After sweating through five games in five days, four area boys squads are among the 24 teams still kicking in these US Youth Soccer Region III Championships.

With one more victory in today's Southern Regional finals, the Capital Area Soccer League's Under-15 and U-17 clubs, the Triangle Futbol Club U19s and Triangle United Gold U16s can earn titles and trips next month to the national tournament in Little Rock, Ark. The South Charlotte Soccer Club Gold will play for the U14 boys title.

Overall, 11 boys and girls teams from North Carolina, including eight from the Triangle, reached the semifinals. It was another demonstration of the state's soccer strength, but not a surprise.

For years, good players have been cropping up like cotton, corn and soybeans. But there's still a ways to go before catching North Texas, which advanced 19 of its 24 entries to the semifinals.

"It's quite a good soccer culture here,'' said Carlos Somoano, UNC men's assistant and head coach of the CASL Under-17 club. "There are good coaches all through the area. We're [also] in the heart of an unbelievable [college hotbed] with UNC, Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest."

Charlie Slagle, CEO of CASL and co-chairman of the local tournament organizing committee, probably covered more ground surveying the scene Tuesday than some players rambling around WRAL Soccer Center fields.

Slagle supervises a burgeoning CASL program that started in 1974 and has about 9,000 participants ages 5 to 18 -- and that doesn't include all of the region's youth players.

"There's a lot of talent in the [area] high school ranks, and a lot of talent seems to be coming from here,'' Slagle said.

That's why Elon coach Darren Powell was on the scene Tuesday, weathering the heat.

"It's good to see so much talent in one place," said Powell, who says the quality of N.C. players "seems to get slightly better every year."

Tuesday, suspense and drama went with all the sweating and sprinting, heading and kicking.

In the CASL Elite's 1-0 win over the Triangle Futbol Club Navy in the U17 Division, Martin Murphy produced the goal on a free kick that rocketed high into the left corner of the net.

Ignoring Murphy's Law -- "Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong" -- this Murphy, a rising senior at Green Hope High, took the everything that can go right, will go right approach.

"I stepped up and put it in,'' he said, making it sound routine.

Then Murphy looked up, saw the ball rustling the net and began sprinting toward teammates the way ecstatic soccer players do.

After his team survived a few "scares" and held on for the victory, Murphy was ready for lunch and an afternoon nap. While physically taxing, he said the tournament experience has been "great."

And it isn't over.

Murphy and his mates want to put their best foot forward, so to speak, one more time this morning.

In other games involving area winners, Jacob Sebold scored for the CASL 15s. Senyonjo Mukungu, German Mendoza and Sebastian Garner scored for Triangle United 16s and Peter Shelton connected in the 112th minute for the Triangle Futbol Club 19s.

Today's 12 title games will culminate a massive event that tournament director Brandon Story said has run without any "major" glitches here or in Wilson, where Richard Frazier presided over three days of games.

"The fields were in great shape, the weather was great, and and the organizing committee and volunteers have been unbelievable,'' said Story, who is from Oklahoma.

While an estimated 3,300 players competed, parents and fans sat in the sun, sought shelter beneath shade trees and tents, and visited concession stands.

Along with the fun and games, the event also kicked up revenue for several businesses. Scott Dupree, director of sports marketing for the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimated the economic impact at $4.2 million.

But for the kids, it isn't about money. It's about playing, competing, and for the 24 remaining teams, trying to cram another championship into their backpacks.