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News

Placer United Girls Elite Teams Travel to Las Vegas for College Showcase

The Placer United U15, U16, U17 and U18 Elite teams travelled to Las Vegas last weekend for the Heat FC College Invitational. The event was held at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex and the girls played in front of college coaches who were recruiting from the event. Some of the top colleges were represented, including: University of Portland, USC, University of Oregon, Washington State, Arizona State, UNLV, amongst others.

The U15 girls had four wins on the weekend, defeating THUSC Mercury (OR) 2-0, Northwest Nationals (WA) 2-0, Players SC (NV) 1-0 and Forza SC (UT) 3-0. The girls ended up in second place in points.

The U16 girls started off the tournament with a 1-1 draw with Eugene Metro Magic (OR). They then played the eventual champion THUSC Sodium and lost a very competitive game 0-2. The next game they saw the Tennessee powerhouse, Brentwood. They lost 0-1 in a nail-biting contest which saw Placer miss numerous chances in the closing minutes. The final game was a 2-0 win over a very strong team, FC Portland. The girls had a very difficult bracket and THUSC and Brentwood finished the event in 1st and 2nd place.

The U17 girls had 3 wins and 1 loss at the event. They started off the weekend with a 5-0 win over LV Premier ECNL (NV). They then beat the Boise Nationals 1-0. The girls suffered a 1-3 loss to the Heat FC 94’s. The girls rebounded and beat the Northwest Nationals (NW) 3-0. They won their group in points and won the championship.

The U18 girls took second in the championship by points. 1-0 win over Pride Predators (CO), 1-0 win over Northwest Nationals (WA), 0-0 draw with THUSC Ireland and a 2-0 win over Heat FC.

This was a great weekend of competition for the program. Congrats to all teams and families who made the trip.

News

Placer United and Blues Girls Teams Show Strength in the Desert

Placer United Premier U15 and U17 Girls and Blues U15 Girls travelled to Las Vegas last weekend and had very strong showings.  All three teams made it out of the group stage and competed in the playoffs.  A number of college coaches were also in attendance for this event.

The Blues U15 girls won the Championsip in the Telemundo Division weaving their way through six games to bring home the Cup.  They opened up with a 0-0 draw with Washington Premier (WA) then went on a five game winning streak to claim the championship.  They defeated Oomega Select (KS) 4-1, FC United (IL) 3-2, LV Sports Academy (NV) 4-0, Cook Inlet Velocity (AK) 4-0 and in the final they defeated FC United Select again, 1-0.

The Placer United Premier U15 girls made it all the way to the Championship game in the Adidas Division before falling 1-0 to Dowtown Las Vegas SC (NV).  The girls had a great run including a 1-1 draw with Impact Utd (UT), a 3-0 win over the Alaska Rush, a 3-2 win over Semaihoo from Canada and a 1-0 win over Boca (CA-N).

The Placer United Premier U17 girls made it to the quarter-finals of the Telemundo Division and were up ended in penalty kicks by the NV Wonders out of Nevada.  The shootout went ten grueling rounds.  The girls made it to the playoffs with a 1-0 win over Twin Cities (MN), a 1-1 draw with Omega Select (KS) and a 0-0 draw with Colorado United.

All three of our teams won their groups before advancing to the knockout rounds.  This was a fantastic weekend for the soccer club.  Great job ladies!

News

Former Placer United and CDA Player Gets Recall to U20 National Team Camp

Seth Casiple (Placer United and CDA), joins his former teammate  Daniel Cuevas (CDA) in Florida

CHICAGO (Feb. 17, 2012) – U.S. Under-20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos has named a 26-player roster for a domestic training camp from Feb. 20-March 1 in Clermont, Fla.

As part of the camp, the U.S. U-20 MNT will face the reserve teams from FC Dallas on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. ET and Montreal Impact on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 10:30 a.m. ET. Both matches will take place at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex.

The squad is composed of six players born in 1994, with the rest born in 1993. The roster features four Development Academy players – Daniel Garcia, Alfred Koroma, Collin Martin and Andrew Oliver. A total of 19 total players having gone through the Development Academy during their career. Ten players are college players, with Seth Casiple and Christian Dean coming from California and Mikey Lopez and Boyd Okwuonu hailing from North Carolina.

Ten are signed to professional teams. Mexican side Santos Laguna was the only club to send more than one player, with Daniel Cuevas, Jesus Guzman and Benji Joya all representing the Guerreros. Juan Pablo Ocegueda comes from fellow Mexican Primera Division club UANL Tigres, and Victor Pineda and Omar Salgado come from MLS teams Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, respectively. Villyan Bijev, Sean Cunningham, Matt Dunn and Kamil Kaminski all play in Europe.

