Frederick Dreier, Special for USA TODAY Sports, July 20, 2015 —

FC Dallas midfielder Ryan Hollingshead has spent this season proving his versatility on the field.

One of just two FC Dallas players to compete in all 20 games, Hollingshead, 24, has played five different positions, attacking the opponents as a winger and protecting his own goal on defense. Although he’s scored just two goals, Hollingshead’s play has helped Dallas to sit atop the Western Conference standings.

“It’s the options we have with Ryan that make him valuable,” said head coach Oscar Pareja. “It’s exciting to see him take this step up.”

For Hollingshead, the elevation of form could not have come soon enough. Since he entered the league in 2014, Hollingshead has been on an unending quest to recapture the physical form that earned him 2012 Pacific-12 Conference player of the year honors during his senior year at UCLA.

“I’m probably at 90 percent of where I want to be,” Hollingshead said. “I didn’t think it would take this long to get back.”

While FC Dallas drafted him in 2013, Hollingshead quit soccer to start a branch of his church — the Chicago-based Harvest Bible Chapel — alongside his older brother, Scott, in their hometown of Sacramento.

He spent more than a year away from the sport, working full-time for a residential real estate firm to pay his bills. During his free time, Hollingshead jogged for fun and played pickup basketball to stay fit, however he did not play any soccer.

Both Hollingshead brothers played soccer for UCLA. Scott eventually quit soccer to become a pastor with the Harvest Bible Chapel, and in 2011 he began making plans to start a church in Sacramento. During a conversation over Christmas break in 2012, Ryan told Scott he would help him with the project after graduation the following year.

Scott, 28, said he was hesitant to bring his little brother on board with the project.

“I tried to be careful with 1/8Ryan3/8 because I didn’t want to pull him away from soccer,” Scott Hollingshead said. “People said it would be career suicide for him.”

Scott Hollingshead said his hesitation increased the following year after Ryan enjoyed a dominant senior season at UCLA, scoring seven goals and recording eight assists. The breakout year caught the eye of MLS recruiters, including scouts from FC Dallas. But by mid-2013, Ryan had made his mind up to forego a professional career.

Ryan skipped the MLS combine and the draft to complete volunteer work in Haiti, but FC Dallas still chose him 20th in the second round. After visiting with the team that February, Ryan told Dallas officials the bad news.

“We had dreamed about the church, and in our plans it always included me,” Ryan said. “I knew what I was leaving behind.

Within a few weeks, Ryan had moved back to Sacramento, and alongside Scott, he held prayer meetings and solicited funds for the fledgling church. They held Sunday services in the cafeteria at Granite Bay High School, where both men had attended. While Scott received salary as the pastor, Ryan managed the church alongside his day job.

The church grew faster than both expected, growing from six original parishioners to more than 150 within six months. Today, the church has 300 regular parishioners. By early 2014 the Hollingshead brothers had secured operational funding to hire full-time staff.

With the church on strong financial footing, Ryan Hollingshead reached back out to FC Dallas, which gave him a tryout for the 2014 season.

After a two-month fitness crash course, Hollingshead earned a spot on the team, but soon found that the year away had eroded his soccer form. Hollingshead spent most of the 2014 season playing in the reserve league with varying success.

“Moves I could make in my sleep in college — I couldn’t do them,” Hollingshead said. “I felt so slow.”

Hollingshead’s progression has not been without setbacks. He was replaced midway through the team’s May 9 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Throughout the season, he’s battled with teammates Michael Barrios and Mauro Diaz for a starting spot.

Pareja said he never considered cutting Hollingshead, even when his form appeared shaky.

“To see the commitment Ryan had for God — that is very unique for me,” Pareja said. “For me, that value of personality is important.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Anna Gregg, a 2015 graduate of St. Francis, was named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Spring All-America Second Team, as announced on the website. Gregg will play soccer on scholarship at Colorado College this fall.

