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Many of you may have read of the tragedy that recently took place in Col-legeville, Mont-gomery County. A 5 year old boy was taking a walk in a wooded area with his family when a

tree collapsed, fatally striking the boy. When we read of stories like this – we often say “that’s a shame” and move on with our lives. But these types of tragedies are far more impactful when they strike our own family, friends and commu-nities. Unfortunately, for all of us, that child was a member of our soccer community.

Two weeks ago, if you had been in Col-legeville, you may have been lucky enough to have seen a happy boy…probably in his favorite team (Liverpool) jersey… kicking a soccer ball with his dad and brother. His fa-ther, a longtime coach at a local high school, would have, I am sure, been showing him the basics of our game and simply enjoying the time with his sons. Those moments are now simply memories.

Obviously, my heart breaks for the family and the loss of their son. But the impact of this tragedy should help each of us in keeping life in perspective.

Far too often we “ride” our children to perform better and work harder. I see this all of the time on our soccer fields. I see children be-ing yelled at by coaches for failure to perform at the level expected. I have seen our children brought to tears, become angry and, even quit the game because their parents scream at them for not playing “hard enough”. I am sure that many of you have witnessed these types of incidents…and, worse, are guilty of acting this way (I am the first to admit that I have).

Years from now, no child will remember the “bad pass”, but you can be sure that they will remember how their coach or parent made them feel.

What is often forgotten is how precious our children are. Every child deserves our respect, patience and love. We should consider every moment with our children a gift and recognize how fleeting life is.

We need to keep life – and our children- in proper perspective…and the recent loss in Col-legeville has helped me do just that.

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Earlier this month, we awarded twenty of our brightest young stu-dent-athletes with the Union League Good Citizenship award. The award is presented to those

that demonstrate “exemplary qualities of cooperative effort, self-control, perseverance, serious scholarship and good sportsmanship.” I look forward to these youth players becom-ing positive influences on future youth and to continue being great examples to others.

There are only twenty awards to give out each year, but I know we have bounty of good citizens in our association. The vast majority of participants and spectators are exhibiting the values described above, especially self-control and good sportsmanship. Unfortu-nately, this isn’t always the case. Over the past

six months, our association has seen far too many incidents of a lack of good citizenship. Both our office and our leagues have received a number of reports of racism, referee abuse and unruly sidelines.

The participants on the field- our children and the referees, should not have to play in a hostile or intimidating environment. Abusive and hateful language has no place on our fields. It is more unfortunate that reports such language has come from play-ers, as well as coaches or spectators. All players, coaches and referees and spectators too, deserve to be treated with decency and respect. No deserves to be treated in a way that is “socially unacceptable,“ to quote US Soccer policy.

I encourage everyone to be at their best. On behalf of the over 130,000 children play-ing soccer in Eastern Pennsylvania, let’s be good examples for others. Let’s live up to the challenge of being good citizens.

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“LIFE IS MORE THAN JUST SOCCER,” SAID KYLE SMITH. A WEIRD STATEMENT TO COME FROM THE MOUTH

OF A YOUNG MAN WHOSE LIFE HAS BEEN SO CONSUMED BY THE SPORT. YOU QUICKLY REALIZE THAT KYLE IS NOT THE AVERAGE 18 YEAR OLD, HE IS A TRULY SPECIAL PERSON.

Kyle’s soccer story starts at age seven in the Ephrata youth soccer organization. He played two years in the recreational league before moving into travel soccer at age nine. As a 10 year old, he went on to play for FC Orange (now LDC United) where he still plays today.

Kyle also played for his middle and high school teams at Ephrata. His accomplishments during his senior year include being named team captain, a first team Lancaster-Lebanon all star, team co-MVP, and the recipient of the Haberman Shober Award (Community Service). This fall, he will

play soccer at Lycoming College.Kyle’s referee career began in

2008 at age 14 after watching his mother Tina and brother Brandon referee for almost two

years, “I thought it would be something I’d enjoy doing so I signed up for the class (as did his younger brother Alex two years later) and have enjoyed it ever since.”

After a few years of doing mostly local games, he was selected to attend some regional level tournaments. He worked the Regional ODP Tournament in June and the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships in July 2011. His admirable performance during the regional’s preliminary rounds earned him the whistle on one of the Under-12 finals.

In November, Kyle attended the Major Indoor Soccer League referees’ clinic and became, by almost a decade, the youngest uniformed official in the league (18 years 2 months) making his professional refereeing debut as the fourth official of the Baltimore Blast versus Missouri Comets game played December 16, 2011.

In November, he was nominated for the 2011 Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Young Referee of the Year. Two weeks later he received a phone call informing him that

he won that award, but was the also the Region I winner.

On February 16, 2012, Kyle and his mom flew to Boston, and at the awards gala received the US Youth Soccer Young Male Referee of the Year award. He became the first referee from Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer to win this prestigious award. This award is based on overall strong work ethic, knowledge of the rules of the game and service as positive role models in the community.

Academically, Kyle is an honor roll student and member of the Tri-M honor society, and has both hosted and participated in the German Exchange Program. He is a three-sport varsity athlete, was in the cast of “Cinderella” his junior year and has sung in his church choir the past four years. His community involvement is also very impressive. He is a member of Love, Inc, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), and the co-founder of the Alliance of Christian Sports Officials. Kyle’s biggest gift back to his community though is the time he spends volunteering for several of his elderly neighbors doing yard work, shoveling snow, painting, or whatever else is asked of him.

Kyle gives all the credit to his family for teaching him the right values in life. In 1999, when he was just six, his father John was diagnosed with a rare, terminal form of cancer. The lessons he learned during the 12 years his father lived after the diagnosis shaped Kyle into the person he has become today.

“A few of the greatest things my dad, and my mom, taught me are to never worry because God is in control, to live everyday to the fullest, to always put the other person’s well being before my own, to do my best in every aspect of my life, and to love like there is no tomorrow,” Kyle said.

