When the Pepsi Showdown was first talked about four years ago, there were a number of soccer people who said it would never get off the ground. Despite the doubters, tournament organizers were able to create the largest high school boys soccer tournament in the Midwest, which has grown to become the third largest tournament in the country.
And come next spring, a girls version will be added. Tournament officials have announced that Oak Park and River Forest High School will host the first annual Pepsi Showdown for girls, which will become the largest high school girls soccer tournament in the country. The 32-team tournament, which features a seeded bracket comparable to the NCAA Tournament, will pit the top programs in the Chicagoland area against one another.
“The unique thing about the Pepsi Showdown is it brings so many different teams, coaches, players, styles and fans to one tournament,” said Oak Park coach Paul Wright, whose program is the official IHSA host. “You have teams from the north suburbs, south suburbs, west suburbs, city schools, private schools, big schools and small schools that make this tournament like no other in Illinois. The players will be talking about it before it starts, because they are looking at the bracket and seeing what scenarios may play out.”
More than 900 players will be showcased in the state’s lone single-elimination, fully seeded tournament. Last fall, the two boys finalists ended up at Toyota Park battling it out for the crown of the Pepsi Showdown. It is expected the girls finale also will be apart of a doubleheader at Toyota Park.
On April 5 and 12, all 32 teams will be at OPRF. Concordia University will host two of the 16 games on those two Saturdays. Games are scheduled to kickoff at 8 a.m. and run throughout the day on both Saturdays. A complete tournament bracket may be found at pepsishowdown.us in the coming weeks.
“We hope the community around our complex embraces the tournament, because this is something unlike any other tournament around,” Wright said. “People will be able to come and see 32 teams all at one site. Major companies and local businesses have become involved, so the players are winning off the field, too.”
The following is the list of girls soccer programs scheduled to be apart of the Inaugural Pepsi Showdown in 2008: Andrew, Barrington, Downers Grove North, Elk Grove, Fenwick, Hersey, Hinsdale South, Homewood-Flossmoor, Lake Zurich, Larkin, Libertyville, Lockport, Loyola, Lyons, Maine South, Marist, New Trier, OPRF, Oswego, Payton, Providence, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, St. Ignatius, Sandburg, U-High, Warren, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton Academy, Wheaton North, Wheaton South and York.