Category: Youth Soccer Reporter

South Carolina’s Northwestern High School and Atlanta’s St. Pius X are the top ranked teams in the final NSCAA/adidas High School Spring Rankings for boys and girls, respectively.

US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup champions — representing 27 different clubs — were crowned in three of four regions. The Region I Presidents Cup will be held June 20-21 in Kirkwood, Del. The national finals will take place July 17-19 at the WRAL Soccer Complex in North Carolina.

Santa Clara Sporting led all teams with two titles at U.S. Club Soccer’s National Cup VIII regionals that concluded Tuesday in Modesto, Calif. Girls play will take place this weekend. For all the Modesto boys champions …

The Ventura County Fusion’s DMS 11 upset the defending champion Cisco Toros of Arizona, 3-2, in under-19 boys quarterfinal action Friday at the U.S. Youth Soccer Region IV Championships in Lancaster, Calif. In another surprise, the 2009 Dallas Cup U-15 champion Santa Clara Sporting fell to Sereno White of Arizona, 3-1, in boys quarterfinal action. For all of Friday’s quarterfinal results …

Forward Jack McInerney, who scored five goals for the USA at the 2009 Concacaf Under-17 Championships, and Amber Brooks, who captained the USA at last year’s inaugural Under-17 Women’s World Cup, are the 2009 Parade Players of the Year. For the complete Parade Boys and Girls All-American Teams …

Amber Brooks, who won three New Jersey state titles at The Pennington School and captained the USA at the inaugural Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008,  has endured some trying times this spring. The North Carolina-bound star lost her father Allan died in April, and longtime girls soccer advocate Charlotte Moran — her “soccer mom” — died of pancreatic cancer in April. For Brooks’ efforts to raise money for cancer research …

The U.S. under-15 boys national team camp being held this week at the PDA training facilities in Zarephath, N.J., has added significance since U-17 national team coaches will be evaluating the ’94s for the next cycle of U.S. Soccer’s residency program. For the 48 U-15s in camp …

Play began Monday at the 2009 US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships in Lancaster, Calif. Nine teams began their defense of regional titles at the Lancaster National Soccer Center, but most faced stiff competition. A wild game saw the So Cal Blues fall in U-17 girls play. For all the news and complete results from the Region IV Championships …

Less than three months after former U.S. international Chris Armas took over as its director of coaching, Massapequa SC achieved success at the Eastern New York state finals, where it won the U-17 and U-15 boys titles and U-14 girls championship. The Albertson Fury won four girls titles in convincing fashion. For results of all the finals in the U-14 to U-19 boys and girls groups …

Carmel United Academy had four teams finish first and five others took second place in the U-14 to U-19 groups at the Indiana State Cup. The highlight was an all-Carmel final in the U-14 girls division. For all the Indiana State Cup final results …

Champions have been crowned at four U.S. Club Soccer’s National Cup VIII regionals. Boys champions were scheduled to crowned Tuesday in Modesto, Calif., and regional play will continue at six venues through early July. For all the regional champions …

Dillon Powers, whose Andromeda team won the 2008 US Youth Soccer Under-17 national championship and led Plano Senior High School to the 2009 Texas Class 5A state championship, is the 2008-09 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

Five girls and three boys teams will seek to defend their titles at the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships that begin Monday at the Lancaster National Soccer Center in Lancaster, Calif.

Beadling (Pennsylvania West), Brentwood Premier (Tennessee), Empire United (New York West), Minnesota Thunder Academy (Minnesota) and Seacoast (New Hampshire) were among the big winners at recent U.S. Youth Soccer state championships. For the results of the under-14 to under-19 boys and girls groups in Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York West, Ohio North, Pennsylvania West, Tennessee and Wisconsin …

The Minnesota Thunder Academy executive board removed Mark Abboud as the club’s technical director after he ordered the players on his under-12 Thunder East team to miss their penalty kicks on purpose so their opponents, the favored U-13 Thunder, could win, which happened.

Terry Fisher, whose soccer roots go back to the North American Soccer League, has been named the Washington State Youth Soccer Association’s executive director.

Two major Houston youth clubs — the Dallas Texans-Houston Division and Texas Soccer Club — are joining forces to field USSF Academy teams.

The USA won its group at the Concacaf Under-17 Championship in style to qualify for the 2009 Under-17 World Cup, but Coach Wilmer Cabrera isn’t content to work only with players from that team that he has in residency in Bradenton, Fla. Of the 40 players called into a training camp, beginning Sunday at the Players Development Academy in Somerset, N.J., are 14 players who have not been part of U.S. Soccer’s residency program. For the complete roster …

The Derby County Wolves — the Michigan Wolves’ academy program sponsored by English club Derby County — is ranked No. 1 in both the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Under-17/18 and Under-15/16 age groups. For the Top 10 rankings, based on points per game …

Albertson Soccer Club was the big winner of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase, the Memorial Day weekend event in Sarasota, Fla. The New York club was the only one of 73 Academy clubs taking part in the five-day event to win all six games, three each in the under-17/18 and under-15/16 age groups.

The Derby County Wolves (U-17/18) and Chicago Fire (U-15/16) remained No. 1 in their respective age groups in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s overall standings following play in the Spring Showcase at the Sarasota, Fla., Polo Club. The Wolves (25-2-1) won all three games, while  the Fire (16-2-4) won two games and tied the No. 6 New York Red Bulls, 0-0. For the Top 10 teams in each age group …

The defending U.S. Youth Soccer national champion NJSA Gunners 04, coached by Tab Ramos, fell to PDA Ronaldo, 1-0, in the final of the New Jersey State Cup under-15 boys competition. The YMS Xplosion revenged its loss to U.S. Youth Soccer National League champion YMS Xplosion in the Eastern Pennsylvania U-17 boys final. For the results of the New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia finals …