1st MISL Game

Kyle, 3rd from the left

Kyle Smith

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THIS YEAR, THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SUPER-DRAFT HAD A NEW LOOK TO IT.

The SuperDraft was shortened from three rounds to two, leaving only 38 total picks. The first of those picks belonged to an unfamiliar face, the second Canadian expansion team to join Major League soccer in the last two years, the Montreal Impact. With the coveted first pick, the Impact chose Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer alumnus Andrew Wenger.

Wenger recently received the Hermann Tro-

phy as the nations best college soccer player, following his junior season at Duke University. Wenger was also voted as the ACC offensive player of the year after tallying 17 goals and eight assists.

“I loved my time at Duke,” Wenger said. “I would contend that it was the perfect overall environ-ment for me, between academics and athletics.”

Wenger started all 20 games for the Blue Dev-ils during his sophomore campaign, at center back. He was named the ACC defensive player of the year. One year earlier, as a freshman, Wenger started every game for Duke as a defender.

In high school, Wenger played a different position in each of his four seasons, helping lead Warwick HS to the Pennsylvania State Champi-onship as a freshman. Not surprisingly, Wenger is not sure what position he will play at the professional level.

Outside of collegiate soccer at Duke, Wenger has spent time with the U-17, U-20 and now U-23 US National Teams. He has also played in the USL Premier Development League for Pennsylvania’s Reading United and the Carolina Dynamo.

“After my freshman year it was nice to come

home, but also have some responsibilities in Reading with such a good environment,” said Wenger. “I mean I played with some fantastic players like C.J Sapong, who’s now with the men’s National Team.”

The stepping-stones for Wenger’s short, but successful career came in Lancaster with Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer.

“They gave me the foundation, and oppor-tunity to improve the level of competition that I was playing against as a youth,” Wenger said.

Wenger played his youth soccer for PA Clas-sics and remains involved with the club today.

“I’m good friends with Steve Klein and my brother still plays with them, so whenever I come back I make a point of seeing Steve and catching one of my brothers games,” said Wenger.

Wenger also stressed the importance of stay-ing in touch with his soccer roots in Pennsylvania.

Currently Wenger is working on com-pleting his final year at Duke. He plans to bounce back and forth between Durham and Montreal in the short term, and then complete his remaining four credits while playing for the Impact.

photo courtesy of Shane Keyser/The Kansas City Star, via Associated Press

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HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU, AS A COACH, TOLD YOUR TEAM “NEVER QUIT?’ HOW

MANY TIMES HAVE YOU TRIED TO INSPIRE THEM, ENCOURAGE THEM, AND TRY TO MAKE THEM PLAY HARDER, BY SIMPLY SAY-ING “NEVER QUIT?” HOW MANY TIMES HAS THAT MESSAGE FALLEN ON DEAF EARS?

I have been coaching for a while; I’m cur-rently a staff coach, ODP coach and instructor for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Coach-ing Schools. I am also a coach at Yardley-Makefield Soccer Club (YMS). I have gone through all the USSF courses and pride myself on being a student of the game.

I have interviewed many coaches, from the pro ranks to the collegiate level to the youth system, always looking for that inside informa-tion, to make me a better coach.

I asked Jose Luis Mendilibar (currently head coach at Osasuna, Spanish 1st divi-sion) what made him and his team success-ful, his answer, “intensity.”

I asked Perez Caminero (coaching director at Atletico Madrid, Spanish 1st division) the same question, he replied “determination and hunger.”

I asked Antonio Gomez (currently head coach at Albacete) what made his team different. “I don’t let them believe in fail-ure,” he said. “I demand going to war in training, so they can secure a spot in the lineup for the next game. Every session is war for them. I have them believing that failure is being complacent.”

And then, I asked Albert Prickett the same questions. He answered, “never quit.”

Prickett is currently a U14 boys coach at YMS, which has been very successful in the past few years. Last summer, Prickett was the head coach of the YMS Thunder U18 boys’ team that won the 2011 US Youth Soccer National Championship in Arizona. That team was hardly recognized as a power before win-ning the title.

Intrigued by his success, I interviewed Prick-ett recently for his coaching insight. I have known him for years and we see each other at the fields and in meetings. My own YMS team had played his team many times, but I did not know much about his coaching philosophy or his methods.

Prickett began coaching the U14 Thunder in 2007, taking them to the Eastern Pennsyl-vania State Cup finals. This is where his “Never Quit” philosophy was born. In 2008, the team was eliminated during regular competition in the Eastern PA State cup games. In 2009, the Thunder again advanced to the finals but didn’t take the title.

In 2010, during the semi-final game for the state cup, the team was down 3-0 at half time. Prickett was adamant about making his players them believe that this was the time to take the “Never Quit” philosophy to a different level, and they did. They scored four goals in 20 minutes to win the game 4-3. The next day the team played against Delco in the State Cup final. Trailing 2-1 with four minutes left, Prickett’s team won 3-2 in an unbelievable finish.

By 2011, the “Never Quit” credo is in full force. The team goal is to win the State com-petition, and do well at Regional competition. National aspirations were not on their radar (even though Prickett tells me he was con-vinced they were going to get to Nationals).

They certainly were not the favorites at the State Cup tournament and were underdogs at Region I. “Never Quit” was their motto and their destiny.

At the National Championships the team dealt with stress, duress, adversity, and temperatures over 100 degrees, which made this final chapter even sweeter for the team. Certainly no one picked them to win the tour-nament except Albert himself, his coaching staff, and of course his players.

Prickett told me he knew the moment he left his house to fly to Arizona that he believed

the team would come home with the trophy. One of the reasons he said this was because of the team’s draw. They would play last years’ National Champions last. Albert believed he could make it to the finals and beat Alpharet-ta. All they needed to was to prepare properly. I could see his passion when he was telling me his story, and could hear his words resonate with me. He was the inspiration to his team, he was the believer, he was the motivator and he was the “never quit” credo himself.