Fourteen players are returning from the U-20 MNT’s January camp in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., including Cunningham and Salgado, who were both also on the roster for Ramos’s first camp in Duisberg, Germany. The other 12 players are Bijev, AJ Cochran, Daniel Cuevas, Garcia, Guzman, Koroma, Martin, Eric Miller, Ocegueda, Sean Okoli, Okwuono and Walker Zimmerman.

Ramos is preparing the U-20s for the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, which will likely take place in early 2013. The tournament will determine the region’s qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup being held in Turkey from June 21-July 13. Every player on the roster is age-eligible for the upcoming U-20 World Cup.

U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team Roster By Position:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Tomas Gomez (Georgetown; Webster Groves, Mo.), Jesus Guzman (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), Kamil Kaminski (Legia Warszawa; Berlin, Conn.)
DEFENDERS (8): AJ Cochran (Wisconsin; St. Louis, Mo.), Sean Cunningham (Molde FK; Troy, Mich.), Christian Dean (California; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Mobi Fehr (Unattached; Tokyo, Japan), Eric Miller (Creighton; Woodbury, Minn.), Juan Pablo Ocegueda (UANL Tigres; Riverside, Calif.), Boyd Okwuonu (North Carolina; Edmund, Okla.), Walker Zimmerman (Furman; Lawrenceville, Ga.).
MIDFIELDERS (10): Seth Casiple (California; Rocklin, Calif.), Daniel Cuevas (Santos Laguna; Sacramento, Calif.), Matt Dunn (OFK Beograd; Dallas, Texas), Daniel Garcia (FC Dallas Academy; Dallas, Texas), Alejandro Guido (Unattached; Chula Vista, Calif.), Benji Joya (Santos Laguna; San Jose, Calif.), Mikey Lopez (North Carolina; Mission, Texas), Collin Martin (D.C. United Academy; Chevy Chase, Md.), Daniel Metzger (Maryland; Staten Island, N.Y.), Victor Pineda (Chicago Fire; Bollingbrook, Ill.)
FORWARDS (5): Villyan Bijev (Fortuna Düsseldorf; Fresno, Calif.), Alfred Koroma (Solar Chelsea SC; Southlake, Texas), Sean Okoli (Wake Forest; Federal Way, Wash.), Andrew Oliver (Chicago Fire Academy; Indianapolis, Ind.), Omar Salgado (Vancouver Whitecaps; El Paso, Texas)

College Bound

Ashley Sweeting Chooses Chapman University

 “I’m very excited to play soccer for Chapman University next year. Chapman is in sunny southern California and offers a pre-physical therapy and athletic training program that I am interested in.

I owe a huge thank you to Leo Marin and Ron Benjamin for giving me the opportunity to play for Placer United.  Placer has been an unbelievable experience with great training, talented and supportive teammates, and great families.  I also need to thank my family who believed in me and supported me. Go Panthers!”

—Ashley

College Bound

Kaitlyn Kassis Sets Her Sights on UCSD

“I am very excited to commit to play for the University of California, San Diego. UCSD is my dream school for both academics and soccer. I cannot believe how quickly 13 years of playing soccer has gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was playing for the Rancho Cordova Stars, coached by my Mom and Papa. Now I am going to be a UC San Diego Triton!

After all of the ups and downs I have had throughout my soccer career, this is truly a dream come true. Soccer has been the single greatest aspect of my life that has shaped me into the individual I am today. It has made me stronger, both physically and mentally. Soccer has taught me the importance of capitalizing, and making the most of every opportunity, or minute, I am given. I feel so blessed to be given this opportunity to continue playing the sport I love, and cannot wait to begin this new chapter in my life.

There are several people who deserve special recognition for their impact on my soccer career. First, I want to thank my coach, Gene DuChateau. He is the world’s most kindhearted individual who has always had confidence in me. I am so fortunate to have been able to play for him (and be his “energizer bunny”) for three wonderful years. Secondly, I want to thank Coach Ron for his dedication to the Placer United program. I would also like to recognize my team for their friendship and constant support. The camaraderie of a team is a special relationship that cannot be replicated anywhere else. These girls are truly my second family.

Finally I would like to thank my family. I have the most supportive family in the entire world! At each and every game I know that there is always my little section of fans to cheer me on. Whether it be my Meme, Papa, Nana, T.T., sister, brother, dad or mom, I sincerely appreciate all you have sacrificed for me. I know that spending weekends at Cherry Island, or spending Thanksgivings at Surf Cup, is not always ideal, but it has meant so much to me. I love you all so much, and would not be in the position I am today if I weren’t for you. Thank you for everything!

GO TRITONS!”

