Ryan Hollingshead’s Major League Soccer career reached a remarkable milestone this season as the veteran defender celebrated his 300th MLS appearance — a testament to both his longevity and unwavering commitment to the sport.

A product of Placer United Soccer Club in Northern California, Ryan honed his skills locally before making a name for himself at UCLA, where he was an All-American standout. In 2013, he was selected by FC Dallas in the MLS SuperDraft, but unlike most, Ryan delayed the start of his professional career. Instead, he chose to honor a personal promise — helping his brother Scott build Harvest Bible Chapel, a new church in Sacramento. Guided by faith and family, this decision reflected the depth of his character.

In 2017, his journey took another dramatic turn. While aiding a stranded motorist during icy conditions, Ryan was struck by a car, suffering three broken vertebrae in his neck. His future in soccer seemed uncertain. But in true Hollingshead fashion, he defied the odds. After months in a neck brace and intense rehab, he returned to the field just four months later and went on to appear in 18 games that same season. His courage earned him the MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year award for his selflessness.

After nearly a decade with FC Dallas, Ryan was traded to LAFC in February 2022, where he quickly became a key piece of the backline. His consistent performances and leadership helped fuel LAFC’s success in league play and beyond.

Most recently, Hollingshead and LAFC faced Chelsea FC in a highly anticipated Club World Cup match. Despite a challenging 2–0 loss, Ryan was a standout performer, pushing forward relentlessly and coming close to scoring with a stunning 30-yard strike. The result may not have gone their way, but Hollingshead’s class and competitiveness on the global stage once again highlighted the career of a player who has overcome every obstacle placed in his path.

From building churches to building defenses, Ryan Hollingshead’s story is one of grit, grace, and gratitude — and he’s far from done writing it.

We’re thrilled to announce that the Mexican National Team has scouted Placer United’s Kairi Payan during a recent futsal tournament. She is invited to the El Camino – Regional Talent ID Camp for outdoor play!

In a letter received from Diego Slobotzky, Head of Mexican National Teams Competitions, he wrote, “Kairi’s game vision, soccer IQ, offensive drive, and precise passing caught the eye of national scouts—earning her this exciting opportunity through El Camino, the Mexican Federation’s premier talent identification program in the U.S.

The scouts were clear: while no game is without mistakes, Kairi’s performance stood out, and they’re eager to continue evaluating her between June 13-18 in Sacramento.” This opportunity is a big step in Kairi’s soccer journey—and just the beginning of what we hope will be a bright future!

The Payan family credits Placer United Soccer Club as a cornerstone of Kairi’s development. “The support, guidance, and high-level training she’s received have helped shape her into the player—and person—she is today,” said Kairi’s father, Oscar Payan.

“We’re proud of Kairi and inspired by her commitment, humility, and work ethic,” said Ron Benjamin, Placer United Director of Girls Coaching. “She knows there’s still a long road ahead—but she’s ready to chase her dream and represent with pride.”

Let’s go, Kairi!

Placer United congratulates twenty-one girls and twenty-eight boys who received honors from their respective high schools. Here are the players who received 1st Team All-League Honors for the 2023-2024 season:

Sierra Foothill League (SFL)

Del Oro High School – Kiana Faucette, Beckham Pointer (League MVP), Ayden Scammacca, Izzy Scott, Brooklyn Tanon, James Tibbetts, Logan Webster

Folsom High School – Hunter Wexler

Granite Bay High School – Connor Johnson, Molly Newlin, Camryn Savig

Oakridge High School – Drew Hatch, Samantha Liaty, Olivia Marsh, Savannah Miller

Rocklin High School – Gia Costanzo,  Carter Haynes, Jovan Petrovich, Shannon Proubski, Jovan Radovich

Whitney High School – Pierce LaVine, Everett Shanklin, Nick Sprinsteel, Gabby Starr, Jake Tyberg

Capital Athletic League (CAL)

Vista Del Lago High School – Aiden Galvan (League Defensive MVP), Taylor Grover

Capital Valley Conference (CVC)

Roseville High School – Ty Branigan, James Crawford (HS Offensive Player of the Year), Kaiden Pedone, Peyton Rocholz

Woodcreek High School – Ty Branigan, Vince Noble (League MVP)

Central California Athletic League (CCAL)

Thomas Downey High School (Modesto) – Caroline Souza

Delta League

Elk Grove High School – Jack Gerber (All Sportsmanship Award, Scholar Athlete Award)

Jesuit High School – Renner Smiley

Foothill Valley League (FVL)

Placer High School – Ella Atherton-Turner

West Park High School – Olivia Sisto, Cade Vickers

Golden Empire League (GEL)

Casa Roble High School – Mia Alvarez-Tostado (League Defensive Player of the Year)

Pioneer Valley League (PVL)

Center High School – Daniel Sanchez

Golden Sierra High School – Carter Brust (League Offensive MVP, HS Team MVP)

Lindhurst High School – Jared Oseguera (Golden Glove Award, Scholar Athlete Award)

Twelve Bridges High School – Kelsey Kurland (League Co-MVP Award), Chloe Van Winkle, Josie Young

Wheatland High School – Julissa Lopez, Nolan Mierzwa (Scholar Athlete Award, HS Defensive MVP), Hiroshi Yang (League MVP)

It was a complicated process to track and compile this list. If we missed anyone named a 1st team all-conference player for the 2023-2024 season, please let us know, and we will add you.