After winning the first game, they were in a very good position, to advance to the finals. The second game Prickett decided to sit a key player. Albert felt that this key player was not himself during the first game, and perhaps needed some rest, due to previous injury. He played him a considerable amount of time during this game and hoped that by sitting early on would ensure that if his skill was needed later he would be ready. The game ended in a tie.

The third game was against the defend-ing National Champions and interestingly enough both teams had the same results; a win and a tie. If this game would end in a tie, both teams would advance to the Finals. The game ended in a tie.

The key player again did not start on this game, but again had substantial playing time. This situation did not sit well with the father of the player, who decided to take his son home the day before the final game. Adversity again was knocking on the door. The final game was against the defending National Champs again, and this time play-ing for a tie was not good enough. A win was to be the decisive factor.

I asked Prickett about his pre-game speech. “I told them that they earned the right to be there, nobody gave them credit, and no one thought they should be there, but they earned the right to be there. This motivated the whole team. They simply went out there and believed it was their destiny.”

He told me that the players were calm, and so was he. His halftime talk, “stay focused, don’t quit regardless of the score or adversity, keep believing, you have earned the right to be here and never quit.”

They won the game with a few minutes remaining in the match.

Coach Albert Prickett

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THE CHARISMATIC AND ENGAGING JURGEN KLINSMAN SEEMS TO HAVE A GOOD SENSE

OF THE PULSE OF YOUTH SOCCER IN THE UNITED STATES. HE RECOGNIZED IN HIS PRESENTATION AT THE UNITED STATES YOUTH SOCCER WORKSHOP IN BOSTON THAT THERE ARE VARIOUS PATHWAYS TO SOCCER SUCCESS, AND ALL PATHWAYS SHOULD BE EXAMINED WHEN SEARCHING OUT TOP PLAYERS.

In my opinion, players and their families should be aware and make decisions that are best for their child and not rely on false promises of some clubs and their coaches. Sports should be fun, and for the elite players, provide an opportunity to possibly participate in college, receive some form of financial aid, and prepare these players for quality jobs upon graduation. Klinsman also acknowledged the fact that soccer or any sport can fulfill educational goals in the United States, which is not the case in Germany.

He explained that in Germany local sports clubs charge a small membership fee and the sport is very inexpensive. Anyone can play and Klinsman through his club, selection teams, state and regional recognition, and through youth national teams was able to meet his amazing goals. Can US Soccer along with the MLS and future women’s professional

clubs come up with clear ideas and directions that will provide the same opportunities to all children in the future?

THE EXCLUSIVENESS OF YOUTH SOCCER IN THE UNITED STATES

It felt uncomfortable for me to see at our Workshop and 40th Anniversary Gala a lack of diversity. The number of minority players within our Olympic Development Program is also down and I can’t help but draw some inferences, as to why this peculiarity seems to be occurring at an alarming rate.

In the 80’s and early 90’s it was common for a player’s father coach. Many did not play the game but would struggle through coaching courses to provide some form of quality training. Even elite coaches with college playing experience and national licenses were sensitive to the costs to play the game. There was also a willingness of some parents and coaches to cover the costs of players who could not afford to play. Travel to games or tournaments was never an issue because team parents would bring in players who struggled with costs into their homes for the weekend.

The paradigm has shifted dramatically in the past ten years. High priced coaches and a “pay to play” structure within top clubs from U6 to U17 has eliminated the young player who may not have the means to cover costs. With youth soccer appealing to middle to upper-income clientele, parents with money simply hire high paid coaches to take on the role that parents once embraced. This change has also brought on an influx of foreign coaches seeking out the fiscal opportunities that are aligned with youth soccer. Though many of the foreign coaches have contributed to the game and its growth in this country, others see youth soccer as an opportunity to make a great living.

Some parents who have the money to pay the exorbitant costs of high priced clubs, individual trainers and numerous tournaments are not willing to take the

role of helping less fortunate players, if it means their child may lose playing time. I admire the parents who see the disparity and still take time out of their busy schedules to coach, manage and provide transportation to not only their own children but for any child who needs their assistance.

There are numerous players, because of fees and travel, who never get the chance to highlight their talents for even club coaches. Athletes within the inner cities are rarely exposed to soccer or realize the opportunities playing soccer may provide. I can’t help but think if US Soccer were to use the money from NIKE that was provided to US Soccer’s Developmental Academies, the playing field would become even for all children and NIKE would create a public relations gold mine. Imagine within the inner cities futsal courts next to the basketball courts of recreation centers and parks. I can picture Jurgen Klinsman smiling and feeling content at the future of United States soccer, if such a scenario would develop.

Raising the number of participants playing and the level of play of the average player will make our elite players better and increase the fan support for soccer in the future. If the current trend of eliminating players due to cost or age continues, it may erode at the strong following US Soccer has achieved over the past ten years.

INADVERTENTLY OR INTENTIONALLY SHAPING THE FUTURE

A recent “60 Minutes” episode dealt with “Red Shirt Kindergartners.” This phenomenon is occurring more frequently with white, affluent, male children born between July and December, whose parents decide to delay entrance to kindergarten for a year. In his best seller Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell expressed his belief that there is a very real advantage to holding your children back.

This has major implications for the economically disadvantaged children,

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whose parents have no choice but to send their children to kindergarten because of the high cost of day care and pre-school. Imagine the consequences if this trend continues, since economically disadvantaged children are already at risk due to poverty. Now these children are faced with even more obstacles as they compete with children 12 to 15 months older. As the curriculum becomes more challenging to reflect the maturity of the older children, it will become developmentally inappropriate for the younger children kindergarten was meant to serve.

In interviews with parents who decided to hold back their child, many felt it would make their child more confident in the classroom, establish leadership skills and of course provide them with an advantage athletically.

