The following players have been selected to represent NorCal Premier PDP in the annual game against the JFA academy on Thursday February 14th.

Alternates

The State Cup division draw has now been completed for the U14-U19 Boys and Girls age groups. Draw results can be found below. Schedules will be posted in GotSoccer next week.

KNOCKOUT PHASE DRAW RESULTS

DRAW VIDEOS

Teams were placed in divisions and pots based on Group Stage results.

For more information about the draw process use the link below.

DRAW PROCESS

After some delays in scheduling, the U10 State Cup State divisions finally crowned their champions this past weekend in Manteca as a pair of finals went down to the last minute in what was an excellent way to cap off a competitive competition.

Blues FC (girls) and Ajax Academy (boys) each ended State Cup on top, earning their teams eternal glory and leaving a lasting memory that each player on the team won’t soon forget.

Blues FC 2 – Mustang SC 1

Tied 0-0 at the half, it was a strong team effort from Blues FC that led to the Sacramento-area squad edging Mustang SC in the final. Strong defensive play all weekend led them to this point where they were able to strike with two opportunistic goals in the second half to make sure that they wouldn’t repeat their fate from last year when they lost in the final in a double overtime heartbreaker.

Ajax Academy 0 – De Anza Force 0 (Ajax win on kicks from the mark)

Kicks from the mark can be exciting, but some argue that they’re a poor way to decide a game. Still, when two tough teams like Ajax Academy and De Anza Force play a level game through regular and overtime, a winner has to be decided. Unfortunately for Force, it was Ajax who came out on top, lifting the trophy to end a stellar campaign that saw them become one of the best sides in the state at any level.

Congrats to all the participating teams. For a link to the rest of the division winners, click here. For the U9 winners, click here.

LIGA Premier – Spring League  (Adult Open Division)

With 12 new clubs coming into the fold, NorCal Premier Soccer is pleased to announce the latest round of expansion of entities into Northern California’s top youth soccer organization.

Joining NorCal Premier are Ajax East Bay, Alliance Soccer Academy, Audax Soccer Club, FC Corning, Pacifica United, Ravenswood Junior SC, Rayados Yuba City FC, Revolution SC, FC Royale, Rush Soccer Peninsula, Santos FC, and Sonoma County Premier.

“We are very excited to invite the new clubs into NorCal Premier Soccer for 2019,” said NorCal Premier Soccer President Benjamin Ziemer. “Over the years, our new club acceptance process has evolved into a vigorous review which sees about 50 percent of the applicants not accepted.

“Prior to acceptance, these clubs enter into an extensive application process which includes a peer review, a club visit by a NorCal Premier soccer core staff member, interviews with their key leadership team — both on and off the field, and finally a presentation to the RAC of their area,” Ziemer added. “The committee reviews player pool size, field availability, and the number of clubs in the area before making a recommendation to the NorCal Premier Board of Directors, who then review every application and new club committee recommendation before voting to accept the clubs, on a one-year probationary basis, into NorCal Premier.

“We know club soccer is the primary vehicle to offer the world’s game and we are excited to see soccer clubs grow in Northern California,” Ziemer continued. “While some clubs have been around for years while participating in other organizations, others are new clubs formed in areas previously without club soccer in their communities. The recreational base of players, previously only playing a few months a year of organized soccer, offers an opportunity for all clubs, new and existing, to continue to grow their membership base if they so desire.

“As these new clubs enter into NorCal Premier Soccer, they will find their way into the club soccer pyramid,” Ziemer concluded. “Some have the vision of becoming a feeder club, promoting their players to the clubs striving to develop players into the higher levels of US Soccer, including national teams, professional teams, and college teams, while others might wish over the long haul strive to become an NPL or even US Development Academy Club.

“We wish these clubs the best of luck as they enter into NorCal Premier Soccer.”

Ajax East Bay Soccer Club

Founded in 2011 and acting out of Brentwood, Ajax East Bay Soccer Club are known for the distinctive purple uniforms and currently include 11 boys teams and four girls teams in their competitive program in addition to operating a large recreational program.

“It’s a great honor to be included in the community of NorCal Premier Soccer,” said President Jorge Villasenor. “It provides us an opportunity to give the best soccer experience for our community and members.

“We are a smaller club but work very hard for our members and are willing to put in the work and go the extra mile in order to develop players to their maximum potential,” he added.

Alliance Soccer Academy

Founded in 2010, Woodland-based Alliance Soccer Academy is finally making the jump to NorCal Premier Soccer after having that as a stated goal for many years.

