Joel Ahn, Johnny Babula and Alejandro Berrio beam while holding the US Youth National Championship Trophy. The three former Bloomfield Soccer Club players helped The Football Academy 2011 Black team to the title.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Three former Bloomfield Soccer Club players – Joel Ahn, Johnny Babula and Alejandro Berrio – won the US Youth Soccer National Championship recently while competing at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Ahn, Babula and Berrio currently play for The Football Academy 2011 Black team, based out of Florham Park. Prior to joining FA, the boys played for the BSC’s Bloomfield Barcelona.
While with BSC, the boys led Bloomfield Barcelona to the Elite Development Program’s Flight 1 – the highest flight for their age level. While competing at that level, the team earned a No. 3 ranking in the state, No. 26 ranking in the country and a proclamation from the Bloomfield mayor and Township Council, lauding their achievements.
Ahn continues to guest play for the BSC Mambas.
To earn a spot in the National Finals, FA first won the New Jersey Youth Soccer State Cup in November 2023 by defeating the South Jersey Elite Barons in the final with a score of 8-1. This victory sent the team to the US Youth Soccer Eastern Regional Tournament in West Virginia in June. There, the team went undefeated in six games and ultimately claimed victory in the final over Rhode Island Surf B2011 Elite Blue in a dramatic, come-from-behind, overtime win with a score of 3-2.
The regional win sent the team to the national finals to compete against the three other regional winners: Bloomingdale Lightning FC Premiership (Illinois), the winner of the Midwest Region; Sonny G Academy Premier (Texas), the winner of the Southern Region; and Las Vegas Diversity (Nevada), the winner of the Far West Region.
After playing each of the other regional Winners in Orlando, FA won the group with victories over SGA Premier and Las Vegas Diversity. BLFC took the second spot with a victory over FA and ties against the other two teams. FA then met BLFC in the final on Friday, July 26, in a game that was televised on multiple ESPN channels. FA took a commanding lead in the first half, scoring three goals, maintained the lead throughout the second half, ultimately claiming victory with a 3-0 score, and became the first-ever NJ team to win the U13 national title.
The three former BSC players were influential in the team’s winning run at the national finals. Ahn scored two goals, including the game-winners against SGA and BLFC. Berrio scored five goals and one assist, including the third goal in the final. Babula recorded one goal and one assist before fracturing his wrist and being sidelined for the final.
Photos Courtesy of Michelle Lowry Babula
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