Could there be a link between the red-shirt kindergarten students and youth soccer? Imagine that day your four year old child born in July, is teamed with children born 10 to 12 months earlier for their first practice session. You look at the size of your child, his immaturity compared to the older children and you ask yourself; how can they compete and will they ever get a fair chance? The answer regrettably is probably not. Unless club administrators and coaches recognize the enormous advantage children born the first six months of the soccer calendar year have, these children will be faced with inadequate training, lowered expectations and an uphill battle making travel teams. In an early study of elite nine and 10 year old youth soccer teams almost 70 percent of these top players were born in the first half of the year (Barnsley and Thomas 1988). The evidence for the effect of birth age and success is overwhelming in professional soccer also. Sixty per cent of professional players in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Australia, Brazil, France, Netherlands, Germany, and Japan are more likely to have birthdays in the first half of the year (Musch and Grondin 2001).

Clubs, in order to compete at all levels begin to identify children for travel as young as seven. They are unintentionally eliminating players who could have a bright future but due to stature, strength, speed and understanding due to their birth month never get the opportunity. Imagine the ramifications of telling a child at seven years old you are not good enough to stay with your classroom peers. That should be a reason enough to eliminate all travel until at least ten years old. If there was a large enough outcry from clubs within each state, quite possibly the travel age factor would be addressed.

In order to eliminate the consequences of selection based on age, clubs should attempt to do the following in my opinion:

1. No travel soccer until at least 10.2. Players of one age train together

in a large pool in order to get the same quality of training.

3. No cuts at travel until U12, keep as many travel teams as needed. Mix players on each team by use of a club pass.

4. Examine birth dates of children and plan accordingly.

5. If a player is technically and physically ready to play up put him or her in training sessions initially with the older age players but keep him or her with their age until he or she develops a sense of comfort to compete. This is being done effectively in some progressive school districts as children remain with their peers but take accelerated classes with students of their ability.

6. The master coach or highest level coach in each age group trains all players and not just the elite.

7. Clearly explain to parents the intentions of your club in initiating the directives you determine to be beneficial for all children.

8. Set aside one night each week to allow children of various ages to play small sided games by themselves. Adults will only have roles as onlookers away from the games to assure any risk management issues are handled accordingly.

I recognize some clubs in Eastern Pennsylvania have begun to really emphasize development and opportunity for all children and I applaud their efforts.

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IT WAS A FULL WEEKEND OF CELEBRATION, EDUCATION AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

YOUTH SOCCER, AS THEY HOSTED THE 2012 EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER WORKSHOP IN DOWNINGTOWN ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON, AND THE ASSOCIATION’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AND AWARDS GALA IN PHILADELPHIA SATURDAY NIGHT.

The 40th Anniversary celebration, held Saturday night at the Crowne Plaza Phila-delphia Downtown, attracted over 300 people, and featured a rousing keynote presentation by former Philadelphia Flyers great Bill Clement, who was a youth soccer coach in Bucks County for several years. Clement, a two-time Stanley Cup Champi-on and critically acclaimed author, speaker, actor, entrepreneur and broadcaster, de-livered remarks about developing leaders and autographed copies of his new book, “Everyday Leadership: Crossing Gorges on Tightropes of Success.”

Lou Tilley, freelance anchor, reporter and producer in multi-media, set the stage for the night as the master of cer-emonies.

Among the awards presented Saturday night were 20 Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer players who received the Union League of Philadelphia’s Good Citizenship Award. The recipients included: Ricky Blair (Garnet Valley SC); Christopher Burg (Montgomery United SC); Ian Callahan (Marple Newtown SA); Marianela Cardelle (Keystone Athletic AC); Patrick Casey (West Chester United SC); Gabriel Dwyer (United German Hungarian SC); Michael Epright (Nether Providence AA); Sara Erwin (Garnet Valley SC); Scott Geyer (Reading Rage SC); Michael Hanamirian (FC Bucks SC); Matthew Kleinhenz (Lehigh Valley United SC); Drew Maillet (Nether Providence AA); Amanda Nicholas (Council Rock United SA); Kailin Ojert (FC Bucks SC); Paige Phillips (FC Delco Academy); Josh Robbins (Colonial SC); David Ruffini (Nether Providence AA); Broderick Schofield (Lower Merion SC); Katherine Streitwieser (Cheltenham United SC); and Laura Ziemer (Garnet Valley SC).

Kyle Smith (LDC United) and Hallie Berg-er (Spirit United SC) received the “Young Referees of the Year” awards.

Vince Huff (Wilson/Reading Berks) was named the TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year.

Bobby Ali was named Volunteer of the Year for his work in Southwest Philadelphia with recent Liberian refugees through Junior Lone Star FC.

Diana Urbanski (Penn Fusion SC) was named Administrator of the Year.

Bud Amentt was named 2011 Recreation

Boys Coach of the Year while Bob Karpo-vich earned the Recreation Girls Coach of the Year award. Albert Prickett won the 2011 Competitive Boys Coach of the Year and John Madeira received the Competi-tive Girls Coach of the Year nod.

Long-time area soccer coaches John Fel-lenbaum (Franklin & Marshall, J. P. McCas-key High School) and Randy Garber (Penn State, Lower Moreland H.S., Abington Senior H.S.) were the first two recipients of the new Excellence in Coaching awards.

Upper Moreland Soccer Club was presented with the prestigious D’Anjolell Award, while Jim Kuntz (Hempfield Soccer Club/Lancaster County) received the Ser-vice to Youth Award.

This evening, we come together to recog-nize the 40 years of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer as well as our award winners for their vision, leadership and commitment,” said Chris Branscome, Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. “These are the most accomplished and individuals and clubs from across Eastern Pennsylvania dedicated to ac-celerating player development and leadership in their clubs, leagues and communities.”