“There is prestige attached to being a member of NorCal Premier Soccer, but I think the most concrete effect for us is the competition,” said Alliance DOC Chip McKenna. “We believe that playing within NorCal will both increase the level of competition our teams will face and increase the consistency of that competition.”

Another goal for Alliance is to help improve the quality of coaching at its club — after all, better coaches make better players.

“I look forward to the coaching education NorCal supports,” McKenna said. “As a club, we hope to become recognizable not only by our uniforms, but also by our style and level of play. That starts with a coaching staff that are educated in the latest techniques and are committed to developing players throughout the club, not just in their own teams.”

Audax Soccer Club

“Be Bold. Be Strong. Be Audax.”

Those are the final words of the mission statement written by Audax Soccer Club co-founders Savio Carrijo and Rafael Soares, both of whom have coached at various levels in the Bay Area since 2003.

Now the Morgan Hill-based club has garnered entry to NorCal Premier Soccer with the goal of teaching what the club calls all four aspects of the game: technique, tactics, and physical and psychological behavior.

“We are beyond excited to be able to give the Audax players the opportunity to play in the best league in Northern California,” Carrijo said. “Our main goal is to continue developing players…being part of a strong and competitive league such as NorCal will give our players the chance to play with other local teams and have the exposure to a competitive environment, helping with their growth and development as players.”

FC Corning

As NorCal Premier Soccer pursues expanding its membership, one of the more underserved areas as of late has been clubs towards the Northernmost end of the state, making FC Corning’s entry a boon to youth soccer in that area.

Coming from a small town near Redding, FC Corning have anything but a small-town mentality as they prepare for their first season with NorCal.

“It’s an honor and privilege to have been accepted into NorCal, specifically as we come from a small town and are now given the opportunity to compete at a high level,” said FC Corning’s Tina Saavedra. “Our aspirations as a club are to develop our teams to be able to compete against the Elite Clubs in Northern California.”

Pacifica United

Currently featuring roughly 150 players from the U9 to U18 age groups, Pacifica United’s stated mission mission is to provide youngsters the opportunity to play organized soccer in a rewarding and competitive environment.

Founded 17 years ago, United began with just four teams, but has expanded all the way up to the current amount of 15 with hopes to continue to increase the size of the club.

“I feel for our club to grow, we needed to look at how our coaching was structured and how that directly affected player development,” said President Michael Paris Trayler. “Through NorCal’s coaching development opportunities, this will help strengthen our club and lead to better player development.”

“At the end of the day, it’s about helping these kids be the best they can be on and off the pitch,” Trayler added.

Ravenswood Junior’s SC

Founded in just 2015, Ravenswood Junior’s SC are a relatively new and small club based out of East Palo Alto, but that doesn’t mean that Ravenswood don’t harbor a great amount of ambition as one of the only clubs in a traditionally underserved part of California.

“Our aspiration as a club is to be more developmental and to be as organized as a club can be while holding our standards to a high level,” said President Horacio Barrera. “As a club we also want to educate our coaches, players, and parents.

“This means open doors for the whole East Palo Alto community.”

Rayados Yuba City FC

An official soccer school of famed Mexican club Club de Futbol Rayados of Monterrey, Rayados Yuba City FC aims to import the traditions of the four-time Liga MX champions right here to Northern California.

Sporting a club philosophy of “in life and on the field,” Rayados Yuba City hopes to develop as many professional players as possible, but knows that development in life is just as important as not everyone can make it at that level.

“Being accepted into NorCal Premier Soccer means so much because NorCal is a very big and known soccer organization,” said Rayados President Salvador Arevalo. “We are just so proud and happy to be a part of it.

“Our aspirations to further our development through NorCal are to accelerate and add to the knowledge of all our soccer players in the area,” Arevalo added. “We will also be working on having our players be professional in life and on the field as well.”

Revolution SC

Founded in 1995, Revolution SC are the latest Central Californian club to make the jump to NorCal Premier Soccer as the Fresno-area entity prepares to begin play in NorCal early this year.

Doing their best to keep club registration fees low, Revolution SC attempts to include players in their program regardless of family income.

“Being accepted into NorCal is a big inspiration to our coaches and players because they desire a higher level of soccer to play and are working hard to prepare for this new perspective of competitive soccer,” said Chris Hernandez of Revolution SC. “We have always been a club that focuses on providing a place to play soccer for at-risk youth and low-income families and we’ve developed into a club that is successful at competing at the highest levels. Being in NorCal, we now have a chance to prove we can strive further for success.

“Our goal is to not just develop players to play at a higher level, but also to educate coaches and parents,” Hernandez added. “We want to become a place that our youth grows up in and our community can look up to and rely on for their guidance towards athletic success. Whether we have two teams or twenty, we are focusing on building quality players with a desire for success.”

