Three Placer United teams played in the Norcal State Cup playoffs this past weekend.

The U11B Red had a pair of victories to advance to the State 1-8 quarter-finals. In group play, the boys defeated North Bay Elite 2-1 and Heritage 3-0. In the quarter-finals, the boys defeated the Monarcas 4-1 to advance to the semi-finals on January 25th.

The U13G Red played in the State 1-8 quarter-finals. Despite a barrage of scoring opportunities, the girls were up-ended 3-1 by Cal Odyssey. In the 5-8 playoffs, the girls lost a heartbreaker to Mustang 2-1.  They will play for 7th/8th place in the State on February 16th.

The U12G Red played in the quarter-finals of the Premier 3 Cup on Saturday and came out with a 3-1 victory over Walnut Creek. In the semi-finals, the girls defeated Peninsula Odyssey 1-0 to advance to the final on February 15th against the Central California Soccer Alliance.

Congrats to the teams on a great weekend!

What a great weekend for all the Placer United players who were selected to play for Cal North teams at the 2014 ODP Region IV Championships held this past weekend at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Arizona.

Placer United boys players on the Cal North 2001 team that made the Region IV semi finals included Cade Mawson and Dominic Paielli. The Cal North 1999 boys team with Placer’s Ryan Branigan also made it to the semi finals. Placer United had standout goalkeeper Jay Roundtree between the sticks on the Cal North 1998 boys team.

Placer United’s Emily Talmi and Lindsey Porter represented Placer United on the Cal North ODP 2000 girls team that also made it to the Region IV semi final game. Maggie Bell made it to the final playing for the girls Cal North 1998 ODP team.

Congratulations to all the players.

Go Placer!

Indoor Training Center

In 2012, Placer United purchased a 27,000 sq. ft. building to provide training opportunities to improve technical skills and tactical understanding of the game. This facility enables Placer United professional coaching staff to provide soccer skill training for more kids entering the sport at all levels of skill, as soccer players visit the building to participate in indoor leagues, skill camps, speed & agility clinics, and open play. Amenities include:

• four futsal fields
• one keeper training area
• small ball soccer training with a size 1-2 futsal ball to develop ball skills
• waiting area for parents complete with Wi/Fi and large screen TV

Further, this facility, known as the “crown jewel of soccer facilities” in the greater Sacramento area, draws adult leagues and offers an opportunity for anyone who enjoys soccer to play.

Outdoor Training

Placer United Soccer Club, in partnership with Richland Communities and the City of Lincoln, will be developing a major new soccer complex. The complex is planned to break ground in late 2015 or early 2016 with a least four fields open by fall of 2016.  At build out, the state-of-the-art facility will include:

• twelve full-size soccer fields (including one stadium/championship field)
• three training fields
• futsal courts
• an office/locker room/meeting space/dining complex
• multiple concession stands
• maintenance facilities
• kids’ play areas
• a parks area with walking trails integrated with adjacent creeks.

Placer United Soccer Complex will be the largest and best soccer complex in Northern California. It is expected to be a major sports tourisum venue as well as the home site for most Placer United training sessions and home games. The complex sits adjacent to and is highly visible from the new Hwy. 65 freeway bypass around the City of Lincoln.

Placer United currently trains on fields throughout Placer County with a home field located at Del Oro High School. Del Oro provides us with lighted grass and turf practice fields. In addition, we have a strategic partnership with the Roseville City Unified School District and maintain lighted training fields at Cirby Elementary School in Roseville.

Erika Garcia, a graduate of Placer United and a junior and All Ivy League player at Harvard University, just received word that she has been selected to participate in the Full Senior Women's National Team Camp in Mexico from January 26 through February 6.  After the training camp ends on February 6, she will be headed with the National Team to China to play a round of games. They will play North Korea on February 11, China on February 13, and New Zealand on February 15th. This will be Erika's first opportunity to earn National team caps**.

A message from the Mexican Technical Director stated that the purpose of this trip is to prepare to qualify for the World Cup in Canada 2015 and win the Gold Medal of the Central American Games.

We are very exicited for you, Erika! Congratulations!

**A cap in soccer is a recognition that is earned by a player for every appearance in an international game for her country. There are no official rules that say you must be playing on foreign soil when you represent your country or that you must be a member of the country's national team for you to get 'capped'.

Two Placer United girls teams secured top 1-8 spots in the state and will advance in Norcal State Cup.

The U11G '03 Red had a pair of victories in group play on Saturday and won their group. They advanced to the Elite 8 for the second year in a row. In game one, the girls defeated MVLA Lightning Blue, 3-1. In game two, the girls had a convincing 7-1 victory over DeAnza Force. The quarter-final was played on Sunday and the girls came out victorious with a 1-0 win over Milpitas. They now advance to the State Cup semi-finals versus West Valley Magic on January 25th.

The U13G '01 Red finished up group play with a 0-0 draw versus Livermore to win their group and advance to the Top 8 in the state. This is their second consecutive trip to the Elite 8. They play in the State Cup quarter-final match next Saturday the 18th versus Cal Odyssey.

The U11G 03' White had a draw and a pair of close defeats to advance to the quarter-finals of the Diamond 2 division. In the quarters, they played the Central Valley San Jose Mercury Red. It was a nail-biting game and the girls came out with a 2-1 win in golden goal overtime. They now move on to the semi-finals versus Tracy on January 25th.

The U12G '02 Red had a pair of 0-0 draws in their final group play games and move on to the Premier 3 quarter-finals versus the Walnut Creek Inifnity next Saturday the 18th.

Congrats to all of these teams on an excellent weekend!

The US Youth Soccer ODP Boys Winter Interregional, which recently took place at the IMG Academy in Bradenton Florida, featured players who were selected from US Youth Soccer State Association and regional level evaluations. Throughout the three-day event, players trained at practices and competed in matches in front of national staff and collegiate coaches for the opportunity to be selected to a higher level of play. After the event, US Youth Soccer announced the US Youth Soccer ODP All-Star teams for 2013. Of the nearly 75 players in the 1998 age group who participated in the event, a roster was constituted based on outstanding performance. The player who was selected to wear the number one jersey was Placer United’s Jay Roundtree.

Jay is on the road again this weekend as he leaves to represent Cal North at the ODP State Championships being held in Arizona.

Congratulations to Jay and his family, as well as Placer GK coach, Matt Bernard.

Great job guys!