Game two at the Dallas Cup with MLS visitor Ryan Hollingshead of FC Dallas

The competition at Dallas Cup is exactly like the weather, heating up all the time and game two for the Placer 97 Boys promised to be a sizzler both on and off the field. The opposition awaiting the boys on the manicured fields of Richland College was a team from south of the border called CF Monterrey Rayados Waller. This was the second team the boys would play from a different country and it looked like this would be a really tough game. The Mexican team had narrowly lost their first game the day before to a highly talented Dallas Texans USSF Academy team by a score of 2-1.

The midday kick off seemed to suit the Monterrey boys better as straight away they created a couple of quick chances. Luckily for the boys representing the stars and stripes, the Mexican striker left his shooting boots in his back pack. With about 20 minutes gone on the clock, the Yellow Submarine finally surfaced and launched a wave of attacks which required the Monterrey goalkeeper to pull out two back-to-back saves from starting Placer striker Brandon Powers.

On minute 35, the break through arrived. After a neat and tidy passage of play between two Placer U17’s, Zac Anderson and Hunter Loomis saw the ball and threaded into the path of Brandon who shot towards goal. The GK again got a hand to the ball to deny the striker a goal but up stepped Diego Buenrostro to slot the rebound into an open net. The half time whistle sounded and the score read 1-0 to Placer.

The second half started just like the first with the Monterrey team quicker to the ball and it didn’t take long before the game was tied up. A free kick was awarded and launched into the Placer 18 yard box. A Mexican player got open, he rose and headed past the outstretched hands of Placer GK Robert Quintero and that triggered a massive celebration on the opposition bench. But the celebration didn’t last long when 90 seconds later Placer took the lead again.

Another great build up involving left back Zac Anderson led to Zac swinging in a great cross. As the ball was traveling into the six yard box, Diego sprinted and threw himself between two defenders to nod the ball into the bottom corner and score his second goal of the game. This time the Placer bench erupted into celebration as it was a goal of pure quality and sent a message that the submarine would not be sunk.

With the Placer boys back in control of the game, Coach Gantt sent on UC Davis bound Kristian Heptner with simple instructions—go score goals and Kristian did just that. In minute 55 he scored his first and by minute 65 he had completed a brilliant hat trick of goals which left the Mexican team completely stunned.

Jesse Gonzalez added another goal to finish out the game with the score reading Placer United 6, CF Monterrey Rayados Waller 1.

Next up for the boys is the USSF Academy team and local home boys the Dallas Texans.

Go Placer!

A somewhat serious and focused U18 Boys 97 Gold team before their first match at Dallas Cup on Monday.

Dallas, TX — After a spectacular run of number ones in 2014, the call went out at the start of the New Year to put the band back together for a 2015 final farewell road trip. With all band members and roadies in agreement, Dallas Cup 2015 was chosen as the venue to try and add one more title to an already impressive resume. 

On Monday afternoon dressed in their familiar all-yellow kits, the boys took center stage against a big strong-looking U19 college team from England.

From the first whistle and in typical British bulldog fashion, the boys from across the pond came out looking to set the tone as they flew into tackles looking to sink the Yellow Submarine. After some verbal warnings from the center referee regarding some ankle tapers on the submarines rhythm section, the game finally settled down.

On the 25th minute the boys finally gave the watching crowd something to cheer about. A neat combination down the left wing and a cross to an unmarked Max Kearney put Placer up 1-0. Ten minutes later another neat combination, this time on the edge of the box between Danny Caravez and Kristian Heptner, saw Danny volley home a second Placer United goal. With half time quickly approaching the Placer back line got caught out by a long ball to the speedy British number 9 and the Bulldogs scored to end the half  2-1 in favor of Placer United.

Over the course of the second half with the Dallas temperature close to 85 degrees, the Bulldogs started to fade. The Yellow Submarine was now in total control and fully enjoying being back on center stage.

