In the inspiring sports classic “Miracle on Ice,” U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks was selecting his squad for the 1980 tournament and said, “I’m not looking for the best players; I’m looking for the right ones.” This phrase has served as more than just a memorable movie quote for longtime Missouri youth soccer coach Jim Wipke, but rather the words have backboned his St. Louis Development Academy U19B Elite 64 (STLDA) team, leading them to capture their fourth consecutive Missouri State Cup championship.
The stakes were high for the boys this year.
On Friday, June 7 at Creve Coeur Soccer Complex in Maryland Heights, Missouri, they were set to face 026 Futbol Club 2005B Comesana in the semi-final match, a first-time State Cup playoff team hungry for the opportunity to lift a championship trophy. Despite the glaring three-time champion target on their back, STLDA dispatched a poised 5-1 win.
With less than a 24-hour turnaround, they were back on the pitch for a grueling championship matchup against SLSG MO B 2005/2006 Navy (SLSG). STLDA went up quick off a free kick that secured a 1-0 lead through the entire first half of the match, but SLSG responded about 20 minutes into the second with a set piece of their own. Playing the ball quick after the whistle, they were able to put one in the back of the net to even the score to ones.
It was not long after, however, that STLDA sent a cross into the box for a brisk tap-in goal that cemented their title as State Cup champions with a 2-1 win. This season being the last before many of the boys graduate high school and move on to play in college made this victory all the more bittersweet.
Following in similar fashion to the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey squad, the STLDA boys have been a ‘miracle’ team of their own. They accomplished something most youth soccer teams merely dream of, winning not just one, but four uninterrupted State Cup titles.
And according to Wipke, they were able to do so because they had the ‘right players.’
When a team has the right players, they may not necessarily be the best ones, but they have the ability to be the best team. STLDA has certainly shown that. They are more than just a chaotic mix of the best athletes in the area, but a talented group of boys with the right mindset and work ethic that has emblazoned a trail of success on the pitch.
“They’re unbelievable players. They’re awesome,” said Wipke. “But in terms of character and people, these are some of the best kids I’ve been around in my entire life.”
Wipke shared that what has been central to their success is maintaining a culture of discipline based on the idea that “the players understand that their actions impact their teammates around them, and they need to care about the person next to them more than themselves for results to come.”
After essentially rebuilding almost an entire team over COVID and having boys float in and out each year, that is the message every player has bought into. Even this season, after losing many 2005 players to colleges the year before, the boys have been playing for each other, nonetheless.
“This year has been really special because we had a lot of new kids coming in, and we wanted them to be able to get their first state championship too,” said midfielder Tyler Bouckaert. “We wanted them to be able to have one even more than the rest us that had maybe had one, two or three already.”
The apple does not fall far from the tree in terms of character, Wipke shares, contributing a portion of the team’s tremendous accomplishments as an extension of the families they come from. Being a parent-coach alongside Kyle Kocher and Ron Boschert, who does not have a player on the team, he emphasizes that “the sport of soccer is all about life lessons.” It is rewarding for him to see the team the learning from their parents and coaches, and in turn, they too are setting an example of their own.
“I am so grateful that I have had the privilege to coach the right ones,” said Wipke. “They have made me both a better coach and a better person.”
Moving forward, STLDA’s vision for their season is far from over. Finishing as a finalist in the regional championship last year, the team snuck their way into nationals as their opponent had already qualified. The goal is to be back on that stage again. Avid for another shot at regionals and the chance to chase a national title, the group has been working tirelessly day in and day out to get there.
“Right now, we are really focused and have been working really hard at our recent practices,” said Bouckaert. “I think it is in everyone’s head to get to that regional championship because last year at nationals we were one game away from moving on and we fell short. We all know we can get back to that position and we’re just working hard to get back there.”
Joining STLDA in seizing a 2024 Missouri State Cup championship and earning the opportunity to compete in the Midwest Regional Championships June 21-26 in Overland Park and Olathe, Kansas are the following teams:
- U13 Boys: St. Louis Stars SC 11 Boys Academy Red
- U13 Girls: CarShield FC 2011G Academy NL
- U14 Boys: SLSG MO B 2010 Elite
- U14 Girls: LFA Blue Star Premier 2010G
- U15 Boys: SLSG MO B 2009 St Johnstone
- U16 Boys: STLDA U16B Elite 64
- U17 Boys: SLSG MO B 2007 Elite
- U18 Boys: JB Marine Academy McKeon 06B
Winners from each age group will head to Orlando, Florida July 23-28 for the 2024 National Championships at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.