

U12 and younger play at Graham Park; U13 and older play at North Boundary Park. With 25 divisions, 25 more champions will earn their way to River City.

🎙️ Steel City Fall Finale Podcast

Our Steel City preview podcast covers the event's Pittsburgh roots, the traveling programs (Roc Soccer Club is bringing 11 teams from Rochester, New York), the two parks, and the divisions we'll be watching most closely.

🔥 Steel City: Divisions to Watch

U12 Boys Premier: SV Thunder and Century United Platinum met in a 7v7 Colonial Classic final decided by penalty kicks. Now they share a bracket again, joined by Roc SC and Plum Ambush, the Colonial Classic Silver champions.

U13 Boys Premier: Roc SC travels from Rochester to face Victory SC, Ohio Valley FC and Century United Platinum. Four strong programs, each looking to finish the fall with a title.

U12 Girls: Colonial Classic finalists Steel Queens headline a deep field with Roc SC, Pittsburgh Dynamo, and strong local teams from Hampton and North Allegheny.

U16 Boys: Colonial Classic champions Misfits face FC 814 from Altoona, Pittsburgh's Thomas Jefferson SC, and Donegal Youth Soccer from the Lancaster region.

📖 Explore the Steel City Event Guide

Facility maps, food and coffee vendors, our community partners, the full division preview and our 2027 Western PA calendar, all in one place. Families heading to Cranberry Township, please read it before Saturday.

Join Us in Growing the Game

Next Tuesday, we'll bring you the Steel City Fall Finale recap: the champions, the best moments, and the 25 teams headed to River City.

If you know a coach or parent who would enjoy this newsletter, please share it with them!

Here's to Building American Soccer Together.

Warmly,

Colin Gorini
Founder, UnitedGoals USA
[email protected]
unitedgoalsusa.com