All posts by PUSC

Matt Tarr of U18 ’96 Red Commits to Chico State University

Matt Tarr

Matt Tarr

“I am very excited to announce I have committed to California State University, Chico, to play soccer and plan to enroll in their Mechatronic Engineering program. I am looking forward to working with Coach Felipe and taking my game to the next level.  I have had an amazing ride at Placer United, having played here since I was 8 years old. I’ve had ups and downs through all those years but having the opportunity to play in college has made it all worth it. I would like to thank three very important people in my life that have known me since I was a young child and have seen me grow into the young adult I am today. They have all helped me become a better soccer player and always pushed me to do better. Thank you to Paul O’Brien, Jason Gantt, and Kelcey Chaidez. You are all great coaches and I wouldn’t have made it where I am without your help.  I would also like to thank Matt McDougall.  Even though he only became my coach this year, he has played a large role in helping me through the college process.

Last, the biggest thanks go to my wonderful parents. Thank you mom and dad for your selfless love and the thousands of hours and dollars you have invested in me. I know that all you wanted was for me to be happy and play the game I love; getting to play college soccer is just the cherry on top.

Thank you to everybody who has helped me along this journey and if I forgot you I’m sorry, but you know who you are 🙂

Go Placer United and Go Wildcats!” — Matt Tarr

Dali Alarian Commits to Rensselaer Polytchnic Institute

Dali Alarian

Dali Alarian

“I am extremely excited to announce that I have verbally committed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute! It is my dream school and has everything I want in a college and more. What really sold me on the school is that they are ranked as the fourth best engineering school in the world, and I am extremely passionate about becoming a biomedical engineer! When I found out that I would also be able to pursue my love for soccer there, I knew Rensselaer was where I wanted to go. I would like to thank my family for always being supportive of me and also my past coaches for helping me become the player I am today. I would especially like to thank Coach Ron Benjamin because without him, I would have never imagined even playing soccer in college. Also, a big thanks to Coach Paul O’Brien for helping me step up my game by practicing with his boys’ team. And last but not least, thank you to all my teammates, past and present, for pushing me to become a better player.” —Dali Alarian

Weekend Sizzles Both on and off the Field for Placer United Families

U10B Red Win Davis Clasico with Coach Kevin

U10B Red Win Davis Clasico with Coach Kevin

At 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning all around Placer County, the ringing of alarm clocks, followed by the grinding of coffee beans and the sizzle of bacon and eggs was heard loud and clear. “Why?” you ask. Err Hello! It was the start of the new 2013/14  EPL season.

When the final whistle blew, Liverpool went to the top of the league. It was time for families to pack their bags and jump into their soccer transporters as Placer United teams were off to compete in tournaments in Davis and Woodland.

Out in Davis we had four Placer United teams make the finals on a sizzling hot Sunday afternoon. On the girls side the U11G White team went into the final unbeaten in their bracket play. They girls played tough and hard but couldn’t replicate the same energy and soccer they had produced in the earlier games due to the hot sun.  With the game tied 0-0 they were eventually beaten on PKs.

Over on the boys side, the U11B White team also topped their bracket and went into the final on the back of  playing some really good soccer and scoring some quality goals. They started the final really well and got their reward with a good goal. But with five minutes left, the weather eventually took its toll and they conceded two late goals to lose out 2-1.

The U11B Red team continued to show why they are one of the top teams around as they started the tournament exactly where they left off the weekend before, winning their three bracket games  and advancing to the final. In the final the boys started off  really quickly and notched up two goals before half time which was enough to secure back-to-back tournament wins.

In the U10Boys Premier Division, the Placer Boys Red team ran away with the title. After scoring 19 goals in bracket play they produced another goal fest in the final as they ran out 6-0 winners to cap off a great weekend of soccer for Placer United teams in Davis.

Over in Woodland, we had both the U16 Boys teams competing in the Premier Division of the Woodland Cup.  The Red team won the Championship game 6-0, and the White team finished 4th overall. Both teams battled really well and were really exhausted as they entered the tournament on the back of a week of high school tryouts.

Big congrats to all our teams competing in Davis and Woodland. A special mention for Maclean Learned, the U11 Boys Premier Final MVP, and Chase Tanon, the U10 Boys Premier Final MVP. Way to go guys!

As you can see it was another great weekend of soccer. Stay tuned for more!

Sundquist Named in U14 National Team Roster

Cody Sunquist at the Milk Cup during the Liverpool Academy game against Southhampton. Photo courtesy of sports photographer, Damian McKee

Cody Sunquist at the Milk Cup during the Liverpool Academy game against Southhampton. Photo courtesy of sports photographer, Damian McKee

Placer United’s Cody Sundquist is off again only this time he’s not traveling twelve hours around the world to play. He’s making the one hour trip to L.A. to participate in the latest U14 National Team 9 day Camp at the Home Depot.  READ MORE.

