By Mike Woitalla
Slammers FC was named ECNL “Overall Club Champion” for the 2015-16 season. The Newport Beach, California-based club won 2016 ECNL national titles atU-15 and U-18 divisions and its teams reached the quarterfinals in four of the five ECNL age group national championships and the semifinals in three.
2016 ECNLFinals
U-14: So Cal Blues 4 Ohio Premier 0
U-15: Slammers FC 4 FC Stars 1
U-16: PDA 1 Real Colorado 0
U-17:Michigan Hawks 1 De Anza Force 0
U-18: Slammers FC 2 Michigan Hawks 0
Current Slammers players include U-15 defender Kate Wiesner, who playedfor the U.S. U-17 girls national team in its successful quest to qualify for the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup. Slammers alum include defender Natalie Jacobs, a rising sophomoreat Notre Dame who helped the U.S. U-20s qualify for the 2016 U-20 World Cup, and 2016 Olympics-bound Christen Press and Whitney Engen.
The Overall ClubChampionship is based on “consistent competitive excellence across every age group in the club.”
ECNL Overall Club Champion
2016 Slammers FC (Calif.)
2015 Michigan Hawks
2014 PDA (N.J.)
2013 PDA (N.J.)
2012 SlammersFC (Calif.)
2011 Eclipse Select (Ill.)
2016 Top 10 ECNLOverall Club Championship
1. Slammers FC (Calif.)
2. Michigan Hawks
3. PDA (N.J.)
4. FC Stars ofMassachusetts
5. Real Colorado
6. Crossfire Premier (Wash.)
7. Eclipse Select SC
8. West Coast FC (Calif.)
9. So Cal Blues
10. Ohio Premier
NSCAA aims to combat ‘showcase fraud’
Citing that there are too many cases of showcase tournaments and summer camps promoting college coaches’ appearances when theyaren’t actually committed to attend, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) has created the “Showcase Integrity Program.”
The program enables college coaches to reportshowcase events that are using their name or school name without approval.
“There are many excellent showcase events that college coaches or their staff will be attending,” saidSasho Cirovski, chair of the NSCAA Men’s Division I Membership Group and men’s coach at the University of Maryland. “We want youth coaches and players to be able totrust the event they are participating in and having the best experience possible.”
After a coach reports the false advertising through the NSCAA College Services program, the NSCAA will take steps, up to and including legal action, to have the showcaseremove that information.
“Players participating in college showcase tournaments and summer camps can reap lots of benefits, including experiencing different competition and playing infront of college coaches,” NSCAA CEO Lynn Berling-Manuel said. “We want to make sure they are receiving what’s advertised.”
U.S. U-18 women fall, 1-0, to England
The U.S. U-18 women’s national teamfell, 1-0, to England during its July 6-15 training camp at the English FA’s St. George’s Park training center.
Coached by April Heinrichs, the U.S. team, comprised ofplayers born in 1998, faces England again on Thursday.
July 13 in Burton Upon Trent, England
England 1 USA 0. Goal: Allen(Devlin) 69.
England — Maclver; Brown (Patten, 72), Allen (Hooper, 84), Fisk, Pacheco; Finnigan, Rouse (20- Olding, 72), Cross, Devlin (Dean, 72); Charles (Johnson, 90),Babajide.
USA — Heinsohn; Doyle (Berkely, 75), Hiatt, Morse, Mackin; Whitley (Berg, 66), Kornieck (Athens, 75), Winters; Kim (Coffey, 84), Gee (Moyer, 84), Goins (Dunphy,66).
Spot Kicks
• MLS club New York City FC, the city of New York, adidas and theU.S. Soccer Foundation are contributing $750,000 each to build and maintain 50 mini-soccer fields in New York City’sfive boroughs over the next five years in a $3 million partnership. The funds will also cover after-school activities based on the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s “Soccer for Success” program.
• Groundbreaking took place Sunday on the National Training and Coaching Development Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The center is acollaboration of U.S. Soccer, Sporting Kansas City and Children’s Mercy to develop players, coaches, and referees of all ages. The center is set to open in November 2017 in Wyandotte County and willbe home to the U.S. Soccer National Coaching Education Center for coaches and referees and the Children’s Mercy Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, which will offer a full range of sportsmedicine services for youth athletes.
• The field of 96 teams that will compete at 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships (July 26-31) at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas, fortitles in age groups U-13 through U-18 is set. See complete schedule HERE.
• The U.S.Soccer Development Academy national championship semifinals on Thursday will be streamed live via U.S. Soccer’sYouTube channel:
U-15/16 Semifinals
July 14 in Carson, Calif.
FC Dallas-Chicago Fire 4 pm ET
LA Galaxy-Real Colorado6:30 pm ET
U-17/18 Semifinals
July 14 in Carson, Calif.
PDA-Vancouver Whitecaps 9 pm ET
FC Dallas-Nomads 11:30 pm ET