FC Royale

Created with the goal of providing soccer to any youth player regardless of family income, San Francisco-based club FC Royale preaches a “taught not bought” mentality that speaks close to the heart of co-founder Alexis Cuellar.

It was in Turlock where Cuellar’s passion for helping underserved children play soccer was developed as she was a part of a family with four children that often struggled to pay for top-level soccer.

“Alexis will always maintain that pay-to-play may not go away, but FC Royale will never turn a kid away from a team due to finances,” said FC Royale Director of Coaching David Noii. “Every bit of assistance will be provided to make sure players have a home to play futbol!”

Rush Soccer Peninsula

Starting with just one team in 2010, called FC Strikers, the club recently joined with Rush Soccer, a national advisor, to help bring soccer for kids who just want to play to the Peninsula.

The club preaches the core values of accountability, advice, empathy, enjoyment, humility, leadership, passion, respect, safety, tenacity, and unity, using these 11 pillars to create the bedrock of a pyramid that begins at the developmental level and ends, hopefully for some players, at the professional level.

“We can now provide the best path for athletes that are excelling in their own age bracket,” said President Eric Misa. “Nationally, (joining NorCal Premier Soccer) aligns our program with other Rush Soccer branches around the United States, enabling us to participate in the same programs/tournaments/leagues that best challenge our young athletes.”

Santos F.C.

Modeled after the legendary Brazilian club that has produced the likes of Pele, Neymar, and Robinho, Santos F.C. bring a South American flair to the San Francisco area, headed by Director of Coaching Paulo De Souza, who is a former Santos player himself.

“Our main aspiration is to implement the same concepts applied by by Santos F.C. Soccer development programs, but adopt concepts and procedures that are provided by NorCal throughout many of its development programs,” De Souza said. “With this approach we expect to achieve a unique way of playing and coaching that will bring more freedom and creativity to the game.”

“Being accepted into NorCal makes us really feel like we belong,” De Souza added. “It’s a dream come true.”

Sonoma County Premier

One of the few truly new clubs to join NorCal Premier Soccer are Sonoma County Premier, a North Bay-area club that recently amicably split from established club North Coast FC.

“It was a proud day when we were accepted,” said Scott Clifton. “It has been a lot of fun and hard work to put together a program that can continue to grow soccer in the community.”

The stated goal of Sonoma County Premier is to focus on the area of Windsor and bring another competitive club to the area.

“Our club is focused on getting better, not bigger, meaning that our focus is to improve the player’s experience first before we grow the program,” Clifton said. “We want to be on the forefront of player development and experience, which we know will grow our prestige as a NorCal club.”

After some delays due to unforeseen circumstances, U10 State Cup teams will complete their run this weekend. For more information on the format and scheduling of matches, please click here.

One of NorCal Premier Soccer’s core philosophies is that better coaches make better players.

As one of the cutting-edge organizations in today’s American soccer landscape, NorCal offers ample opportunities for those willing to learn from some of the brightest minds in the world at events that are often attended in droves.

But look around the rooms and one is unlikely to see many women, something that Peninsula Soccer Club Girls Director of Coaching Val Henderson has noticed for quite some time, especially during a 2018 coaching education session from TOVO Founder Todd Beane.

So after the two-day TOVO course in San Jose last August, Henderson approached Beane and asked what could be done to help send women to Beane’s five-day course in Spain later in the year.

The two conversed and TOVO agreed to cover some of the cost for the course — an expense that was matched by NorCal’s Women’s Committee — allowing for a December trip just outside of Barcelona where the NorCal women learned from Beane, Johan Cryuff’s son-in-law.

In addition to Henderson, Rozie DeWeese (Union FC), Sofi Garman (Burlingame SC), Christina Gilmore (Mustang FC), Lindsay Kaufman (Girls United), and Alena Thom (Dublin United) made up the contingent of six women in a roughly 25-person course.

Like most other coaching education opportunities, those represented the only female voices in attendance as Beane taught his ever-valuable lessons.

“The TOVO method is geared around training players’ character, cognition, and competence,” Henderson said. “What was pointed out to us was the immense focus on competence, which is basically the technical aspect. I think Todd was really hoping that we left the course knowing that if we value character and cognition in our players, that everything we do should include character and thought process, not just technical skill.”

“It was about really delving into our session and asking ourselves if our players are thinking all the time or if we are providing the answers.” Henderson added. “Are we putting them in situations where they’re going to recognize patterns and make autonomous decisions? Or are we making the decision for them and hoping that they draw the connections?”

The course allowed for what will be hopefully just the next in line of women participating in these events and garnering the much-needed education to be able to best help serve the youth in Northern California.

