LA Eagles End 18 Year Wait, Win NSFUSA Las Vegas Open Division
By Saheed Afolabi
LA Eagles Soccer Club have ended an 18-year wait for glory in the Open Division of the Nigeria Soccer Federation USA (NSFUSA) Las Vegas tournament after emerging champions of the 2026 edition.
The triumph marked a significant return to the summit for the club, who last won the prestigious Open Division title in 2008.
President of LA Eagles, Uchechukwu Okafor, described the victory as a historic achievement for a club that had endured several years of disappointment in its pursuit of another championship.
“Winning this tournament is history for us. It is a great feat, and I do not say that lightly,” Okafor said.
“The last time LA Eagles lifted this trophy in the Open category was in 2008, which is eighteen years ago. Year after year we came back and tried to get to this level and it just would not happen.”
The club’s recent struggles made the 2026 triumph even more significant, with Okafor revealing that LA Eagles had been eliminated in the opening round in each of the previous three or four years.
“In fact, for the last three or four years we were getting knocked out in the first round. So to stand here today as Open champions is something I still find hard to put into words,” he added.
According to Okafor, the foundation for the championship was laid long before the team arrived in Las Vegas, with greater unity within the squad and substantial behind-the-scenes work contributing to the turnaround.
“What changed this year is that the team came together. A lot of work went on behind the scenes long before anybody saw us in Vegas, and most of it is work nobody will ever see,” he said.
Okafor also singled out the club’s former players and legends for their contribution to the team’s resurgence, stressing that their experience and commitment played an important role in helping LA Eagles reclaim the Open Division crown.
“Our legends within the club carried a huge part of that load,” he said.