Bob McDade and Jim Kuntz Bobby Ali and Mike Barr

Keynote Speaker, Bill Clement Barbara Karpovich and Jeff Sommer

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U9 Girls Challenge Champions- Montgomery Shamrocks

U9 Girls Premier Champion- FC Revolution Rowdies

U9 Boys Challenge Indoor Cup Champions - Lehigh Valley United

U9 Boys Premier Indoor Cup Champions - Wyoming Valley

U10 Girls Challenge Champions- Ukrainian Nationals Blasters Red

U10 Girls Premier Champions- HMMS Spirit

U10 Boys Challenge Blue Champions- TEYSA Magpies

U10 Boys Challenge White Champions- Lower Southampton Arsenal Gunners

U10 Boys Premier Champions- North Union

U11 Girls Challenge White Champions- Souderton Area SA Stingers

U11 Girls Indoor Cup Challenge Blue Champions - Towamencin Tigers

U11 Girls Premier Champions- FC Revolution Storm

U11 Boys Challenge Champions Warrington Union

U11 Boys Premier Champions Lower Merion SC Sabortoothed Rats

U12 Girls Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - West End Lions

U12 GIrls Premier Champions FC Revolution Furt

U12 Boys Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - U12Boyertown Red Lions

U12 Boys Premier Champions Danubia SC Celtic Elite

U13 Girls Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - Wyoming Valley

U13 Girls Indoor Cup Premier Champions - Parkland Pride

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U13 Boys Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - U13Boyertown United

U13 Boys Indoor Cup Premier Champions - FC Europa X-Treme Crunch

U14 Girls Premier Champions FC Revolution

U14 Boys Challenge Champions Upper 90 Training

U14 Boys Premier Champions Lower Merion Magic

U15 Girls Challenge Indoor Cup Champion - Wyoming Valley

U15 Girls Premier Champion - U15Cantolao FC Dolphins

U15 Boys Challenge Indoor Cup Champions - Towamencin Topguns

U15 Boys Premier Indoor Cup Champion - Lower Merion Lightning

U16 Premier Champs - HMMS Eagle Force

U16 Premier Champs - Upper Dublin Force

U16 Boys Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - Quakertown Cougars

U17 Girls Indoor Cup Challenge Co-Champion - Lower Merion SC Charge

U17 Girls Indoor Cup Premier Champion - MonU Black Storm

U17 Indoor Cup Challenge Co-Champion - Northern Lebanon Strikers FC

U17 Boys Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - U17Chambersburg Youth SA Sharks

U17 Boys Indoor Cup Premier Champions - Lehigh Valley United Black

U19 Girls Indoor Cup Premier Champions - FC Revolution Dynamo

U19 Boys Indoor Cup Challenge Champions - PA Rush Swoosh ‘93

U19 Boys Indoor Cup Premier Champions - MonU ‘93

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AT THIS YEAR’S YOUTH SOCCER WORKSHOP WE HAD A BREAKOUT SESSION ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE

SOCCER COMMUNITY. During this session we discussed many

of the reasons why it’s important for your club to have a presence on these social media channels and the benefits of doing so after your community is established. Over 70% of our clubs in the Eastern Penn area now have presence on channels like Facebook and Twitter and their channels continuously are growing on a monthly basis. We now reach over 10,000 people in the Eastern Penn soccer area through

our individual club channels and social media outlets.

The benefits of having presence on channels like Facebook and Twitter al-lows your club to reach members when registration begins, alert them of field closures, give them information on upcoming fundraising opportunities and overall speak soccer with them. How are you spreading the messaging about your club news and information?

Social media channels continue to adapt to change. Twitter is adding more branding and advertising opportunities for businesses, Pinterest is really gaining traction among the female audiences and is now a top 5 social network for that target and Facebook continues to adapt to change and introduced the timeline feature to business pages. In this next portion we wanted to discuss Pinterest and Google+ with you and if they are something for your club to gain presence on. Pinterest is a newer social media net-work that allows you to create a pinboard online and pin up your best visual content around your likes, hobbies and interests. Currently Pinterest is being dominated

by the female audience however it is a great way for your soccer club to share interesting photos and visual content around happenings this soccer season. Google+ is Google’s third attempt at a social network and many are migrating over. Google+ allows for you to create circles and hangouts within your Google+ page. Google+ as we are currently seeing is mainly being used by the tech savvy audience and has not been fully adopted by the general public yet. We would recommend your club to set up a Pinter-est page and add that to your portfolio of social networks with Facebook and Twit-ter. For Google+ we would recommend you secure your club’s name through their custom URL process on a third party but not make it a main focus yet.

We hope that you enjoyed this edition of the social corner. In the next edition of touchlines look for the social corner and updates from the social media world. If you have any social media questions or concerns after reading this article please feel free to contact Brandon Rost at [email protected]. [email protected].

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US YOUTH SOCCER NATIONAL LEAGUE, ENTERING INTO ITS FIFTH SEASON, IS

FOR TOP UNDER-15 THROUGH UNDER-18 BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB SOCCER TEAMS, WITH EACH TEAM HAVING AN INDIVIDUAL PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF CONTINUED SUCCESS IN US YOUTH SOCCER PROGRAMS.

In 2011-2012, the 120 teams chosen to compete in the league represent 32 of the 55 US

Youth Soccer State Associations, including five teams from Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer: U-15 Boys Lehigh Valley United 96, U-16 Boys Lehigh Valley United 95, U-18 Boys Penn Fusion Celtic, U-18 Boys PSC Coppa 93 and U-18 Girls FC Penn Strikers.

In 2010-2011, 22 of a possible 36 slots in the US Youth Soccer National Championships were taken by National League teams; twelve teams earned automatic berths via winning their National League division while another

10 teams won their respective US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. During the 2011 National Championships, National League teams took eight of a possible 12 spots in the championship games, with three being named national champions.