Gregg led St. Francis to Sac-Joaquin Section final on May 17. She scored a Delta League best 32 goals on the season in 2015 with a league-best 72 points. She also recorded eight assists, the second-best total in the league. The Folsom product recorded three or more goals four times season and recorded 12 multi-goal games during season.

Gregg, along with water polo’s Lauren Charter, received the St. Francis Booster Club Scholar-Athlete Awards and was named the River Cats Girls Soccer Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Gregg was named to the West All-Region and California All-State teams announced by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Ron Benjamin and Paul O’Brien bask in the glory of Placer United’s achievements at the Davis Legacy College Showcase series with Top Club honor.

Placer United was named the “Top Club at the 2015 Davis College Showcase Series” with an impressive nine teams making the semi-final rounds, five moving on to play for championships, and four taking home the winners trophy and t-shirts.

Congratulations to all our coaches, players and families on doing an outstanding job over the last two weekends in Davis.

Great Job everyone! Go Placer!

July means two things to families in our soccer club, very hot sunny weather and lots of weekend games as the busy tournament season gets under way. Over the past two weekends, Placer families have clocked hundreds of miles traveling up and down the various California freeways and highways supporting  their teams. Placer United boys and girls U11 to U18 teams dressed in their Yellow Submarine kits were spotted in Davis, Folsom, Pleasanton and Turlock.

U12B 04 Gold – 2015 Davis Legacy Showcase Champions

U13G 03 Gold – 2015 Davis Legacy Showcase Champions – TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

U16B 00 Gold – 2015 Davis Legacy Showcase Champions – TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

U18G Gold – 2015 Davis Legacy Showcase Champions – TWO YEARS IN A ROW!

At the Davis Legacy Boys and Girls College Showcase events held over the last two weekends, our teams really lit up the event as our U12 Boys Gold, U13 Boys Gold, U13 Boys Black, U13 Girls Gold, U16 Boys Gold, U16 Girls Black, U17 Boys Gold, U18 Boys Gold and U18 Girls Gold all made the semi-final round. Out of nine semi-finalists, five Placer teams made the finals and four of took home championships.  The Placer United U13 Boys Gold narrowly lost out to current NorCal State Champions Santa Rosa 1-0 in a hard fought final.

U13B 03 Gold – 2015 Davis Legacy Showcase Finalists

A big congratulations to our U12 Boys Gold team. The boys didn’t concede any goals or drop any points as they  beat current NorCal State Cup Champions American River in the U12 Boys Final. Our U13 Girls also never conceded a single goal or dropped a point, while repeating their performance as Davis Legacy Showcase Champions beating their arch rivals West Coast 3-0 in their final. The Placer United U16 Boys Gold also returned a consecutive year win as Davis Legacy College Showcase Champions by beating the highly talented Santa Rosa team 1-0 in a back and forth intense game. The U18 Girls Gold are Placer’s  3rd team to repeat as Davis Legacy College Showcase Champions by winning against Diablo FC by a score of 3-1 in the U19 Girls Final.

Down in Pleasanton at the Rage College Showcase, Placer’s U16 Girls Gold, U17 Girls Black, U17 Girls Gold, and U18 Girls Gold all made it to the semi-final’s of the biggest girls college showcase in northern California. A huge kudos to the U16 Girls Gold who took home top prize and were crowned Girls Super Group Showcase Champions.

Over in Folsom the U11 Boys White team had an outstanding tournament playing some great soccer on the way to beating some strong U11 teams and advancing to the semi-finals. In the semi-final they narrowly lost out 3-2 to a good Davis team. Coach Anthony was over the moon at how well the boys played.

Upcoming July Events

Surf Cup 2015 starts this coming weekend. Teams traveling to San Diego for this major tournament will be the U12 Boys Gold, U13 Boys Gold, U13 Girls Gold, U15 Girls Gold, U16 Boys Gold, U16 Girls Gold, U17 Boys Gold, U17 Girls Gold , U18 Boys Gold and U18 Girls Gold. We wish all 10 Placer United teams that got accepted the best of luck at the biggest and best youth soccer tournament in the country.