Cody visited Liverpool FC this past March to train with their Academy teams. He was invited back to England for a full month of training this summer where he had the opportunity to play with their  ‘98 squad at the prestigious Milk Cup Tournament held every year in Northern Ireland.

Way to go Cody! Congratulations from all of us at Placer United!

Placer United U11B Red Win the Santa Clara Sporting Invitational

Placer United U11B Red, Santa Clara Sporting Invitational Champions

Placer United U11B Red, Santa Clara Sporting Invitational Champions

The Placer United U11B Red team, coached by Matt Bernard, won the Santa Clara Sporting Invitational this past weekend. The boys played six top ranked teams in route to the championship and were undefeated the entire weekend. They played Turlock FC, Mustang Roma, Almaden FC and Santa Rosa United in the first half of the weekend. The boys finished with a definitive 5-1 win over San Juan in the semi-finals and beat Ajax 1-0 with a goal in the last 90 seconds of regulation to bring home the championship.  CHECK OUT THIS GOAL!

Contributed by Michelle Schreiner

Placer United Girls Teams Go the Distance at the Prestigious Mustang Stampede

U10G Red at Mustang Stampede

U10G Red at Mustang Stampede

It was a great weekend for Placer United Soccer Club at the Mustang Stampede this past weekend. All of our teams were seeded in the top division of the event and faced solid competition. Five of the teams made it out of bracket play and into the quarter-finals. Placer United showed great club culture and spirit as players and families were able to watch and cheer for the other teams in the club.

Additionally, a few college coaches were also in attendance at our U15 games as they were evaluating the age group.

The U14G Red reached the semi-finals. They opened up with a 3-1 win over the WFC Rangers of Washington. In Game #2 the girls had a 3-1 win over the DeAnza Force. In Game #3 the girls played the Camarillo Eagles from down south and came up short in a 1-0 defeat. Their results were still good enough to push them into the quarter-finals against the NW Nationals of Washington. In the quarters, the girls had a 1-0 lead for most of the game and then the Nationals tied the game with one minute remaining. The game went to two golden goal overtime periods and the game was still deadlocked. The girls came out victorious in the penalty kick shootout to move into the semi-finals. In the semi’s the girls drew 0-0 with San Juan and then lost 4-3 in kicks.

The U15G Red also made it to the quarter-finals after competing well in group play.  The girls opened up with a 1-0 win over the VSC Storm from Cal-South. They had many scoring opportunities to extend their lead and held on for the win. In Game #2, they saw the Irvine Strikers and dropped the game 4-1. In this game, the girls were very unlucky as they rang the crossbar/post three times and had many scoring chances. After the defeat the girls rebounded with a 3-0 win over the DeAnza Force. After a few injuries the girls limped into the quarters and had a good showing versus Mustang but fell short.

The U13G Red had a great showing and won their group with two wins and one draw. In Game #1 the girls played a very powerful DeAnza Force squad and won 2-0. In Game #2 the girls had a 5-0 decision over Washington Premier. In the final group game the girls drew 1-1 with the Santa Rosa Riptide. The girls then faced the Burlingame Rays in the quarter-finals. The game was back and forth with great possession, quality scoring chances and fantastic defensive work by both teams. Burlingame scored early in the second half and withstood numerous chances by our Placer girls.

The U11G Red dominated the opposition in group play with three consecutive wins. They scored five goals and did not concede a goal.  They defeated the State Champion West Valley Magic and the Pleasanton Rage by the score of 2-0.  In Game #3 the girls defeated the Mill Valley Rockers 1-0.  In the quarter-finals, the girls dominated the entire game versus Barcelona with great possession and numerous scoring chances, but could not find the back of the net.  Barcelona scored a late goal against the run of the play to move on to the semi-finals.

The U10G Red also won their bracket with two wins and one loss. The girls opened up the tournament with a 5-1 score line.  In Game #2 they took a 1-0 loss to the Stockton Storm in a back and forth match. The girls rebounded to win the bracket with a 2-1 win over Santa Rosa. In the quarter-finals the girls battled to a 1-1 draw through regulation and sudden death overtime but fell short in penalty kicks.

The U12G Red had a great weekend of soccer and showed a very classy playing style, keeping great possession and creating numerous scoring chances throughout the weekend.  The girls opened up versus Cascade FC from Oregon. This was a back and forth affair with both teams attacking relentlessly. The game ended in a 3-3 draw. The girls played great soccer in Games #2 and #3 versus Loomis and Santa Rosa but came up on the short end.

Congratulations to all of the players, families and the soccer club. What a great weekend!

