All posts by PUSC

U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy Pays Off for Placer’s Pagador

It was another big week for Placer United’s 2003 U15 player, Kellie Pagador. She received two pieces of news from U.S. Soccer and,  in particular the technical staff of the U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy.

The first bit of news was to inform Kellie she had been named to the U17 (2001 age group) West Conference U.S. Soccer Development Academy starting eleven. Kellie now joins former Placer United players Seth Caspile, Connor Hallisey and Grant Silvester as the fourth player and the fifth member of the Club to be honored by US Soccer. Last year Jodi Tarr was named U.S. Soccer Development Academy Administrator-of-the-Year.

The second piece of news for Kellie was the invitation to pack her soccer bag and join up with the Women’s U17 U.S. Soccer National Team in Kansas City to prepare for the U17 Women’s World Cup. The tournament will take place in Uruguay in November. Kellie is one of only three 2003 age group players who were selected to attend the 2001 National Team camp.

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Great job, Kellie and congratulations from all of us!

Go Placer!

Anjalena Garcia Commits to Dominican University

“I am very blessed to announce my commitment to Dominican University to further my soccer career. I want to first thank my aunts for putting countless hours into this sport and for being my biggest supporters. I know you guys are beyond proud of me, but I also wanted to take the time and thank you for putting up with all of my stubbornness and indecisiveness during my recruiting process. I also want to thank my older brother for teaching me the basics of the sport and never going easy on me. Lastly, I wanted to thank my coaches Todd DeCarlo, Andre O’Roy, and Katie Burton for making me the gritty defender I am today. All the coaching and advice has helped me tons. It baffles many people that I was a cheerleader for six years before cultivating my passion for soccer. I would never have thought starting something for fun would turn into being named Capitol Valley All-Conference First Team player two years in a row, and now a D2 commit. 

Some huge thanks go to Coach Kelly, and all of Dominican’s coaching staff for believing in me and allowing me to continue my passion these next few years of my life. GO PENGUINS!” — Anjalena Garcia

Austin Wehner Heads to Sweden

Placer United congratulates Boys 01 player, Austin Wehner, as he leaves for Sweden with the NorCal PDP State team to compete at the 2018 Gothia Cup. Austin has had a really successful 2017/18 soccer season. Earlier this year he committed to play in the PAC-12 powerhouse conference with San Diego Sate University. He followed that up by helping his team bring home Placer United’s 8th NPL Champions League trophy and then learned he was selected as one of eighteen players heading to Europe to play in one of the worlds top soccer tournaments.

Go Placer!

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04G DA Goes 1-1-1 in San Diego

The Placer United 04G DA team played well during the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase this week hosted in Oceanside, California going 1-1-1 with leads in all three games in the second half.

After a 2-3 loss to Sky Blue-PDA in the first game, the New Jersey coaching staff said the girls played a great style of futbol and didn’t deserve to lose.

Placer beat FC Virginia 2-0 in the second game, and tied Nationals out of Michigan 1-1 in game three after dominating the first half and hitting the post twice.

The girls played in front of twenty-seven college coaches who attended Placer United matches, several from the top twenty five schools in the nation, including; USC, UCLA, University of North Carolina, College of William and Mary, and Harvard.

Megan McCormick, U.S. Soccer Technical Advisor, addressed the team after the third game and congratulated the players on a very successful first season.

Go Placer!

Kate Willey Headed to California State University, Chico

“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at California State University, Chico.  I’m truly blessed for all the love and support I’ve had throughout the years playing soccer. I’d like to thank my former coaches Dennis Wingate, Dan Myers, and Katie Burton for teaching me how to better myself on the field and letting me know it’s ok to make mistakes because you learn from them. I’d like to give a special thanks to Casey Tate, Ron Benjamin, and Todd DeCarlo for helping me through this college process. Thank you Coaches Kim Sutton and Jenny Jaggard for giving me the opportunity to play at Chico state in 2021. Go Wildcats!” —Kate Willey

Dominick Paielli Commits to Loyola Marymount University

“I am truly blessed and honored to announce that I have committed to Loyola Marymount University. Playing Division 1 soccer has always been a dream of mine ever since I first started playing soccer and I’m very blessed I get to continue my career at LMU.  I want to thank God, my family, friends, teammates and especially my coaches: Nate Gargiulo, Sean Santora, Jimmy Frazelle, Jason Gantt, Don Finely, Kevin Unsworth, Paul O’Brien, Matt Scammacca, and Matt Mcdougall who have all had a tremendous impact on my growth as a player and a person. I also want to thank Placer United as this club has given me unforgettable memories and outstanding coaches to prepare me for the next level. This is my 6th year at Placer United and I can easily say there’s no where else I’d rather be. I am very excited for what the future holds and can’t wait to begin the next step in my academic and athletic career. Thank you again to all who have been a part of my journey.” —Dominick Paielli