“It was exciting to have a group of women together so that we could support each other and brainstorm, but I don’t think it’s enough,” Henderson said. “My take on this would be now that we’ve been there that we should do some type of training where we teach TOVO the concepts to other coaches — either men and women or just women — or that we try to help draw some connections so that the ripple effect is greater than just what we experienced.”

This was a narrative that Beane supported.

“It’s abundantly clear that we do not have enough women coaches,” Beane said. “At TOVO we’re trying to promote more opportunities for women so that our young players can benefit from their leadership.”

In the end, the NorCal Women’s Committee is trying to learn as much as possible while also getting to the root of the problem of the lack of female coaching in Northern California and the United States.

“We are proud to have assisted this group of women in attending such a world class coaching institution at TOVO, and are eager to have them mentor other NorCal female coaches with this new knowledge,” said NorCal Women’s Committee Chairwoman Erin Sharpe. “We are also proud to have assisted over a dozen women in the last year with significant scholarship assistance in a multitude of licensing courses ranging from grassroots levels through to the USSF B, and UEFA B.

“We have also hosted a couple of symposiums with international and home grown clinicians alike and look forward to furthering our coaching education opportunities and initiatives,” she added. “A lot of work is yet to be done and it is certainly a mission of ours to partner with member clubs to not only increase the female coaching pool in NorCal, but to improve significantly upon the retention and promotion of women on this career path.”

Added Henderson: “In general, when younger women or younger girls have role models that they can relate to, that encourages them to be better players or to get involved in coaching. If you get more girls empowered with coaching education and mentorship, they will become fantastic, capable coaches. If you put more women in positions to recruit, mentor, and educate women into the coaching ranks, it will catalyze girls and women’s involvement and improvement in coaching, and if you get more men behind the idea of mentoring female coaches (as well as male) that our coaching across the board will improve and therefore our players will benefit.”

So while the TOVO coaching course provided excellent value, it was just the start for Henderson and the throng of female coaches in Northern California who hope to engage more young women and bring them to the sidelines in the near future.

“I think that there should be a huge push for licensing our female college players and for incentivizing to some degree youth coaching in our clubs,” Henderson said. “For example, in my club I’m trying to get my high school players way more involved in coaching the youngers because it’s great for everyone. This weekend we had a clinic and had seven high school-aged female players working with 4-10 year olds.”

“That just helps them break down the barriers and help them gain confidence. I think that the reason women don’t get into coaching could be a lack of confidence or lack of seeing that they could actually make a contribution,” she added. “It’s very typical that women question themselves and their ability and unless they’re told or shown, ‘yes, you can do this,’ then they shy away, whereas I think a strength that men have is even if they haven’t done something before they say, ‘sure, I can do that.’

“Just breaking down that initial barrier is key.”

To learn more about the NorCal Women’s Committee and our various initiatives, please visit this link or contact womenscommittee@norcalpremier.com

This past weekend in Chicago, soccer coaches, administrators, and reporters from all across the world convened in the Windy City for the annual United Soccer Coaches Convention, an annual forum that brings the sport’s world close together each year.

But aside from the numerous meetings, coaching education sessions, and social events, there were two marquee events on the docket in Chicago: the MLS SuperDraft and NWSL College Draft, which are also held annually in conjunction with the convention.

While NorCal Premier Soccer always has players from its clubs selected in these two drafts, 2019 was special as a total of nine former area youth players — four men and five women — were selected, led by NorCal PDP alum Tierna Davidson, who went No. 1 overall.

Davidson’s club, De Anza Force, also contributed heavily to the draft, with three players selected overall, while fellow Bay Area side MVLA saw two of their alums selected.

Here is the full list of each player taken:

Roy Boateng (Santa Rosa United/San Francisco Glens PDL)

Pick: No. 16

Team: New York Red Bulls

After a standout career at UC Davis, as well as PDL stops with the Portland Timbers U-23s and San Francisco Glens, the two-time Big West Conference Defender of the Year was one of three NorCal alums selected in the MLS SuperDraft’s first round. To select Boateng, the New York Red Bulls traded $100,000 in allocation money to move up to select him and add the No. 25 overall pick. Red Bulls Sporting Director Denis Hamlett indicated that one day the club might look back and say “it is the best $100,000 we ever spent,” saying that, “when we really sat down with (Boateng), he really impressed us in terms of his knowledge. He’s a good human being.”

