Monthly Archives: January 2009

The Baltimore Bays and Dallas Texans are No. 1 in Soccer America‘s annual rankings of the top boys and girls clubs, respectively. For the Top 30 rankings ..

[GIRLS TOP 30] A banner year propelled the Dallas Texans back into the top spot in Soccer America‘s Best Girls Club rankings. They moved ahead of their frequent opponent Eclipse Select on the national stage. For a look at Soccer America‘s Top 30 Girls Clubs …

[BOYS TOP 30] For the first time since Soccer America began its annual rankings of the Best Boys Clubs in 2004, the Baltimore Bays are No. 1 in its annual rankings, edging last year’s top-ranked club, the Dallas Texans. For a look at Soccer America‘s Top 30 Boys Clubs …

Boca Raton Wellington and Ft. Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons, both South Florida schools, are No. 1  in the latest NSCAA/adidas winter rankings for boys and girls, respectively.

U.S. under-15 girls national team coach Tad Bobak of the So Cal Blues girls program is among the regional winners of the U.S. Youth Soccer Competitive Coach of the Year award. The national winners will be announced at the U.S. Youth Soccer Awards Gala on March 6 as part of the US Youth Soccer adidas Workshop in San Jose, Calif.

Izzy Hernandez, coach of the national powerhouse Broughton boys and girls programs, and Mike and Brendan Moylan, co-founders of Hillsborough-based Eurosport, the world’s largest soccer retailer, were inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame at its annual banquet on Saturday in Greensboro.

Chivas USA’s U-18 team went 1-2-1 in its first four games at the 24-team Copa Chivas Comex in Guadalajara, Mexico. With one game to play against Brazil’s under-17 national team, Chivas USA was fifth in its six-team group.

Coming off a year in which the USA won the Under-20 Women’s World Cup and finished second at the inaugural Under-17 Women’s World Cup, the U.S. national youth team program for girls began a new cycle with 48-player megacamps for under-18 and under-20 players in Chula Vista, Calif., and for under-17 and under-15 players in Sunrise, Fla.

Taylor Vancil played every game in goal for the United States at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in November, helping guide the Yanks to a second-place finish. Taylor plays club ball with Illinois powerhouse Eclipse Select even though her family has moved to Colorado. In the fall, she will play at Louisville. Learn more about Taylor Vancil in our Rising Star profile.

Most folks associate Title IX issues with college athletics, but Title IX litigation or the threat of Title IX litigation is increasingly common in high school sports. In a case receiving national coverage, the New York City Department of Education agreed to move the girls soccer season from the spring to the fall (the same as for boys soccer) because the spring prep season conflicted with club soccer. The decision, which followed threats of litigation by the New York Civil Liberties Union, has not been universally praised.