Just two years old, the Baltimore Celtic Club is flexing its muscles in youth boys soccer.
The club, which broke ties with the Baltimore Bays Chelsea Academy in 2013, is sending teams from six age groups to the 2015 U.S. Youth Soccer Region I Championships, set to run from June 25-30 in Barborsville, W.Va.
The club's Under-13, -14 and -16 teams won Maryland State Cups and the U-15, -17 and -18 teams qualified through their fine play in the Region I Champions League.
The Celtic Club, run by McDonogh coach Brandon Quaranta, branched off from the Bays when the U.S. Soccer Development Academy prohibited its players from playing high school soccer.
Some of the area's top high school players will be in action. The U-17 team features McDonogh standouts Mike DeShields, Tunde Akinlosotu and Keegan Kelly; Archbishop Curley's Tre Pulliam; and Perry Hall's Colin Weyant.
The U-18 team includes a number of graduated standouts: Connor Smith (McDonogh); Gavin Barger and Riley Collins (Loyola Blakefield); Nate Hall (St. Paul's); and Tyler Gabarra (Broadneck).
Leading the U-16 team will be McDonogh standout Nic Brown and Loyola Blakefield's Avionne Flanagan and Grant Robinson.