Pleasanton Rage Junior Cup also starts this weekend. Good luck to the following teams: U9 Girls Black, U10 Girls Gold, U10 Girls Black, U11 Girls Gold, U11 Girls Black, U12 Girls Gold, U12 Girls Black, and U13 Girls Black.

Great stuff players and best of luck to all our teams.

Go Placer!

Placer United Alum, Jake Feener, Goalkeeper with USL Tulsa Roughnecks

Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 14, 2015 — An eventful week for Tulsa Roughnecks FC goalkeeper Jake Feener is continuing. Last Thursday, he made his professional debut in Tulsa’s 4-1 win over Orange County, then recorded his second victory on Saturday when the Roughnecks defeated Colorado Springs 3-1. Tuesday afternoon, Feener was recognized for his successful debut as he was voted the USL Player of the Week.  He is the first Roughnecks player to ever receive the honor.

Feener was honored after making 18 saves in his first two professional starts to lead the Roughnecks to the victories. Thirteen of the saves came in his debut against the Blues. In Saturday’s victory, the only goal for the Switchbacks came via a second-half penalty kick.

Feener earned 67 percent of the vote, which was conducted by a national panel of independent media representing every USL market. Charleston Battery forward Dane Kelly finished second with 17 percent of the vote.

His Player of the Week performance also earned Feener a spot on this week’s USL Team of the Week.

He was not the only Roughnecks player to earn a place on the squad as defender Brady Ballew was named to the team for the second time this season. Ballew picked up his third assist of the season in Thursday’s win, then collected his second goal of the campaign to open the scoring against the Switchbacks on Saturday.

It is the second time this season that the Roughnecks have placed two players on the weekly squad. Ballew and Adam Black were named to the team after Tulsa’s 5-1 win in Seattle on June 5.

The Roughnecks will be back in action this weekend. Tulsa will travel down the Turner Turnpike on Saturday to face the Oklahoma City Energy in the renewal of the Black Gold Derby. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00PM

courtesy of USL Tulsa Roughnecks

Placer United Alum, Jake Feener, Goalkeeper with USL Tulsa Roughnecks

Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 10, 2015—

Tulsa Roughnecks FC was in need of a positive result Thursday night at ONEOK Field and it came in the form of a big 4-1 win over the Orange County Blues.  The Roughnecks got another goal from local product Cristian Mata and an impressive performance in goal from Jake Feener in his USL debut to help record the victory.
The win improved Tulsa’s point total to 18 and its record to 5-8-3.  With the loss, the Blues saw their record fall to 7-8-1 with 22 points.  
For the first 15 minutes, it did not appear that three points were likely for the Roughnecks.  The Blues started positively, and it took a pair of big saves from Feener in the 11th minute to keep the match scoreless.
The Roughnecks started to settle into the match midway through the half.  Brady Ballew and Oscar Jimenez had shots turned away by Blues’ keeper Pepe Miranda.

Tulsa finally broke through to open the scoring in the 30th minute when local product Cristian Mata settled a cross from Iarfhlaith Davoren and placed a low shot into the corner of Miranda’s net.  It was the second goal in three matches for the Tulsa resident.
Cristian Mata photo courtesy of Rich Crimi.

The Blues evened the score line just before half when they caught the Roughnecks’ defense out of position.  Didier Crettenand’s shot left Feener with no chance and tied the game at 1-1 as the team’s headed to the halftime locker rooms.
 After the interval, the Roughnecks caught one of the few breaks they have received this season.  In the 48th minute, a cross from Steven Miller was directed into Miranda’s net by Blues defender Jack McCracken for an own goal to put Tulsa in front to stay.
Jimenez made it 3-1 in the 58th minute.  Oscar blasted home from close range on a cross from Ballew for his first-ever USL goal.
Down two goals, the Blues press forward in an attempt to get back in the game, but Feener was up to the task.  
Kyrian Kidd put the game out of reach when he tapped home a free kick cross from Chad Bond in the 90th minute.  It was Kidd’s second goal of the year and gave the Roughnecks a 4-1 victory.
Feener was outstanding, registering 13 saves in the match as the Blues outshot Tulsa 24-16.  The keeper was awarded the Joe Momma’s Man of the Match by the Roustabouts for his performance.
The Roughnecks will get little time to enjoy the result.  They will be back in action Saturday night at ONEOK Field as they host top of the table Colorado Springs.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm.