Hunter Loomis in particular was starting to cause problems for the British back line as he continuously out paced their defenders and latched onto to a few neat through balls from the man of the match, Danny Caravez. Hunter struck the post twice before finally forcing an error which led to Placer taking a 3-1 lead and claim the first victory of the final road trip.

Next up for the boys is the Mexican Academy team CF Monterey.

Go Placer!

Congratulations to Placer United Alumni Jake Feener who signed with professional soccer team the Tulsa Roughnecks of the USL. Jake graduated from Seattle University in 2013 were he was named first team All-Conference and the MVP of the WAC Tournament.  Before college Jake attended Jesuit high school where he recieved tons of accolades.  He holds the California State record for shutouts and California record for shutouts in a career.  He was named ESPN Player of the Week. He was a member of the All-Region and All-American high school team. He received the Athletic Directors Award. He still holds the Jesuit record for least goals scored against. He was named the Sacramento High School Player of the Year in 2009.

A big shout out to Jake and look out for him when he lines up against Sac Republic FC.

Go Placer!

Seth Casiple — photo by Portland Oregon photograhper, Craig MItchelldyer

Portalnd, Ore. – The Portland Timbers’ USL side, Portland Timbers 2, have announced their second wave of signings today, adding five players to the team roster: goalkeepers Justin Luthy and Daniel Withrow, defender Matt Rose, midfielders Blair Gavin, Seth Casiple, and Tim Payne, and forwards Fatawu Safiu and Rundell Winchester have all signed with T2 for the side’s inaugural season.

An alumni player with Placer United, Casiple, 22, was acquired by the Portland Timbers in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft after being invited to participate in the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine. A Rocklin, Calif., native, Casiple played four years for the University of California-Berkeley, scoring six goals and providing 27 assists in 75 matches (74 starts). As co-captain his senior year, he scored one goal and provided seven assists in 19 games played in 2014. He was selected to the NSCAA All-Far West selection second team, as well as the All-Pac-12 first team, while his 27 career assists rank fourth all-time in Cal men’s soccer history. Casiple has also been called up twice to train with the U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team in 2012 and helped the Austin Aztex earn a 2013 USL PDL championship.

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Evan Schoer, Maclean Learned, Dominic Vega

Three Placer United players will be heading to San Diego later this week to attend US Club Soccer’s first ID2 camp for players born in 2002. Evan Schoer, Maclean Learned, and Dominic Vega will be training Thursday through Sunday at the US Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. US Club Soccer’s ID2 Program  is one of the premier identification opportunities for young players and is free of charge to those invited into camp. This is the first of five training camps to be held in 2015 culminating in eighteen players being selected for an international trip (spring 2016) paid for by US Club Soccer and Nike.

Placer United U16G 99 Gold
2015 Vegas Players College Showcase Champions

Five Placer United girls teams travelled to Las Vegas this past weekend to compete in the Players College Showcase Tournament. The U16G 99 Gold claimed a championship, and the U18G 98 Gold were runner ups.

It was the final event of the season for five Placer United teams. It was hot in the desert with temperatures hovering around the mid-80’s. There were over 400 colleges represented at the event as they scouted future players. The Placer United teams were placed in the highest divisions in the event and the college coaches packed the sidelines to watch. The U14’s and U15’s played a tournament format while the U16’s and U18’s played in a college showcase format. They played four games and the champion was decided on points.

Pre-game Visualization with Coach Bart

The U16G 99 Gold, coached by the legend, Gene Duchateau and assisted by Bart Morefield, had a great run through the event. The girls showed their class and poise maintaining a high level of possession based soccer. They opened up against the Austin Texans and won 4-0. They followed up the win with a 0-0 draw with Carlsbad. In game three, the girls beat the Slammers from Southern California, 2-0. Needing a win to claim the championship, the girls nipped Surf Hawaii 1-0 to cap off a great weekend. The team had 7 goals for and 0 against.