Congrats to all of our fantastic student-athletes on a great high school soccer season!

Placer United is pleased to announce two new staff positions for the U8-U12 programs (7v7 and 9v9). Join us in welcoming Martin Johnson and Bryan “BJ ” Glass as technical directors who will be valuable assets in assisting our coaches and players in reaching their technical potential and prepare them for 11v11 soccer. The goals for these positions are to help make our younger players technical wizards with the ball and gain an understanding of smaller-sided tactical decisions within the game. Additionally, the technical directors will support coaches in the younger-age teams and ensure they are armed with everything they need to succeed.

Martin Johnson, Technical Director – Boys U8-U12

Since joining the Club in 2020, Martin has quickly demonstrated his ability to create fun and dynamic sessions to maximize our younger players’ development. 

“Martin’s calm demeanor and attention to the technical details we value so highly at the Club make him the perfect candidate to oversee both coaches and players in the discovery phase and into the skill-acquisition phase of our player development model,” said Kevin Unsworth, Boys Director of Coaching.

Bryan “BJ” Glass, Technical Director – Girls U8-U12

After a 10-year youth playing career with Placer United, Coach BJ returned to the Club in 2012 as a staff coach and has been in this role for 11 years. Throughout his coaching career, Coach BJ has worked with our club teams at all levels and coaches at the high school and junior college levels.

“Coach BJ has proven that he is passionate about the game, continuing to advance his coaching education and his dedication to the development of our Placer United players,” said Ron Benjamin, Girls Director of Coaching.

Placer United focuses on the quality and dedication of our coaching staff. This is a well-deserved promotion for Coach Martin and Coach BJ as they look to better themselves as a coach/director and mentor to others.

Placer United is well-represented amongst the various high school leagues in the greater Sacramento region. Placer United boasts twenty-seven girls who earned 1st Team All-League honors for the 2022-2023 season:  

Bella Vista – Ayla Hardenburgh

Casa Roble – Lauren Romumowicz

Colfax – Chey Ackerman

Del Oro – Kiana Faucette, Izzy Scott

Oakmont – Hannah Andreasen

Oakridge – Samantha Liaty, Savanah Miller

Placer – Meghan Bennion

Ponderosa – Brooklyn Hayes

Rocklin – Shannon Porubski, Haley Simmons, Caitlin Winter

Rosemont – Andrea Hernandez

Roseville – Gwen Forman, Hailee Jones

Thomas Downey (Modesto) – Caroline Souza

Turlock – Jenna Dean

Twelve Bridges – Kelsey Bartlett, Kelsey Kurland, Stella-Grace Tamayo, Chloe Van Winkle, Josie Young

Vista Del Lago – Makena Gradek, Taylor Grover

Whitney – Gabby Starr

Woodcreek – Lexi Schroeder

It was a complicated process to track and compile this list. If we missed anyone named a 1st team all-conference female player for the 2022-2023 season, please let us know, and we will add you.

Congrats to all on a great high school soccer season!

The 2022 Division 1 Women’s College Cup Soccer Championships begin on Friday, and Placer United boasts four alumna who will be competing in the event. In the first round, ’03 Kellie Pagador and the #3 seed Stanford Cardinals will take on the San Jose State Spartans. ’03 Kalia Uehara of Jackson State University will face #1 seed Alabama. ’99 Mackenzie George and the #6 seed Tennessee Volunteers face off against Xavier. Lastly, ’00 Abena Aidoo and Vanderbilt take on the #5 seed Clemson Tigers.

Official Bracket

We are very proud of you ladies, and wish you the best of luck!

Go Placer!

Coach Janis, an alumna of Vanderbilt University, catches up with Placer United alumna and Vanderbilt senior, Abena Aidoo after the Vanderbilt game today!

NASHVILLE – The Trevecca Nazarene University men’s soccer team (1-0-0) opened the season with a 2-0 shutout of the visiting University of Alabama in Huntsville Chargers (0-1-0) on Thursday at the Trojan Soccer Complex.

 The Trojans took the lead in the 35th minute on a Marlon Grossmann goal, his first career goal for the Trojans and the first of the season for the Purple and White. Michael Martey played the ball to Grossman near the mouth of the goal for his first assist of the year.   

 The Trojans and Grossmann found the back of the net quickly as the second half started, Grossmann scored in the 48th minute. It was Ben Sieber on the assist, his first career assist.

Neither team could get on the scoreboard for the rest of the match. 

Giancarlo Martinez tallied one save while playing the full 90 in goal for the Chargers.

The Chargers held the edge in shots on goal against TNU by a 9-4 margin. UAH generated seven corner kicks to the Trojans’ four, but Trevecca collected a total of 17 shots and finished twice for the win.