courtesy USL Tulsa Roughnecks

By: Steven Wilson, Sports Editor – The Press Tribune

Roseville, CA — It’s been almost one year exactly since the under-18 Placer United boys soccer team won the 2014 National Premier League (NPL) Finals in North Carolina and brought the championship trophy back to Placer County.

Fast forward to July, 2015 and Placer United is sending a pair of girls squads to the East Coast to compete in this year’s tournament in Indiana.

“It’s very rare to have two teams in the same club that make it to the national finals,” stated Ron Benjamin, who’s been the Director of Coaching at Placer United for eight years.

Both the under-16 and under-17 girls squads will be make the trip after qualifying for the tournament in December after winning their respective divisions in the NPL NorCal Champions League.

The under-16 team, consisting of players born in 2000, won their league with a 6-1-1 record. Meanwhile, the under-17 team (players born in 1999) posted an undefeated 7-0-1 record.

“I’ve been playing with Placer United since I was apart of the under-9 team and it’s incredible to see how much better we’ve gotten as a team,” Rocklin High student and under-16 midfielder Megan Kuo said. “For us to win this tournament, we have to be strong on defense.”

Despite competing against many talented squads in the opening rounds of the tournament, Placer United has a tradition on their side.

“We’re seeking the club’s third and fourth national championship,” Benjamin said. “In 2008, the ’93 girls won the club soccer national championship and then last year our ’97 boys went out to the same event and won the national championship.

“We’re 2 for 2 at that level,” Benjamin added. “There’s a lot of pressure because we’re one of the more respected clubs in Northern California and we have a high standard.”

Nicolette Lewis — a member of the Granite Bay girls soccer team and a midfielder for the under-16 Placer United team — says she’s most excited to compete against some of the best teams in the nation this weekend.

“I think we start out by playing the fifth-ranked team in the nation,” Lewis explained. “So we need to have a winning mentality — that’s probably the number one thing.”

Although the under-16 team dropped their opening match of the tournament 3-0 to Scottsdale Blackhawks 00G Shank, Lewis is happy that her team’s not alone in this process and they can lean on their peers for advice.

“It’s cool to go through this experience with another team,” she said. “We’ve been playing with them for so long, so it’s nice to compete against them and have them as role models for our team.”

The older girls on the team helped set the pace of the practices and made sure the younger team knew just how important this time of the year is for both squads.

The under-17 squad also took care of business on Thursday with a 4-2 win over Tusc Blitz United 99 Girls to move to the top of their bracket heading into Friday.

“High school ended in mid-May, we had tryouts and we started back up on June 1, so usually we’re on a break at this time of the year,” said Benjamin. “From June 22 to July 5 we let them recharge the batteries and then the tournament season starts at the end of July. But since we qualified for this tournament, we’re one of the only clubs around here training right now.

“So everyone forewent their vacations because we want to be prepared for this trip.”

A total of 16 teams qualified for the tournament by winning their state premier league. Each team is divided into a division — just like group play in the World Cup — which is comprised of four teams each. The four teams with the best record after group play advance.

“There are teams on the East Coast who just finished their competitive seasons, so they should be used to highly-competitive games,” Benjamin said.

Both Placer United squads began group play on Thursday and will end the first round of competition on Saturday. The semifinals will take place on Sunday and the championship will occur Monday morning if they qualify.

“I think we’re ready,” Benjamin said. “We’ve been training hard and pushing the girls to the limit for the last five weeks.”

Benjamin and the other coaches know just how tough the conditions back East will be, so they decided to turn up the heat in July.

