Placer United has many alumni who are currently playing collegiate soccer. Two alumni girls participated in recent NCAA tournaments:

Caitlin Clark, Emory University, made the third round of the NCAA Division III tournaments for the first time in school history.

Caitlin Pulver, California State University, Sacramento, made it to the NCAA Division Tournament but suffered a first round loss.

We’re very proud of the achievements of our alumni players and look foward to seeing them back on the Placer United home field for the annual alumni game.

The first Western College Development Association Showcase kicked off over Thanksgiving in the home of the city made famous for never sleeping, The King and the Rat Pack. It was “Viva Las Vegas” time for the Placer United U14, U16 and U17 and California Development Academy U15 and U18 boys teams. They had a blast both on and off the field.

The boys’ little eyes and mouths were not only wide open at the amount of college coaches in attendance, but also with the sights and sounds they encountered while walking the famous strip. Some parents actually blindfolded their son during their outings till they got back to their rooms. It’s not called Sin City for nothing!

Meanwhile, out on the soccer fields, the boys had the good competition they expected with some of the teams being Regional/State Winners and Finalists, from Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah area’s. The U16 Placer Gold team went 1-2, U17 Placer Gold team went 1-1-1, CDA U15’s went 3-1, and the CDA U18’s went 0-1-2…all fine results considering the level of competition and also the boys had just returned from their high school soccer seasons.

Three boys from the Placer United U17 team and three boys from the CDA U18 Club team were selected to play in the All-Star games Saturday evening which attracted a lot of college coaches. One of the coaches I talked with actually drove up from Surf to attend the game. The boys didn’t disappoint in the games as they all put in good solid performances and were pretty excited about the whole experience. They even got to keep their WCDA All-Star jersey’s as a momento.

While the College Showcase was going on at one venue, the Placer United U14 boys were battling hard in the Neusport Thanksgiving Tournament against some real quality teams. They just got beat out of advancing to the final by the Celtic team they beat 2-1. But that’s Vegas baby! Sometimes, Lady Luck just leaves you hanging! Overall, the boys played some great soccer, won two and tied two, didn’t lose a game and really enjoyed the trip.

Thats it’s on Vegas..Elvis has left the building.

Five Placer United girls teams spent the Thanksgiving weekend at Surf Cup in San Diego and played against some of the Nation’s best soccer teams. There were over 200 college coaches at the event who watched/scouted our teams.

The U14 girls had a great run through the tournament. They defeated the Surf, Canyon PSA and Laguna Hills Eclipse in group play. They then beat Las Vegas Premier in the quarter-finals. The semi-final pitted them against the MVLA Mercury, a league rival. The girls lost a tight match 1-0.

The U15 girls played three quality matches in group play. In the first match, the girls lost a tight one to the Sereno Golden Eagles. They then squared off and lost to one of the top teams in the country, the San Diego Surf. The girls then rebounded with a 3-1 victory over the Las Vegas Surf.

The U16 girls had one of the most difficult draws to date. All 3 games were tightly contested but came up on the short end to Real So Cal, Surf and the Legends.

The U17 girls also had a very difficult group. They did not surrender a goal in group play. They drew with Legends and the So Cal Blues. In the third game, they defeated the Sereno Golden Eagles 1-0. Placer United and the So Cal Blues had the same # of points and won the group. Then, the girls had to go to a penalty kick shootout to see who would advance to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, the girls came up a bit short in kicks.

The U18 girls started off the weekend with a 1-1 draw with Arsenal from LA. This was a first as the girls had lost to Arsenal in the last 3 meetings. The next two games were tight but Placer ended up falling short to Colorado Storm and the Slammers.

Congratulations to all of the teams as they represented Placer United very well. We continue to represent and compete with some of the top teams and clubs in the Nation!

Congratulations to Connor Hallisey, Grant Silvester and Daniel Cuevas, members of the CDA 92/93 U18 team, for being selected to participate in the U18 National Team training camp being held at the Home Depot Center in late November.

Connor and Grant are returning CDA players who both had the distinction of being selected to the U.S. Soccer Academy All Star team last season and were named, along with Seth Casiple, to the Western Conference All-Star Starting XI for the 2009/2010 season.

Connor and Grant have also attended a number of the “by invitation only” Academy MPN camps due to their consistantly strong performances throughout last season’s very successful rookie season in the USSF Academy.

The Placer United U17 Girls Gold team has won the premier group in the fall playing league with a perfect 7-0 record. This is the most competitive league for older girls in Northern California.

Now, the girls face off in the annual “North vs. South” competition at the Bartholomew Sports Complex in Elk Grove to decide the State’s best. On Saturday, the #1 seeded Placer 94’s face the #2 seeded Legends FC at 11:00am. In the second game, the girls face the #1 seeded Slammers FC.

The championship game is scheduled for 1:00pm on Sunday. The consolation game is scheduled for 9:00am on Sunday.

These will be great games to watch so if you are in the area, come and support the U17 girls!

