Ontario Soccer is pleased to announce the bulk of the rosters for the 2024 Ontario Provincial Xcel Teams. The only roster yet to be release is the Under 14 Boys and Girls squad, which will be release on Monday, April 29.

Provincial Xcel team selections take place over the course of a calendar year, where players are identified through the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL), or through Talent on Location Days (ToLD) for players who are not competing in the talented pathway.

“This year saw a 30 per cent increase in the amount of ToLD recommendations, demonstrating the increased interest in the Provincial Xcel program, as we continue to expand our offerings, for talents across the province,” said Matt Ferreira, Ontario Soccer’s Director, Development. “From the conversion of Provincial Screening Competition into a post-secondary showcase for Under-16 & 17’s, and the integration of Canada Soccer’s Regional Excel (REX) staff for Under-15’s,  the program continues to provide key opportunities to Ontario players. I am now excited to see our selected teams compete against some of the other top youth players across the region.”

The Provincial Xcel Program's key goals include:

1. To provide players with an inspirational experience in the Provincial program to ignite their ambition to represent Canada at the international level
2. Talent Identification and benchmarking of player performance through quality competition 
3. Provide the opportunity for possible new Ontario players to be selected for future Regional & National EXCEL Environments
4. Provide opportunity for the top Ontario players to be exposed to more post-secondary opportunities, locally and abroad, in a best with best environment

With the bulk of rosters now selected, the teams move into a preparation stage, training with the Provincial Xcel coaching staff, which is a blend of former experienced Xcel coaches like Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt and new coaches like former Canadian Premier League Coach, and former National Team and Toronto FC player, Jimmy Brennan. The teams then move onto the Provincial Xcel Showcase, which pit Xcel squads against top-level competition in their respective age groups.

The 2024 Provincial Xcel Showcase kicks off with the U16s, which will see the Boys team take on TFC Academy and the Girls team take on Canada Soccer’s National Development Centre Ontario Next Gen in a two game series. The U14 teams will play an all-star series with the best players in the province, while the remaining groups, the U15’s and U17’s, will participate in a showcase series against Soccer Québec’s Provincial Teams at the Zanchin Automotive Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ontario from May 17-19. To view the full Showcase schedule, visit ontariosoccer.net/provincial-program.

“The Under-14’s are at the entry-phase of the Provincial Xcel program. Due to the depth of talent at this age group, more players are selected so that we can observe them in a best-with-best environment,” said Bryan Rosenfeld, Ontario Soccer’s Senior Manager, Development & Provincial Xcel.

“The U16 Provincial Xcel program is a bench-marking process against the majority of top players at this age group that are at TFC Academy and the Women’s National Development Centre Ontario. The U15/U17 Provincial Xcel program compete against the Québec Soccer Federation. This competition has a long history of over 25 years. It is also the main age brackets, in alignment with international competitions, that Canada Soccer Regional and National Excel staff scout at the youth level,” Rosenfeld added.

Ontario Soccer’s coverage of the 2024 Ontario-Québec Series will include a livestream of each participating age group (there will be FOUR TOTAL games livestreamed). Ontario Soccer will also be releasing a special 2024 Provincial Xcel themed spotlight series, showcasing some of the amazing talents, on-and-off the pitch, involved in the program.

Details about the broadcast and wider coverage of the 2024 Provincial Xcel Showcase will be released at a later date.