—Kaitlyn

College Bound

Emily Huska Chooses Humboldt State University

“I have recently verbally committed to wonderful Humboldt State University because to me, it was the perfect place to go. At HSU I can fulfill a dream to play soccer in college, get an education that can that build stepping stones for my future, and be somewhere I know I love. What really got me to choose HSU was that the beautiful campus stood out from all of the others I visited along with the people who were so down to earth. I can do the same things I love to do such as hiking, trail running, kayaking, and climbing, and most of all I could truly see myself living there and feeling at home. I’m extremely excited to go and play for head coach Christian Johnson.

I can’t explain how thankful I am for the support I have gotten from my team and families! We have all grown up so much and the strong bonds and cherished memories I have with all of them will last forever. Thank you Jason Gantt, Gene DuChateau, Todd DeCarlo, and Ron Benjamin for their dedication, time and effort that has pushed me to be the player I am today. And most of all thank you Mom and Dad for helping make my dreams come true and being there on the side lines cheering me on, you mean the world to me and I can’t thank you enough for everything! Thank you all so much in the Placer Club for the memorable years. Go Lumberjacks!”

—Emily

College Bound

Devon Hamersley Will Head to Kansas Wesleyan University

“I’m headed to Kansas! I’m excited to play for Coach Dibbini on one of the top women’s soccer teams in the country (2011 record – 16-2-2, first in their conference) while studying Exercise Science / Kinesiology.  Kansas (K-Dub) offers immediate, hands-on training in this program, all in a small, classroom environment – something that should be perfect for me.  Thanks so much to coaches Gene DuChateau, Ron Benjamin and Bart Morefield for allowing me to play for Placer United. I have learned so much and Placer United has been like my family, opening up opportunities to speak to and be seen by MANY quality college coaches and programs.  Thanks to my parents for their encouragement and never letting me quit! Thanks to all my fellow players along the way who’ve challenged me to do better. And thanks to Coach Dibbini (and the rest of KWU’s women’s soccer coaching staff) for their investment in my abilities.  I’m excited and scared at the same time but looking forward to what comes next.  I wish my fellow teammates and their parents all the best. I will miss you all!”

—Devon

College Bound

Mike Mazzoni Commits to William Jessup University

“I have recently accepted an athletic scholarship to William Jessup University.  It is a school where I can continue my soccer career playing for a NAIA division university.

After participating in two ID camps at William Jessup, I have come to realize the coaching staff not only has my soccer career in mind but my academic future is also very important to them.  They will help me grow, not only as a soccer player, but also as a student.  One of the other very important reasons I have chosen this university is because of its location.  Since it is located in Rocklin, I can experience a university life while still being close to home and family.  I felt for all these reason, William Jessup University is a perfect fit for me.

I would like to thank the entire Placer organization, especially Josh Fitzgerald, Thompson, Sh-Mike Callahan, Matt Scammacca, Kelsey Chidez, Paul O’Brien, Hugh Payne and Jason Gantt.  They have challenged me to the best of my abilities and made me the absolute best soccer player I could wish to be.  Because of the work ethic they have instilled in me over the years, I will be able to continue my soccer career at a college level.”

— Mikey Mazzoni

College Bound

Sam Hutchinson Commits to Colorado Mesa University

“I have verbally committed to Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado. When I visited the school and spent some time with the coaching staff I knew CMU was the place for me. Getting the opportunity to play college soccer at such a high level is a dream come true.

I am so thankful for the support of my family and coaches throughout the years; they have committed so much of their time in helping me to achieve my goals. Although I only spent a short time with Placer United, the experience of competing in high level competition such as WCDA events really helped me get exposure to college coaches.

I would like to personally thank Kelcey Chaidez and Paul O’Brien for giving me a chance with Placer United. I also want to thank the coaches and players at United Futbol Academy, Carson High School, Nevada Wonders Academy and Nevada ODP that have also been instrumental in my development as a player.

Go Mavericks!”

—Sam

College Bound

Avery Hutchinson Verbally Commits to William Jessup

“I am excited to say that I have recently verbally committed to William Jessup University. I fell in love with the coaching staff, the beautiful campus and the family-like feel of the school when I had visited the school in the past. I am pleased to be close to home and my family. I have not decided what I am going to study but I am looking forward to my adventure in figuring it out and I have no doubt this school will help me to accomplish that. I am thrilled and honored to attend WJU next year!

I would like to thank my parents for all their love and hard work and the time they have invested in my sports, as well as my family members who have always lifted me up and believed in me. Thank you to my coaches: Ron Benjamin, Leo Marin, Martin Sims and Anthony Baimas for helping me to develop into the player I am today. I couldn’t have done this without their support and encouragement.”

—Avery