Sydney Pagador U18G ’97 Red Makes the Phillipines National Team

Sydney Pagador

Sydney Pagador

“During the week of July 29-August 2, I tried out for the Philippines Women’s National Soccer team in Corona, CA. There were only about twenty-five girls at tryouts because most of the college players were either there the week before I came, or had reported back to college to prepare for their upcoming season. There was also a tryout going on in the Philippines for the team as well. From day one, the girls were very encouraging and hard working. It was one of the greatest experiences to play with other Filipino girls from around the U.S. and to know this tryout was not for a high school team, not for a club team, but for a National team. Unbelievable!

On August 3, 2013, I received an email stating I was invited to play in the AFF (Asian Futbol Federation) tournament with the Philippines Women’s National Soccer team, which will be held in Mandalay, Myanmar, September 10-22, 2013. In order for me to be on the team, I had to get dual citizenship to the Philippines. I will be training in Manila, Philippines, two weeks prior to this event. On September 10, the Philippines will be playing Indonesia; September 12th, the Philippines will play against Japan U23; September 14th, the Philippines will play against Myanmar; September 14th, the Philippines will play Laos. The Semifinals will be on September 20th and the final game on September 22nd.

I am so honored to play in this tournament. This is a great opportunity for me to play with people who have the same heritage as me and I am really looking forward to playing for the Philippines Women’s National Soccer team. I will be training as hard as I can for the next three weeks, preparing to do the best I can, so I can represent the Philippines country where my dad was born. I couldn’t have done this without the help of my coach, Ron Benjamin, and without the support of my family and friends.”

—Sydney Pagador

Placer United U18G ’97 White Take Home the Sac United Suntan Classic Title

The Placer United U18G ’97 White went undefeated over the weekend and won the premier bracket of the Sac United Suntan Classic. In game #1, the girls started off fast and furious en route to a 5-0 win over Cap FC. In game #2, the girls defeated the host, Sac United, 2-1. In the semi-final, the girls played the Folsom Arsenal. This game was a physical battle and the team capitalized on two scoring chances, one in the first half and one in the second half. In the final, the team prevailed in a penalty kick shootout after two five minute overtime periods against ARFC.

The U15G ’99 White also had a great run through the tournament making it all the way to the final. The girls notched two consecutive 2-1 victories over Eureka and the host, Sac United. In the semi-final, the girls grinded out a 2-1 victory over the Roseville Impulse. In the final, the team faced a very talented San Rosa United Ice team and came up on the short end.

The U14G ’00 White also went undefeated over the weekend. They had two 0-0 draws with the Monarcas and Fair Oaks. In game #3, they defeated EDYSL 1-0. In their final consolation match the girls drew once again versus the Monarcas 1-1.

The U12G ’02 White played great soccer all weekend. They were involved in two high scoring matches but unfortunately came up a bit short.  They lost 5-2 to host, Sac United, and 4-3 to Santa Rosa Fury. In their final match they beat Fair Oaks 7-0 to end their weekend.

Thank you to everyone for a great weekend of soccer!

Placer United Jay Roundtree Receives Golden Glove

Jay Roundtree

Jay Roundtree

Placer United U15B goalkeeper, Jay Roundtree, competed in San Diego at Surf Cup with the USYS Region IV ’98 ODP team this past weekend. Jay was selected to attend Surf with the Regional team after having an impressive showing at this year’s ‘98 Regional camp. A big congratulations to Jay for being awarded the Golden Glove Trophy as the “Top ‘98 Goalkeeper – 2013 USYS Regional Camp.” Luc Barbe’ (96) also scored a Golden Glove Trophy which makes two winners at this year’s Regional camps and a strong representation by the Placer United goalkeeper staff.

Makenzie Brito, U18 ’97 Red, Commits to UC San Diego

Makenzie Brito

Makenzie Brito

“I am super excited to announce that I have verbally committed to UC San Diego. I can’t wait to continue my studies there and take part in such a great and successful soccer program! I am so beyond grateful to Coach Brian McManus for seeing all my hard work on and off the field and allowing me to bring what I have to offer to his team. I would like to thank my Mom and Step Dad, along with the rest of my family, for truly making my soccer career possible and always being my support system; I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without them. Also, I want to thank all my coaches, starting from the beginning with my recreation soccer coach, Jason Hartford, for igniting my passion for soccer; and Joe Black and Nathan Williams for always pushing me and teaching me so much about the game. Most importantly, thank you to my coach for the past three years, Ron Benjamin. Words cannot express my gratitude for everything he has done for me on and off the field. He has always believed in me and challenged me to be the best player and person I can be and I truly can’t thank him enough. Finally, I would like to thank my teammates, past and present – you guys have been amazing and I am so proud to have been able to play with all of you! Go Tritons!”

— Makenzie Brito