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News

Placer United Descend on Davis In Style

August 2018 — Placer United swarmed into Davis this past weekend with thirteen boys teams and nine girls teams competing in the Summer Classico Tournament.

Placer United 07G Gold

Headlining the weekend was the 07G Gold and Coach Cory who won all three games in the Premier Bracket before a 2-0 final win versus FC Elk Grove.

Placer United 08G Gold

Placer United 08G Gold, fresh from a win at Pleasanton Rage, played up in the 07 Championship Bracket. After three impressive victories, a 2-2 tie with Woodland was enough to secure the trophy in the group format.

Placer United 07G Black

The 10G Gold and 07G Black had notable results as finalists in their respective age-groups, as well as the 10G Black who finished as runner-up in the five team bracket capping a good weekend for the girls teams.

Placer United 07B U.S. Soccer Development Academy

The boys teams, many of whom were playing in their first competitive event of the season, faired just as well. The 07A group were edged out 3-2 in the final of the U12 Premier Bracket to Athletico Santa Rosa.

Placer United 07B Gold and 07/08 U.S. Soccer Development Academy teams

The Placer United 07/08A group went undefeated in the Championship Bracket but two ties meant that they just missed out on the final, instead facing their own 07B Gold Club team in the consolation. Coach Emre’s 07B Black team continued the strong showing for our 07B age-group as they were crowned champions of the League One Bracket, overcoming SSA in a tense penalty shoot-out.

Placer United 07B Black

Wrapping up the tournament results were third place finishes for Placer’s 09B Gold in the U10 Premier Bracket after a 3-1 win versus Woodland, as well as for Coach Megan’s 10B White team capping a good day for the boys!

Placer United 09B Gold

 

Placer United 10B White

College Bound

Emma Schafer, 02/03 Development Academy, Commits to U.C. Davis

“I am excited to announce my verbal commitment to the University of California, Davis. I am very fortunate to have found a top university that also has a wonderful Division I soccer program. 

There’s no way to thank my family enough for spending countless hours on the road to get me to games and practices and for supporting me through the ups and downs. You guys are my biggest fans!  Being a part of Placer United for seven years has truly shaped who I am as a soccer player. I want to thank all of my coaches, especially Kevin Unsworth, Don Finley and Ron Benjamin for pushing me to my full potential and instilling in me a genuine love for the game. I would also like to express my gratitude to my teammates for their friendship, support and always bringing a competitive mindset to training and games.

Thank you to Coach Twila Kaufman and Coach Rachael Collins for this fantastic opportunity and for making the recruiting process an enjoyable experience.

 Go Placer & Go Aggies!” —Emma Schafer

College Bound

Kirsten Webb Commits to University of California, San Diego

“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to further my athletic and academic career at the University of California, San Diego. I am truly blessed and would not have had this opportunity without the amazing people God has put into my life. I would like to thank Coach Ron Benjamin who, from the beginning, has always pushed me to work hard and to be a leader on and off the field. Also, I would like to thank coaches Todd Decarlo, Paul O’Brien, Jimmy Frazelle, and Joe Black, as they all have impacted me in different and wonderful ways. Placer United has been my home away from home since age seven, and I could never imagine having the same soccer experience at any other club. Thank you to my family for being incredibly loving and supportive throughout all of my years of soccer, continuously challenging me to persevere regardless of the circumstance. You have taught me the importance of not only being a good player, but also a good person. To my current and former teammates, thank you for being my second family. You have continually inspired me to work harder with your competitiveness and encouragement. Most importantly, thank you God for giving me the opportunity to glorify You while getting to compete in a sport that I love.

I cannot wait to play collegiately at such an amazing school. Thank you Coach McManus, Coach Jones, and Coach Trent, for the unbelievable opportunity to be a part of UCSD’s wonderful soccer program. I am so fortunate to be able to spend my college years at such a fantastic university. Go Tritons!” —Kirsten Webb

News

07B Gold’s Noah Benjamin Donates Time in Mexico

Noah Benjamin, of the 07B Gold team, recently traveled with his family to Mexico. The Benjamin family brought donated soccer gear from families of Placer United and Noah participated in training and games with the Atlas Vallarta Soccer Academy.

Over the past year, the Benjamin family collected soccer uniforms, cleats, soccer balls and other clothing to take to Puerto Vallarta.  From past visits, Noah’s dad, Coach Ron, selected a few remote locations that he noted were in need.  “We rented a jeep, packed it full of stuff and hit the road,” said Noah. “Our first stop,” added Ron, “was a small village outside of Bucerias, a small beach resort town in Nayarit on the Bay of Banderas, between La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and Nuevo Vallarta.”

The Benjamin’s pulled into the village at a small convenience store and told one of the locals they had a number of donated items for  kids and within minutes, over 40 kids and adults were at the store to see what the family had brought. Many of the kids were shoe-less, so cleats and soccer balls were the biggest hit. The Benjamin family each grabbed a ball bump and inflated soccer balls as quickly as possible. The locals were very appreciative!

The second stop was another small village outside of Boca de Tomatlan. The jeep came in handy as the Benjamin’s had to cross a river that was 75 feet across. A normal car may not have made it. Again, the Benjamin’s were quickly surrounded by kids who were excited to receive gifts.

Later in the trip, Noah trained during the week and then played the final ’06 league match of the season for the Atlas Vallarta Soccer Academy. They played against the Boca Jrs ’06 of Vallarta for third place. Noah played all 70 minutes in a 5-3 loss. “It was a great experience for him to play in a completely different environment without knowing a ton of Spanish,” said Coach Ron.

The Benjamin’s want to thank those of you from the Placer United Family who donated items for this trip. It was a very fulfilling experience. Go Placer!

News

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!

College Bound

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

News

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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News

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!

College Bound

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

College Bound

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