“Getting used to the humidity is going to be horrible,” Lewis admitted. “Our coaches closed the garage doors at our practice facility and it suctioned in the heat. Plus, the other day we went on a run outside and it was 108 (degrees). It was so hot, but the coaches and parents surprised us with water balloons, so it was a great team-bonding experience.”

“If we’re playing in a location where it’s hot, we feel like we have an advantage — we train in the heat all the time,” Benjamin added. “But humidity is a little different.”

The teams flew out together on Wednesday, leaving little time for delay as the under-16 team played right away on Thursday at 9 a.m. CST.

“This is going to be much like a college team’s trip — It’s all business,” Benjamin said.

“We’ve never seen a lot of these teams,” Benjamin said. “So we’re going to need quick fixes on both sides and figure out what the other team is doing within 15 minutes; what’s their formation, what’s their style and then we’ll make our adjustments.

“We’ve played a lot of teams all over the country, but these specific ones we haven’t seen… We’re going in blind.”

The tournament is about more than just wins however.

“It’s about showing our abilities to college coaches who are watching and creating a future for ourselves,” Woodcreek student and under-17 midfielder Mackenzie George said.

“We have a lot of seniors on our team and although I’m only a junior, it’s still important to me to stand out and make an impact,” Oakmont High student and Placer United under-17 defender Kiley Whipple said. “So I just want to help my team in whatever way I can and find out if soccer is something I want to pursue at the next level.”

Despite a lack of familiarity with their competition, Benjamin and Co. are confident they’ll finish the tournament strong and they hope to bring home some hardware on the return flight.

Follow Steven Wilson on Twitter for game score and updates throughout the tournament: @stevenjwilson11.

The National Premier League Finals – formerly known as the NPL Champions Cup – features the champions of NPLs across the United States in the U-13 through U-18 boys and girls age groups. Teams play several group games before advancing to knock-out rounds to determine the NPL national champion in every age group.

This year, Placer United has two women’s teams competing including the U16G 00’s and U17G 99’s. Both teams flew out of Sacramento this morning on their way to Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.

Placer United U16G

Placer United U17G

One of the most prestigious championships in the country, the NPL Finals is the targeted destination for all NPL teams throughout the year-long, league-based competition each season.

Good Luck Girls!

Ten Placer United players are in McMinnville, Oregon, competing for spots on USYSA’s Region IV Regional teams. Top players from the 14 western states were selected to compete for positions on the regional teams. Coach Ron Benjamin, and former professional women’s soccer players Brandi Chastain and Tiffeny Milbrett, were on staff to train the girls.

Once teams are selected, they will participate and compete against the three other regions in the U.S.

Congrats to the following players:

Boys

Gavin Mann – 02
Cole Phillips – 02

(l-r) Sydney Schultz, Abena Aidoo, Nicolette Lewis, Emily Talmi, Isabella Perez, Clare Murphy, Maggie Bell

Girls

Maggie Bell – 98
Nicolette Lewis – 99
Isabella Perez – 00
Sydney Schultz – 00
Emily Talmi – 00
Clare Murphy – 00
Abena Aidoo – 00
Taylor Ramos – 02

Taylor Ramos

Go Placer!

2015 ODP Summer Camp Dates

Madalyn Schiffel, Goalkeeper, University of San Francisco

Congratulations are in order for Madalyn Schiffel who was called in to compete at the the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team training camp in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The camp was held from April 26 to May 3 and featured 24 current collegiate players. The majority of the roster has extensive experience with the USA’s Youth National Teams, including nine players who have played for the USA at FIFA U17 or U20 Women’s World Cup tournaments.

Madalyn has been involved in the US Youth National Team system and has been identified as one of the top female goalkeepers in the US. “It was a great experience to be called into the U23’s and play with some of the best players in the country,” stated Schiffel.

Great job Madalyn! We wish you the best of luck in the future with your National Team endeavors and your upcoming season with the University of San Francisco!

Read More About Madalyn