Amber Jackson Commits to California Baptist University

“I am extremely excited to announce my commitment to continue my athletic and academic career at California Baptist University. I am so blessed to have this opportunity to play collegiate soccer at the D1 level, while pursuing my education. There are so many people I would like to thank, for their support, encouragement, for pushing me, and for never giving up on me. Most importantly I want to thank God, who has given me the talent of playing soccer, and for this incredible opportunity. Also, to my amazing parents: the ones who have driven thousands of miles for soccer games and practices, and cheered me on no matter how bad I was doing. They sacrificed all they had to get me into an environment where I could prosper, I would not be where I am today without them. A huge shout out to my coaches Sarah Fawcett and Ron Benjamin, to both I have to thank for the development of my skills, support, and fun. Ron helped me through every step, and created a competitive environment where I really grew. I couldn’t have asked for better friends, coaches, and family to have been apart of my journey so far. I love you all, and am forever grateful. I am extremely excited for the years to come, and to see what God has in store for me. Go Lancers!”— Amber Jackson, #44 Placer United 01/00 DA

Placer United 06 Girls NorCal Spring Regional Finalists 

 

 

Congratulations to the Placer United 06 Girls Gold team for their second place at the NorCal Spring Regional playoffs. The girls advanced to Sunday’s final after producing some strong displays in both the quarter and semifinal rounds of the competition. The girls earned the right to play at the regional event by finishing top of their NorCal premier division. In Saturday’s quarterfinal game, they were drawn against a very good West Coast team and came out 2-0 winners. Sunday’s semifinal was a very intense game and the girls worked hard in the hot temperatures to win out 2-1 against Burlingame. This set them up to play a very good and strong PSV team in the final. The girls created a few good chances but didn’t get the break they needed and were unlucky to lose out 2-0 in the 100+ temperature Sunday afternoon.

Great job girls! Go Placer!

 

Placer’s Pagador Heads to Holland with National Team

Kellie Pagador

 

Congratulations to Placer United U.S. Soccer Girls Development Academy player, Kellie Pagador. She hits the road again, this time with the U.S. Under-15 Girls’ National Team headed to the Netherlands for a training camp running from June 3-13 that will conclude with two matches against the hosts.

This is the second event of the year for the U.S. U-15 GNT and first international trip. The first match against the Dutch will take place on June 10 and the second will be on June 12. Both games will take place in Woerden, Netherlands.

Kellie is one of the nine players on the roster who recently competed for the U.S. U-16 GNT at the UEFA Women’s Development Tournament in Portugal. The young American team won all three games, defeating Belgium by a 5-1 score while downing both Portugal and Switzerland, 2-1.  Read More

Great job Kellie! Go Placer!

EPL Academy Coach Joins Placer Coaching Staff

Placer United welcomes Burnley FC Academy Coach Rory Pendergast to our 2018/19 coaching staff. Rory is a UEFA A licensed coach with over ten years coaching experience working at  EPL clubs including Burnley FC, Watford FC, and Leicester City as well as English championship clubs Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Rory Prendergast, Barnsley (Photo by Mike Egerton/EMPICS via Getty Images)

Rory also played professionally for over ten years throughout the English leagues, making over 100 league and cup appearances for the likes of Barnsley, York City, Oldham, Accrington Stanley and Blackpool. Achievements include reaching the FA Cup third round and appearing in News of the World Team of the Week with Accrington Stanley. It was while playing for Accrington Stanley in 2005 Rory caught the eye of the then Blackpool coach and former Scottish international player Colin Hendry who signed Rory to try and help Blackpool push for promotion from the English league one division to the Championship division.

Blackpool’s Rory Prendergast (r) crosses the ball versus Leicester City in the Carling Cup (Photo by Joe Giddens – EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images)

“I’m sure everybody at the soccer club will be looking forward to seeing Rory on the soccer field as he is a very passionate about his coaching,”  said Director Paul O’Brien. “He comes highly recommended and having talked to him quite a lot over the last few weeks I know he is looking forward to working and living in Placer County.”

Aldershot’s Dean Hooper and Accrington Stanley’s Rory Prendergast battle for the ball (Photo by Adam Davy/EMPICS via Getty Images)

“Rory worked with us at the Watford Academy and during his time with us his playing and coaching experience came through strongly. I found Rory to be dependable, reliable, hardworking, conscientious and honest. He is knowledgeable in our field as you would expect from a former professional footballer. He was appreciated by players and staff alike. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his efforts. We would welcome back Rory at any of our facilities.”—Barry Quin, Head of Coaching, Watford FC

“Rory has participated in a lot of FA courses and brings a good knowledge to the game.” —Dick Bate, Coach Educator, and Former Elite Coaching Manager, FA

Rory Prendergast Resume