“The US Youth Soccer National League continues to prove it is the nation’s most elite competition as each team must prove itself to gain entry into the league, regardless of home-town or club affiliation,” said Paul Luchowski, National League commissioner. “Our consis-tently high level of play challenges teams to raise their level of play to compete for a top

spot in the National League standings.”The National League is an extension of the

highly successful US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues [US Youth Soccer Region I (East) Premier League, Midwest Regional League, Region III (South) Premier League and Far West Regional League] in which the top teams are eligible to continue the path of success into the National League where the ultimate prize is qualifying for the prestigious US Youth Soccer National Championships.

The first place team from division age groups Under-15 through Under-17 will earn a spot to the 2012 US Youth Soccer National Champion-ships along with the four US Youth Soccer Re-gional Champions. Since its inception, National League teams have captured a combined 13 national championships.

As is the case with the US Youth Soccer Na-tional Championship Series events and the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program, the National League creates another significant opportunity for the nation’s collegiate, profes-sional and national team staffs to see players in an environment of meaningful play.

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G CERTIFICATESwarthmore SC @ Swarthmore CollegeMay 19, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Kingston YSA @ Kingston Recreation CentreJul. 21, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM F CERTIFICATESwarthmore SC @ Swarthmore CollegeMay 20, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Kingston YSA @ Kingston Recreation CentreJul. 21, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM E LICENSEQuakertown Soccer Club @ Quakertown Soccer Club, QuakertownMay 18, 6:30pm-9:30pmMay 19, 9am-5pmMay 20, 9am-5pm

Pottsgrove SC @ Gerald Richards Field, PottsgroveMay 31, 6:00pm-9:00pmJune 1, 6:00pm-9:00pmJune 2 & 3, 9am-4pm

ENCO United Soccer Club @ Eagles F.O.E Site, Forks TownshipJune 8, 6:00pm-9:00pmJune 9, 9:00am-5:00pmJune 10, 9:00am-5:00pm

RBJSL @ Body Zone, WyomissingJuly 20, 2012 6:00 PM - 9:00 PMJuly 21, 2012 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMJuly 22, 2012 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

D LICENSERBJSL @ Body Zone, WyomissingJuly 27, 2012 6:00 PM - 9:00 PMJuly 28, 2012 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMJuly 29, 2012 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMAug. 3, 2012 6:00 PM - 9:00 PMAug 4, 2012 9:00 AM - 5:00 PMAug 5, 2012 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM C LICENSEDYSA @ Kirwood, DEAugust 2 through 5August 9 through 12

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-81(��2 June Cup Begins Play 8-10 U12 ODP Tournament in Wilson, North Carolina8-10 ODP Region I Tournament U13 thru U1717 Father’s Day17 June Cup NSC Finals28-Jul 3 US Youth Soccer Region I Championships in Lancaster, PA

FIVE-YEAR-OLD DRIVES TRUCK THROUGH BUILDING

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RUBEN AMARO JR. HAS MANY FOND MEMORIES OF GROWING UP IN NORTHEAST

PHILADELPHIA, BUT PERHAPS WHAT HE REMEMBERS MOST IS A DREAM OF MANY PHILADELPHIANS, A DREAM OF WORKING WITH THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES.

Ruben grew up in a baseball family. His father, Ruben Amaro Sr., played Major

League Baseball for 11 years as an outfielder. He had a five-year stint with the Phillies end-ing in 1965, the year Ruben was born.

His grandfather, Santos Amaro, is a legend in the baseball Mexican League. He played 17 seasons in Mexico, earning the nickname El Canguro (the kangaroo) because of his im-mense athletic ability.

“You know, it’s funny when you grow up in a baseball family you don’t really think all that differently,” said Amaro. “I guess people might treat you a little bit differently because you have a quote, unquote celebrity dad, but we didn’t really think of it like that.”

Amaro Sr. worked in the Phillies front office for most of Ruben’s childhood.

“My biggest memories of my dad were working with him in the Phillies front office,” said the younger Amaro. “He was Assistant Farm Director and the Latin American Coor-dinator, and that’s really what I remember

most about my childhood. Getting into sports after that was just the natural order of progression.”

That progression wasn’t as natural as most would assume. Ruben’s father was a major leaguer. His grandfather was a Mexican base-ball legend. So, it would be natural for Amaro Jr. to immediately fall for the sport. But as a child, Ruben’s first love was soccer.

“I was in Franklin Friends School, I was on a play date, or whatever they called it back then, and a friend of mine took me to his practice one Saturday afternoon,” said Amaro. “I was watching and they asked me if I wanted to join.”

Amaro practiced and scrimmaged with the boys and after scoring “four or five goals” was asked to join the team.

“I played kickball in grade school, so I figured I could kick the ball a little bit,” said Ruben.

He played his club soccer for Gibbon’s Po-lice Athletic League, and later would play for Penn Charter High School. He played varsity at the end of his freshman year and went on to be a starter in his remaining seasons at Penn Charter.

“I was a striker, I started off on the left wing when I was younger, but then I became a striker for a few years,” Ruben recalled. “By the time I left Penn Charter I had the record for goals scored and then it got blown apart by a couple guys who ended up playing profes-sional soccer but my claim to fame, my senior year I was the MVP of the InterAc and then I guess I was named honorable mention All-American or something.”

It was in high school that Ruben’s inter-est started to gravitate towards baseball. His father was now a coach for the Phillies, and Ruben spent a lot of his time around the club.

“Soccer was my first love and baseball was something that, as an older athlete, I started to get into more,” said Ruben. “It was prob-ably after my junior year of high school that I started putting my eggs in the baseball basket.”

Ruben spoke with a few colleges about playing both sports, but eventually decided to play baseball at Stanford University.

“I used to watch the men and the women’s soccer teams practice a lot, because their field

was literally over our left field fence,” Ruben said. “I used to think it would be pretty cool to kick the ball around, but I really didn’t play very much at all until this year.”

