The Fort Zumwalt East boys soccer program jumped at the chance to be a part of the new this fall.
And then the event's schedule was announced.
The Lions will compete in a four-team pool along with 10-time state champion CBC as well as reigning Missouri Class 2 champion Westminster Christian Academy and former state champ Lindbergh, which placed third in Class 4 a year ago.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy, right?" kidded Zumwalt East coach Nolan Wesche, whose program captured district championships in 2020 and 2022. "We know we have a tough draw, but so does everybody else in this tournament. We're excited for the opportunity to face some teams we don't normally see and to test our guys against some strong, high-level competition. Our players are excited to be part of this event and I think they're looking forward to the challenge. It's definitely a highlight on our schedule."
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In fact, Wesche said when the new Champions League was announced in 2023, a number of his veteran players at the time were disappointed because they would graduate prior to getting a chance to participate.
"The last four or five years, we've had some outstanding talent come through the program,'' said Wesche, whose team entered this week at 2-0-1. "I don't know that we have quite that caliber of talent with this team, but we do have a pretty solid group, And so far, I really like what I see. I'd say this is a team where the sum is probably a little better than the parts. These guys work well together and they're extremely coachable. I know they're excited about the challenge of being in this event and they're looking forward to making a strong showing."
The Lions, who finished 17-5 and lost 2-1 in a district final to archrival Fort Zumwalt South a year ago, are led this season by midfielder Kasen Aldridge, who had 13 goals and 6 assists in 2023 and is off to a strong start this fall with four early-season goals. Other Zumwalt East players to watch include senior goalkeeper Danny Monroy, who's getting his chance after serving as a backup to standout Carlos Pulido, the Missouri Class 3 goalkeeper of the year last fall, and junior forward Owen Podmore, who's a third-year starter.
In addition to competing in the Champions League, Zumwalt East will take part in the new GAC Cup this season along with its other league foes. After teams play their five league games, the top three finishers from the South and Central divisions and the top two squads from the GAC North will move into an eight-team bracket to determine the GAC Cup champion.
"Events like this are great for the athletes and their sport. It's a chance to get that added exposure when it comes to recognizing athletes for all-state and for other postseason honors,'' said Zumwalt East activities director Seth Wilber, who started the Lions' soccer program along with Wesche 18 years ago.
The Champions League concept was the result of a similar event that's been a part of high school soccer in Tampa, Fla., for several years. Key figures in that event's success are Jim Harte and former ºüÀêÊÓƵan Perry Van Der Beck, who went directly from the old St. Thomas Aquinas High here to a standout career with the North American Soccer League's Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Eventually, events like this will be played in Tampa Bay, ºüÀêÊÓƵ, South Florida, Kansas City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Des Moines (Iowa), Chattanooga (Tenn.) and Central Illinois.
"When we were contacted last year, it all came together pretty quickly,'' St. Dominic coach Greg Koeller said. "I think high school soccer here has been a little stagnant and this will add just a little excitement. Tournaments are tournaments, but we think this is going to be something special. Teams are going to have to earn their spots in the competition and you're going to have to battle to win.
"We want to tap into the rich history of high school soccer in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and feel like this event can be a big part of that. "
Champions League format
Points awarded per game in pool play will include three for a win and one for a tie. In addition, teams can earn points for up to four goals as well as an additional point for a shutout. The maximum a team can earn per game is eight.
Tiebreakers will be head to head, goal differential, goals scored, goals allowed and finally a coin toss.
Pool-play competition begins when Eureka visits Chaminade at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday and runs through Sept. 28. The semifinals will be on Wednesday, Oct. 16, with that night's winners advancing to the championship game on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Creve Coeur Soccer Complex.
Pool-play pairings are as follows:
Pool A: De Smet, Fort Zumwalt South, Oakville, Summit
Pool B: Chaminade, Eureka, Liberty, Vianney
Pool C: Clayton, Kirkwood, St. Dominic, SLUH
Pool D: CBC, Fort Zumwalt East, Lindbergh, WestminsterÂ
Champions League bids moving forward will go to any area Class 3 or Class 4 district champions. Remaining spots will go to the highest-ranked teams from the Missouri Power Rankings published by the Missouri State High School Soccer Coaches Association.
In the spring, the Girls Champions League will include Lafayette, Fort Zumwalt West, Nerinx Hall and Ursuline in Pool A; Clayton, Oakville, Liberty and Visitation in Pool B; Eureka, Francis Howell Central, Ladue and St. Joseph's in Pool C; and Cor Jesu, Fort Zumwalt South, Lindbergh and St. Dominic in Pool D.