The Placer United U9’s-U11’s had a great weekend at Boo Fest this past weekend. The fields at Sac United were in good shape on Saturday and then got a bit sloppy on Sunday due to the rain. Our teams fought through the conditions and played great soccer.

Here are the results:

U9 Girls Gold – 0-0 draw with Davis, 0-0 draw with Bay Oaks ans a 0-4 loss to Mustang.

U10 Girls Gold – 1-1 draw with Livermore, 3-2 win over the previously undefeated El Dorado, 3-2 win over Santa Rosa and won in penalty kicks in the final to claim the championship!

U10 Girls Black – 0-3 loss to SF Vikings and 0-1 losses to Woodland and Napa.

U11 Girls Gold – 2-0 win over San Juan Blue, 0-0 draw with Davis and a 0-0 draw with North Bay. The girls were slated to play in the consolation game but is was cancelled. They were in the top 4 in the division.

U11 Girls Black – 5-1 win over Santa Rosa, 0-2 loss to the Wildcats and a 2-0 win over Sac United. The girls finished in 3rd place.

Congrats to all of the teams on a great weekend!

Five girls from the U13 Gold team were selected to play for the Region 6 PDP team in Manteca over the October 17th weekend.

Kamari Hines, Maggie Bell, Emily Curry, Jordan Holt and Kaleigh Grijalva were all selected to the team. The Region 6 PDP team is made up of the top female players born in 98-99.

The Region 6 PDP trains and plays against other Regions in Northern California.

Congratulations girls on being selected into such an elite group!

There is a paperback magazine called the 2002-03 NCAA Guide For The College Bound Student-Athlete. Theses magazines are available at the High Schools, just ask an advisor or athletic director. The magazine also contains the NCAA Clearinghouse registration form which is a requirement to be filled out in order to participate in College Athletics.

www.ncaa.org
To contact the NCAA Clearinghouse:
NCAA Clearinghouse
PO Box 4044
Iowa City, Iowa 52243-4044
319-337-1492 office
319-337-1556 fax

By Ramona Barber

Ramona Barber is the Iowa State Youth Soccer Association Education Director and a contributor to Sports Communication Publications

Very few college coaches will offer athletic scholarships to players they haven’t seen play. Also, most college coaches will not take players seriously until the completion of their sophomore year. Players who will be juniors and seniors in high school should be sure to contact coaches at colleges that interest them and arrange to have their play evaluated. Here are some tips about contacting coaches.

1. BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR LEVEL OF PLAY. Contact colleges that are a good academic and athletic match for you. Make sure that you choose colleges that vary in level of play. Don’t miss your chance to play in college because all the programs you contacted were above your level of play.
2. Make your first contact in writing in May at the end of your sophomore year. Personalize your letter requesting an evaluation. Let the coach know why you are considering his/her school. Include both athletic and academic information. If possible, include a one page resume. Keep in mind that some coaches do not care to evaluate players until the completion of their junior year.
3. Follow up your letter with a phone call. Talk with the coach or his/her staff. The more personalized interest a player shows in college, the more interest a coach usually shows in a player. When looking at NCAA colleges, be aware that although there are rules limiting calls a college coach can make to a player, players are not restricted in the calls they can make to a coach.
4. Don’t wait until you get a tournament schedule to contact a college coach. Send information early on all the events you plan to attend. FAX your playing schedules to the coach when you receive them. Include your team name and jersey number each time you fax a schedule. Make a special note if you are changing jersey numbers or attending as a guest player.
5. Contact coaches in the geographic area that you are traveling to but also consider contacting coaches of colleges that may not be in traveling distance of the tournament. Many college coaches have friends of representatives who they can ask to evaluate players.
6. Once a college coach has been contacted by a prospective recruit, it is customary for him/her to send a player profile sheet. Complete and return profile form immediately! Don’t worry if you don’t have all the information that the coach requests. For example, you may have not taken your SAT or ACT college entrance exams and have not test scores to report. Fill out as much of the profile as possible and let him/her know that you will send the additional information when it is available.
7. You can visit any college campus at your expense any time and talk with the coach or athletic department without breaking any recruiting rules. So, try to visit the colleges that interest you. College coaches usually take players more seriously if they make the effort to visit the campus.
8. Stay in contact with the coach after he/she has evaluated you. Let him/her know if you are serious about his/her program. Ask him/her if you are a potential fit. Keep him/her updated on your activities. Keep in mind that NCAA coaches have limits on contacting players. Don’t take offense if you don’t hear from the coach on a regular basis. You need to make sure that the coach knows that you have a serious interest!
9. Remember that many coaches are busy with their own team during the fall season and out of the office during the summer. Try to make contact early and if you don’t hear from the coach continue trying. Call to be sure the coach has received your information. If you get no response, check with the athletic office to see if there has been a coaching change.
10. After all your efforts, if you get no response realize that the coach is probably no interested in recruiting you. If the coach tells you that you are not a good match for his program, accept it and move on.

Good Luck!