Ruben would go on to play eight seasons in Major League Baseball, drafted by the Angels in 1987. He made his MLB debut with the Angels in 1991, then was traded to the Phillies for five seasons, and played briefly for the Cleveland Indians before retiring with the Phillies in 1998.

“Who knows what kind of soccer player I would have been,” he said, “Now I live my life vicariously through my kids, my soccer life anyhow.”

Ruben is the General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, but first and foremost, he is a father to his two daughters, 13-year-old Andrea and nine-year-old Sophia.

His daughters played softball when they were younger, but both girls couldn’t resist pointing out how slow the sport was com-pared to soccer.

“I just think it’s a fantastic sport for our kids, I mean, it keeps them in shape, they make some great friends,” said Ruben. “There are just a lot of plusses associated with it.”

As his daughters grow more interested in soccer, Ruben finds himself landing on soccer matches from overseas more and more when flicking through the channels late at night. He and his daughters recently met David Beck-ham at a Phillies playoff game.

“It was the game that Halladay threw the no-hitter against Cincinnati. The Galaxy were here, I think they were playing over at the Linc,” said Ruben. “He had to leave the game for a meeting, and he came back and said ‘listen I can’t do this meeting I have to watch this game’.”

The girls also met Mia Hamm when she was in town with her husband Nomar Garciaparra, a former Major Leaguer.

“I’ve lived the life where the dad is not all that present all the time,” said Ruben. “My dad traveled a lot when he was the Latin American Coordinator. I know it’s really important to spend time with my daughters and in some ways I work my schedule around my kids’ weekends, be-cause pretty much every weekend is filled up with soccer games.”

Ruben Amaro Jr.

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THE PHILADELPHIA UNION JUNIOR SUPPORTERS CLUB OFFERS YOUNG FANS AN

EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE TEAM.

At 127 members strong, kids from ages 2 to 14 years old have taken advantage of this opportunity. The Junior Supporters Club offers two membership packages, the Blue kit at $20 and the Gold kit at $35.

Junior Supporters can also participate in an enhanced game day experience.

Every member is invited to the Junior Supporters night at PPL Park, where they have a parade on the field before the game starts. At each game JSC members have the opportunity to check in and have their membership card stamped. The first five supporters to check in at each game get to watch player warm-ups from the field. The first member to check in as a member at the DOOP level (highest level of membership) gets to go on the field for a post-game meet and greet.

The Union is proud to support a family feel at all games and amongst their fans.

The Junior Supporters are an extension of that camaraderie and help get their fans DOOPing as early as possible.

3+,/$'(/3+,$�81,21�-81,25�6833257(56�&/8%

SPIRIT PACKAGE ($25)

Membership cardAutographed player card

Union magnetUnion bumper sticker

Union folderUnion pencil

Union cup

RATTLESNAKE PACKAGE ($45)

Union T-shirtUnion rally towel

Autographed pennantUnion mini-scarf

DOOP PACKAGE ($100)

Replica jerseyMini-ball

Post-game player meet-and-greetVoucher to attend and open practice

Behind-the-scenes pre-game tour of PPL Park

�� !$ ��%!��$�&!'$ �� &%Join us for the

2nd Annual Michael Festa Memorial

Summer Classic

JUNE 16 & 17 Th e boys play Saturday 6/16 and the girls play Sunday, 6/17

Some local teams may be asked to begin on Friday, June 15th. All teams are guaranteed at least 3 games.

U-8 thru U-12 (8v8) is $350.00, for U-12 thru U-18 (11v11) is $400.00 and Adult teams is $450.

All games played in and around Langhorne, PA

Th e tournament is approved by the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association played in accordance with FIFA rules. Travel permits will be required for all out-of-state teams. Only club teams will be permitted. No tournament teams will be allowed. GUEST players must be evidenced by proper documentation. Th ree guest players per team is the maximum allowed. Valid player passes must be shown at time of registration for all players.

Register at www.tournament.langhornesoccer.org

Join us for the 16th Annual Girls’

Fall Select Tournament

NOV. 17 & 18 Th is is a two day tournament and some local teams may be

asked to begin on Friday, November 18th. All teams are guaranteed at least 3 games.

U-8 thru U-12 (8v8) is $250.00, and for U-12 thru U-19 (11v11) is $275.00

All games played in and around Langhorne, PA

Th e tournament is approved by the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association played in accordance with FIFA rules. No travel teams or travel players will be allowed. A team found to have a carded travel player will forfeit the tournament and their registration fees.

Save the Date! Registration will open in October.

www.tournament.langhornesoccer.org

Hey, Kids!(And adults, too!)Hey, Kids!(And adults, too!)

Want to appear in an upcoming issue of Touchline?

There is an exciting new feature in the magazine where Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer players, coaches and parents get an

opportunity to be seen and heard by the rest of our readers.

And perhaps you have said to yourself, “I want to be in Touchline Magazine!”

Well, now is your chance! If you would like to be considered to appear in an upcoming issue, simply answer the 11 Questions that appear on our website and fill in the bio information, and

email it back to [email protected]. Most importantly, you need to send a photo of yourself with the email, the higher quality, the better. If there is not a photo, then we can’t use your entry in the magazine. Entering is also not a guarantee of getting published.

We wish you good luck, and who knows? Perhaps when you

open the next issue of Touchline Magazine, you will find yourself staring back at you!

To register go to: http://www.epysa.org/touchline_profiles.aspx

Coaching Education Update

Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer is pleased to announce a three-year education partnership with

Maryland Youth Soccer (MSYSA) and Delaware Youth Soccer (DYSA). This Partnership allows all three states to work together and guarantee a National C License and a National Youth License will take place every year within

the three states for the next 3 years.