Tucker Bone (Sacramento United/Placer United)

Pick: No. 20

Team: Seattle Sounders FC

While Air Force’s Tucker Bone was selected with a first round pick by a club that has participated in two of the last three MLS Cups, his pathway to pro soccer may be somewhat complicated following his graduation in May. Once he completes this process, the 2018 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year will be given 60 days of leave before requiring to report to active military duty, unless the Air Force deems him eligible to participate in the military’s World Class Athlete Program. Regardless, the Sounders were happy to take a flier, with general manager Garth Lagerwey saying, “When he’s available will be tricky, but I’d rather go through that process with a kid who I think is really talented. Ultimately, you have to draft guys you think are talented enough for the first team.”

Tierna Davidson (De Anza Force)

Pick: No. 1

Team: Chicago Red Stars

It was never a question of where Tierna Davidson was going to be selected in the NWSL College Draft, only if she was going to declare herself eligible after a standout three year career at Stanford. In her time at The Cardinal, the defender helped the NorCal college to a national championship while becoming a regular for the U.S. Women’s National Team, where she has earned 12 caps, was named the 2018 U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year, and is a favorite to be included on the squad for this summer’s World Cup in France. “I’m very excited to start my club career in Chicago — it’s my kind of town,” Davidson said after her selection.

Sam Ebstein (De Anza Force/San Jose Earthquakes)

Pick: No. 87

Team: FC Dallas

After a standout three-year collegiate career for Cal, San Francisco native Sam Ebstein was selected as FC Dallas’ penultimate pick in the SuperDraft. The attacker started his youth soccer career with De Anza Force before moving onto the San Jose Earthquakes Academy in 2013-14, staying local to score four goals in three years for Cal, while also playing in the PDL on the now-defunct Burlingame Dragons.

Erin Greening (EBU Bay Oaks)

Pick: No. 25

Team: Orlando Pride

After starring for Bay Oaks for several years, midfielder Erin Greening went onto a successful college career where the midfielder played in 74 games over four years for Colorado. Beginning her collegiate career as a forward, Greening scored two goals in 18 games as a true freshman before moving back to the midfield role she now occupies.  “For us, we wanted to try to find the best available while also trying to fill a position of need,” said Orlando Pride General Manager Erik Ustruck. “I think Erin possesses some versatility. She’s very powerful. She gets up and down the lines, so she has something we’re looking for.”

Jazmin Jackmon (San Juan Soccer Club)

Pick: No. 21

Team: Houston Dash

The first University of Oregon player ever selected in the NWSL draft, Jazmin Jackmon was taken in the second round by the Houston Dash after playing two years in Eugene after a previous two-year stint at Santa Clara. A left or center back, Jackmon scored one goal in her college career while being named a 2018 Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention. “This is so exciting and now I can finally breathe,” Jackmon said at the podium after being selected. “I would like to thank my University of Oregon family for welcoming me my sophomore year and pushing me to be the best person I can be on and off the field.”

Tegan McGrady (MVLA)

Pick: No. 7

Team: Washington Spirit

While MVLA alum Tegan McGrady was selected in the first round of the NWSL College Draft, she was actually the third and final Stanford player taken despite, like Davidson, having already made her full international debut. A longtime U.S. youth international, McGrady has one cap for the USWNT and leaves The Cardinal after helping them to the 2017 College Cup title. “I think as a football club we knocked (the draft) out of the park, and the picks that we got are all fabulous players,” Washington Spirit Head Coach and Technical Director Richie Burke said after selecting McGrady. “I think every single one of them will come into our training ground and from minute-one will be knocking on the door for a starting role in our football club.”

Sam Junqua (De Anza Force/San Jose Earthquakes)

Pick: No. 8

Team: Houston Dynamo

A former U.S. Youth International, left back Sam Junqua was this year’s highest-drafted NorCal alum after the Houston Dynamo grabbed the former Cal standout at No. 8 overall. Developed by De Anza Force and the San Jose Earthquakes, Junqua was a mainstay in his college career, playing in 68 games while contributing three assists and earning an All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention in 2018. “We couldn’t be happier with how the draft turned out today,” Dynamo Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan said after selecting Junqua last Friday.

Michelle Maemone (MVLA)

Pick: No. 23

Team: Utah Royals FC

A defender out of Pepperdine, Michelle Maemone was a four-year starter in her collegiate career, making 78 appearances overall while scoring three goals and adding four assists while helping the Waves put up a West Coast Conference-best 0.82 goals-against average in 19 games her senior year. The San Jose native spent six of her youth seasons with MVLA before heading south to play for Pepperdine. “We actually got all the players we planned on getting,” Utah Royals FC General Manager Craig Waibel said. “We had a good idea which players were gonna go ahead in the draft, we scouted accordingly, and we got the players we wanted. So we’re very happy about it.”