DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines United Futbol Academy is celebrating after bringing home first and second place finishes from the 2025 Presidents Cup National Championships.

Just three weeks ago, the academy was raising funds as they prepared to send teams to the National Championships in Tampa, Florida. The trip was made even more special due to a record-breaking three teams, U13 girls, U14 girls, and U15 boys, all earning spots in the championship.

The teams spent the past weeks fundraising, and through the help of sponsorships and donations, they raised the $110,000 needed to send more than 50 players. The teams took to the field this week, competing in three qualifying rounds, a semi-final, and then the finals.

The U14 girls took it all the way to the finals and, after a nail-biting overtime, took home the national title with a final score of 3 to 1. Members of the team say years of work have proved their worth, but that it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

“It’s kind of like feeling like it’s all unreal. Like thinking that all this hard work, everything, all the support from everyone has all come into one big moment,” said Eva, a center back for the under-14 girls. “It’s just kind of like, unbelievable.”

“It was incredible. Like it was such a relief just to see that all we’ve worked for this entire season is paying off,” said Tatum, a goalkeeper for the U14 girls. “It honestly still doesn’t even feel real. It’s just like so amazing.”

The U13 girls were eliminated during the preliminary rounds, but have a trip to nationals to serve as further motivation. The U15 boys also have motivation to return after making it to the final round but ultimately losing 3 to 0.

“It was a little emotional, but the emotions were showing the love of the game that we have and how hard we worked for the past three years just to get to this moment. We just all came together and we just all thanked each other for sticking by my side by side,” said Leo, a U15 boy’s player.

Leo says he and his teammates are extremely proud to have brought the silver home for the state, but look forward to banding together to bring home the gold next year.

Wins and losses aside, the trip was a success for the Des Moines UFA teams. Technical Director Ozzie White says the outpour of support from the community and family helped make this a memory of a lifetime for the players.

“The joy was not necessarily about winning and losing. It was about the journey together. La Familia and being with family and friends,” said White. “You know, a lot of parents and grandparents, and siblings also made the trip. So a lot of people were able to turn a soccer trip into a family vacation, which really exemplifies the spirit that we have in this club.”