The U18G 98 Gold finished as finalists in the event with 2 wins, one draw and one loss. They opened up with a thrilling 3-2 win over FC Golden State. Moving into Saturday’s games, they faced the Eagles of Camarillo. It was a back and forth game with lots of scoring chances for each team but the Eagles capitalized on their chances and won 4-0. Looking to rebound in game three, the girls did just that with a 3-1 win over Heat FC. In the final game, the girls tied 0-0 with LA Premier and secured enough points to finish as the finalists.

The U14G 01 Gold had a tough draw but were excited for the competition. They started off very strong with a 1-0 win over the Fullerton Rangers. In game two, the girls battled to a 0-0 draw with Surf Hawaii. In game three, needing a win to advance to the semi’s, the girls ran into the Slammers, who were the eventual champions. It was an exciting game but the girls came up on the short end with a 3-0 loss. The girls finished group play with a 1-1-1 record and 2nd in their group. In the consolation game, the girls were up-ended by the local squad, Heat FC.

The U15G 00 Gold had a great showing at the event in a loaded group. The girls came out in game one on fire with a 3-1 win over Crossfire Washington. In game two, the girls battled MVLA in a great display of possession/attacking soccer. With 10 minutes remaining and the game tied at 1-1, the referee blew the whistle for a hand ball and the girls were defeated 2-1 on a penalty kick. In game three the girls matched up with a very athletic Slammers team and fell 2-0. In the consolation game, the team squared off against one of their Northern California NPL rivals, Santa Clara Sporting. Mid way through the second half, Placer scored and were able to hold on to a 1-0 victory.

The U18G 97 Gold played some very attractive soccer on the weekend but had some problems finding the back of the net. They opened up with back to back 1-0 losses to the Slammers and the So Cal Blues. In game three, the girls had a 0-0 draw against the Massachusetts State Champion, NEFC Elite. In their final game, the girls drew 1-1 with Wolfpack Blue out of Southern California.

Congratulations to all of the teams on a great season and showing our strength at a National event versus some of the top teams/clubs in the country.

The Norcal Premier League Player Development Program has selected the boys and girls players for the NPL/PDP 98/99 North First Team. The players will train and play under the guidance of the PDP staff this spring. The following Placer United players have made the first team:

Boys

• Cameron Douglas
• Ryley Kraft
• Keegan Ness
• Omar Oseguera
• Alejandro Perez
• Jordan Vice
• Vitaly Zadoynov
• Esteban Zepeda

Girls

• Megan Kuo
• Nicolette Lewis

The following players are in the training pool and will be invited to the next NPL PDP tryout for possible inclusion on the first team.

• Samantha Craig
• Rachel Gensch
• Mackenzie George
• Sylvia Sloss

Congratulations to all selected players!

MARCH 21, 2015
Scott Sidway
MLSsoccer.com

The FC Dallas attack is tough enough to contain when 11 players are on the field.

But playing an entire half down a man after midfielder Zach Pfeffer earned a red card for putting an elbow into the face of Mauro Diaz proved too much for the Philadelphia Union to overcome, as FC Dallas grabbed a 2-0 win at PPL Park and improved to 3-0-0 on the season on Saturday.

“When a team goes down, you’re always looking to capitalize on that situation,” Dallas forward Tesho Akindele told MLSsoccer.com after the game.

Manager Oscar Pareja opened the match with the same 4-2-3-1 lineup that was responsible for three goals against Sporting Kansas City last week, but it failed to generate many opportunities in the first half when Dallas was outplayed by the Union.

GAME STATS: Dallas dominates possession following Pfeffer’s ejection

At halftime though, after Pfeffer’s red card, Pareja decided to bring Ryan Hollingshead off the bench in place of Michel – an adjustment that proved to be the turning point of the match.

“[We wanted] to avoid a possible red card, because he was in the yellow,” Pareja said of Michel, knowing another yellow in an already physical game would negate the Dallas advantage. “I knew he could handle it. He is a mature player.”

