Category: Youth Soccer Reporter

[ENGLAND] Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday left United only five points behind leader Liverpool with two games in hand and plunged Chelsea into a crisis of confidence.

[SPAIN] Bad weather played havoc with league action across Europe — games were postponed in England and France — and Atletico Madrid’s La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao in March was stopped when Atletico fans bombarded Athletic goalie Gorka Iraizoz with snowballs.

[AMERICANS ABROAD] In the third round of English FA Cup play, Bobby Convey saw some rare action as he started and played 74 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Cardiff City. Clint Dempsey went the full 90 for Fulham as it won, 2-1, at Sheffield Wednesday. American EPL keepers celebrated wins.

[INTERLIGA] New Mexico product Edgar Castillo played his first game for Club America in a 1-1 tie with Guadalajara in an InterLiga game in front of 30,729 fans at Houston’s Robertson Stadium. Texas product Jose Francisco Torres, 21, started for Pachuca in its 4-0 rout over UAG in front of a much smaller crowd in North Texas.

L.A. Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, currently on loan to AC Milan, is now maintaining that his move to Italy was not solely motivated by a desire to keep his place in the England squad. Apparently, it’s always been one of his ambitions to play in the country.   “I didn’t join Milan just for that […]

Eclipse Select, the top girls club in Soccer America’s national rankings for the last two years, was the only club to claim two girls championships at Disney’s Soccer Showcase, taking U-18 and U-16 titles — both in Showcase divisions.

Portsmouth and England striker Jermain Defoe revealed Sunday another charming side to English fan culture, saying he had received threats from Portsmouth fans angry that he may return to Tottenham Hotspur one year after leaving the club.   “I have absolutely no idea how they got hold of my number but some of the calls […]

The most dominating performance by any team — boys or girls — at Disney’s Soccer Showcase was that of Florida’s Ponte Vedra Storm, which scored 28 unanswered goals in four games to reach the final in the Under-16 Copa Blue Division, where it beat Tennessee’s Brentwood Premier, 3-1.

Day 8 Wrapup/by Paul Kennedy
The YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER concludes daily coverage of Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club.

Teams from nine states and Ontario, Canada, won girls championships on Saturday at Disney’s Soccer Showcase. Florida led all teams with three champions: First Coast KYX Elite (Under-17 Copa White), Ponte Vedra Storm (Under-16 Copa Blue) and Lady Renegades (Under-15 Copa). For all the semifinal and final results in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …

Laroca FC, CASL Spartan Elite Black, Solar Red and Michigan Hawks advanced to Saturday’s semifinals in the Under-15 Girls Showcase. For all the under-15 girls scores and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …

The Dallas Texans Red Dallas U-17 team repeated as U.S. Youth National League champion, defeating Eclipse Select, 2-0, on the final day of the three-game series at Disney’s Soccer Showcase. The U-16 and U-15 champion and runner-up and U-17 runner-up won’t be determined until the final three-game series involving the four teams in each group that did not travel to Florida. The final series will be held March 13-15 in Las Vegas.

Day 7 Wrapup/by Paul Kennedy
The YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER continues daily coverage of Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club.

Eclipse Select of Illinois and New York’s Albertson SC Fury both went unbeaten and untied and moved into Saturday’s semifinals in the Under-18 Girls Showcase. For all the under-18 girls scores and schedules in the Showcase and Predator divisions …

The defending national champion Dallas Texans Red Dallas head the final four field in the Under-17 Girls Showcase. They will meet the Vista Shockwave, the only team with a perfect record, in Saturday’s semifinals. For all the under-17 girls scores and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …

The defending national champion Dallas Texans Red Dallas were knocked out in the Under-16 Girls Showcase when they finished second to Eclipse Select. In the U-16 Copa division, the Ponte Vedra Storm of Florida won a pair of 6-0 decisions to advance to Saturday’s final and up its goal margin to 28-0 for four games. For all the under-16 girls scores and schedules in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …

Day 6 Wrapup/by Paul Kennedy
The YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER continues daily coverage of Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club.

The Ponte Vedra Storm set the pace with an 11-0 victory in under-16 play on Thursday at Disney’s Soccer Showcase. The Sunrise Youth Soccer Fire won, 8-1, in other under-16 action. For all the results in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …

The Albertson Fury is one of the most decorated girls teams competing at Disney’s Soccer Showcase. The four-time Eastern New York champion has 14 players who have already made verbal commitments to play at NCAA Division I programs next season. Fury manager Michael Bruh and coach Paul Riley give advice on how players and parents should approach college recruiting, a key element to major tournaments such as Disney’s Soccer Showcase.

The defending national champion Dallas Texans Red Dallas suffered their first blemish in the U.S. Youth Soccer National League Girls Under-17 Group on Thursday when they were held to a 0-0 tie by Ela Elite, but they clinched a berth in the 2009 National Championships with the result.

Day 5 Wrapup/by Paul Kennedy
The YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER continues daily coverage of Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club.

There were goals galore on the opening day of play in the Under-18 Girls Showcase Wednesday at Disney’s Soccer Showcase. The eight games produced an average of 4.5 goals. Virginia’s Chantilly SC Netforce set the pace with a 7-3 victory over KUFC Premier Cosmos of Illinois. For all the results in the Showcase, Predator and Copa divisions …

Vicki DiMartino played spectacularly for the U.S. national team in the U-17 World Cup in November. She scored in five straight games, helping the U.S. finish second. She is spending her holidays — for the fourth year in a row — at the Disney Soccer Showcase playing with her club team, Albertson Fury. Vicki will be attending Boston College next year where she’ll join her sister Gina. Her eldest sister, Christina, just finished her senior year at UCLA. Learn more about Vicki in our Rising Star profile.

The reigning national champion Dallas Texans Red Dallas team improved to 5-0-0 in U.S. Youth Soccer National League under-17 girls play with a 4-0 win over the BVSC Stars Mallorca of Kansas Friday at Disney’s Soccer Showcase.

Day 4 Wrapup/by Paul Kennedy
The YOUTH SOCCER REPORTER continues daily coverage of Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea Football Club. Champions were crowned Tuesday in 28 boys divisions.