PROPOSED SCHEDULE IS AS FOLLOWS:2012 National C License, Delaware Youth Soccer National Youth License, Maryland Youth Soccer

2013 National C License, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer National Youth License, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer

2014 National C License, Maryland Youth Soccer National Youth License, Delaware Youth Soccer

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AUDREY FIEDLER

Age: 9

Team Name: Hornets

Organization/Club: GCVSA

What position do you play or what do you do on

your team? Striker/Forward

What is your nickname? Aud

Who is your role model? Why?

My Sister Reilly because she is smart, athletic and nice. She

looks out for me. My coach, Jill- she makes us all feel important.

What is your favorite soccer team?

Philadelphia Union

What is your favorite movie?

Beastly

What is your favorite song?

Domino by Jessie J

What is your favorite book?

You Wish

What is your favorite food?

Alaskan King Crab Legs

What is your favorite sport outside of soccer?

Basketball

What is your pet peeve (what thing makes you

mad or drives you crazy)? When People Lie

If you could go anywhere in the world, where

would you go and why? Back to Jamaica! The beaches

and ocean are GREAT!

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A Singer and soccer player of course!

CHRISTIAN D. VALEN

Age: 12

Team Name: ODP 1999 & HMMS Eagle FC

Organization/Club: ODP & HMMS


your team?Striker/Attacking Midfielder

What is your nickname?Christiano


My father definitely! He is my best friend and my #1 fan.


Barcelona (Real Madrid very close second)

What is your

favorite movie?Gladiator

What is your

favorite song?Monster (by Skillet)


The Hunger Games (by Suzanne Collins)

What is your

favorite food?Sushi, sushi, sushi!

What is your favorite

sport outside of soccer?Lacrosse


mad or drives you crazy)?Bullying

If you could go anywhere

in the world, where would you go and why?Japan. I think the culture is

fascinating (also to eat sushi).


Business Tycoon/Politician. I will use the wealth and influence to help people, especially children,

around the world.

JACOB RAWSON

Age: 9

Team Name: Eagles

Organization/Club: Exeter Eagles


your team?Wing and Fullback – like to score

What is your nickname?FOOT


LAMPARD – he is a good soccer player


Chelsea


Benchwarmers


Holiday


Junie B Jones


Rice


Baseball


mad or drives you crazy)?Losing my IPOD


would you go and why?Hawaii – awesome beaches

and waves


Police man

JUSTIN TIMONTE

Age: 10

Team Name: WVSC U11boys

Organization/Club: Wyoming Valley Soccer Club &

ODP 00’s


your team? Defender and Left Midfielder

What is your nickname? JT


Abraham Lincoln, he was not afraid to stand up for what he

believed in.

What is your favorite soccer team? FC Barcelona


Real Steel


Crazy Frog


Sing Down the Moon


Mom’s Salisbury Steak!


Gymnastics


mad or drives you crazy)? When people bully other

people


would you go and why? I would like to go to Italy to see Mount Vesuvius and the ruins

of Pompeii; then off to Spain to see FC Barcelona defeat Real

Madrid.


I would like to be a Professional Soccer Player or Major in

Civil Engineering at Lehigh University.

MAX BROWN

Age: 10

Team Name: SUSC U15 Barca

Organization/Club:Hunter


your team? Forward

What is your nickname? Brownie


Wayne Rooney because he is a great forward.


Manchester United


Home Alone 1, always go original.


We Are Young by Fun


A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket


Pizza


Baseball


mad or drives you crazy)?When a ref makes a bad call!


would you go and why?England to watch Man U play a

big name team


Soccer player for a major team

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ORGANIZATION• 3 cones in a line (10yds apart), 4 play-ers – 2 players on the end cones, with one ball per two players

SEQUENCE & PROGRESSION• One player from each end dribbles their ball to the centre cone and per-forms the turn assigned by the coach – (performed by the foot indicated by the coach also) they then dribble the ball back to the end they came from and pass the ball to the player wait who then performs the task this continues for about a 1min or 1.5 min. They then change the turn again indicated by the coach

• Examples of turns; Pull-back, inside cut, outside cut, Beckenbauer, Cruyff… (look on youtube for other turns and ideas – Or ask your team to develop their own)

COACHING POINTS• Use different parts of the foot• Change of speed when changing direction• Correct application of the move• Low center of gravity

ORGANIZATION• Mark out a circle 30 yard in diameter with a smaller 5yard in diameter circle in the centre• Four players in the middle, rest of the team spaced out around the circle; half the team has a ball.

SEQUENCE & PROGRESSION• For a timed period (60 second – 90 seconds) the centre player must receive the ball from a outside server. They must receive the ball and complete at least 4 touches before passing to the outside severs. For 1 point they can go back to the player that passed them the ball, for two points they can go to another free player on the outside.

They then must check through the small circle and look for the next pass, continue until time has elapsed. • Keep their scores and either add them as a team or keep them as individuals• Switch the players with servers on the outside

COACHING POINTS• Use different parts of the foot, ball stays on the ground (doesn’t pop up)• Look over shoulder before the pass is made, to be aware of space• Confidence to try moves• Low center of gravity• Look for the space to drive into• Speeding up and slowing down

ORGANIZATION• Mark out a circle 30 yard in diameter with a smaller two 5yard in diameter in the center• Four players in the middle, two de-fenders, two attackers (assign man to man marking rolls), rest of the team spaced out around the circle, half the team has a ball.

SEQUENCE & PROGRESSION• For a timed period (60 second – 90 sec-onds) the attacker must receive the ball from the outside and must touch the ball at least 4 times then pass to the outside server. For 1 point they can go back to the

player that passed them the ball, for two points they can go to another free player on the outside. They then must check through the small circle and look for the next pass etc.. If the defender steels the ball they must pass it to the outside (they remain the defender for the allotted time) • Switch the players with the defend-ers and servers on the outside

COACHING POINTS• Use different parts of the foot to receive, ball must not bounce• Head up to look for space behind them before and during the pass• Look for the space to drive into• Speeding up and slowing down

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touchline spring 2012

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