But the decision to substitute for Michel did more than prevent a potential ejection of an FC Dallas player. It also gave the Hoops a more aggressive attack with the more mobile Hollingshead, who now has a goal and assist in the last two games coming off the bench.

“We wanted to have another forward. I wanted to put somebody else up front and have another body in the box when we were working the flanks with Fabian [Castillo] or Tesho or Ryan,” Pareja said. “And I thought it worked very well.”

It only took four minutes into the second half for Dallas to reap the benefits of Pareja’s wizardry, when Akindele was able to block a clearance attempt by Fabinho and race down the flank to get in position to fire a low shot past goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi. Just 10 minutes later, Hollingshead brought his coach’s vision to life, finding space at the top of box and drilling one in nearly the same spot that Akindele placed his.

The attacking depth at FC Dallas is proving to be overwhelming for opposing teams, especially when players such as Hollingshead continue to make the most of their opportunities.

“That’s the mentality that we want to develop on the team,” Pareja said. “That everybody feels involved and everybody feels important whether they are starting or coming from the bench.”

And whether it is 11 on 10 or if the teams have even numbers, the ruthless mentality that the Dallas offense is showing makes the club feel that it can play with anyone.

“We’re finding goals everywhere on offense,” Akindele said. “So we’re pretty confident.”

Scott Sidway covers FC Dallas for MLSsoccer.com.

The Placer United U18G 97 Gold won the NPL Winter League Championship this past weekend in Davis. The NPL U15-U18 Showcase hosted and marked the end of the winter league as teams were vying for the NPL winter title. The U18 girls entered the weekend with 7 wins and no losses. They faced off against Modesto Ajax and had a convincing 2-0 victory. That win claimed the championship for the team. With the championship already secured, the girls squared off against the Sonoma County Alliance who has been near the top of the table all season long. SCA scored first and the girls were down 1-0 at the half. The team quickly rebounded and scored three unanswered goals to make the score 3-1. In the final moments of the game, SCA was awarded a free kick from just outside the box and converted to make the score 3-2.  The referee blew the final whistle and the team finished the season with a perfect 9-0 record.

The Placer United U16G 99 Gold were in second place, tied with FC Elk Grove, entering the final weekend. The NPL Fall League Champions winner faced off against SCA in Saturday’s game. The girls had a majority of the possession and the scoring chances and came from behind to secure a 2-1 victory. On Sunday, the girls final game was versus Sacramento United. The team came out on fire and posted an impressive 3-0 victory to hold onto a second place finish in the league, tied with FC Elk Grove.

The Placer United U15G 00 Gold had a shot at winning the NPL Winter League but needed a slip up by Davis and had to have two wins. The girls were looking to sweep the NPL championships after winning the Champions League title in the fall. On Saturday, the girls faced Modesto Ajax. The possession and scoring chances were heavily in favor of Placer but saw themselves down 1-0 at halftime. Needing a win, the girls pressed in the second half and found the equalizer with 15 minutes to go. In a desperate attempt to win the game, the team had a flurry of chances but could not find the back of the net and settled for a 1-1 draw. To secure a second place finish, the girls needed to beat a much improved Sac United team. After a slow start, the girls found themselves up 1-0 at halftime. In the second half, the girls put together a solid performance and scored three more goals to post a 4-0 final and a second place finish.

The Placer United U18G 98 Gold finished the winter season with 3 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws. Three of their four losses in league were by one goal. The girls entered their Saturday game in the mix to finish in the top four. They faced off against American River Freedom in Saturday’s game. The game went back and forth for 90 minutes and the score was deadlocked at 1-1. In extra time, ARFC was able to find the winning goal as time expired. In Sunday’s game, the team faced the second place team, FC Elk Grove. Placer held onto a 1-0 lead until the final 5 minutes of the game when FC Elk grove equalized. The game ended with a 1-1 score line.

Congrats to all of the NPL girls teams as they once again showed their strength in the top league in Northern California!