The Trojans head to Jackson, Tenn. on Wednesday when they face the Bulldogs of Union University at 7:30 PM.

Visit the Official Home of Trevecca Athletics at www.tnutrojans.com

BUENOS AIRES — For the first time in nearly three years, NorCal Premier Soccer sent more than 30 coaches abroad to learn from some of the best clubs in the world in order to bring back valuable lessons to Northern California.

NorCal Premier Soccer believes that better coaches make better players which is why the organization’s leadership worked in conjunction with the Argentine Technicians Football Association and Premier International Tours to schedule a 10-day program designed to improve the practices of nearly three dozen NorCal leaders.

Following the trip the coaches, mostly made up of club directors throughout the state, will pass along what they’ve learned to players and other coaches to raise the level of the game locally.

After a long day of traveling, the NorCal contingent arrived in Buenos Aires Friday and immediately began the course with a lecture from Juan Cruz Anselmi, a youth development expert who has worked with famous Argentine clubs Independiente, San Lorenzo, and Newell’s Old Boys as well as for the AFA and CONMEBOL.

Anselmi’s three-hour presentation and discussion focused on early development from ages 6-13 and how much of an impact those crucial years can have on a player especially when it comes to the thousands of decisions they must make each game.

“We talk a lot about decision making when players have the ball but over here in Argentina, they’re referring to the decision that is made first before you get the ball when you’re scanning and you’re anticipating what’s going to happen,” said PDP Assistant Director Justin Selander. “And then as the ball is coming to you, you’re thinking of your decision and then once you receive the ball there’s a different process of how you make that decision. Then once you receive the ball there’s even another decision to be made when you feel pressure. It was fascinating to learn more about the pieces of how you make decisions before you have the ball when a lot of our decision making is when we do have the ball.”

The longtime youth coach then gave a detailed explanation on how to work well in those formative years, going over a seven step process while stressing the need for trainers to formulate their lessons to the individual child based on their socio-cultural background and personality traits.

“If you don’t work really well in these formative years, it will be tough to fully develop a player,” Anselmi said.

This idea came from early in Anselmi’s coaching career when he tried to directly replicate a model from another country but found it ineffective with Argentine players.

“(The kids) are players before they’re athletes,” Anselmi said. “The game needs to be adapted to fit the player, not the other way around.”

After a much-needed full night of sleep, the coaches went back to work Saturday morning where they bussed just outside of Buenos Aires proper to visit the training center of Independiente, the most successful club in the history of the Copa Libertadores.

There, the NorCal visitors were allowed to observe three youth team games as the capital city side faced fellow Primera Division club Sarmiento before first team staff members Maximiliano Sa and Santiago Rodriguez and club legend Francisco Sa explained the vision and goals for Independiente.

The trio provided detailed information on the periodization process for the entire year of trainings while laying out the club’s core philosophy, namely to always think forward both on and off the field.

According to Independiente, there are many desirable qualities in players with intelligence counting as the hardest to develop, but the most important for the club that produced Sergio Aguero will always be passion.

Independiente tries to foster this passion among their youth, many who grow up in the poorer areas of the city and can’t even afford bus fare to practice, which is why they choose to encourage their players to develop decision making skills in a calm and compassionate way. Here if a team is struggling in training, the coach will call them aside and ask what they can do to fix the issues. Only if the team continues to struggle will the coaches provide suggestions.

“Independiente talked about their rich history and are very proud of their accomplishments, not only in winning championships, but developing players and taking care of them in their youth,” said Placer United Boys Director of Coaching Kevin Unsworth. “I was really impressed by their openness to share information with us in addition to giving us full access to their facilities.”

Saturday night brought the much-anticipated first Argentine Primera Division game of the trip where the group of more than 30 traveled to the south side of Buenos Aires to watch Huracan defeat Newell’s Old Boys 1-0 in a match full of physicality and passion.

“The players played at such an intense speed and were always looking to go forward,” Selander said. “There were lots of intense battles, you’ve gotta be able to play with a lot of nicks and bruises here. The crowd is so connected with the fans and team, it doesn’t really seem like they’re ever really negative with them, they’re constantly trying to connect with them and show their love and support.”

“Seeing this shows me how we need the consistency in training of being intense in our actions and the intensity of sessions when players are in the moment of the action in practice, they have to be going 100 percent or more,” he added. “We have to figure out how mentally we can get them to always give their best.”

The following day, NorCal coaches took the time to learn a little more about Buenos Aires and perhaps its most famous club, Boca Juniors. The group toured the city’s La Boca neighborhood, visited the club museum, and ended the day with a Primera match between Defensa y Justica and Boca Juniors.

Finally, the coaches ended their short time in Buenos Aires by watching youth and first team trainings at Lanus before listening to a lecture from the club’s staff.

For those in attendance, it was an opportunity to experience the game at its more humble stage as the Lanus complex lies in an area surrounded by homes that are barred up and fenced for the protection of their owners. NorCal’s tour guide likened the experience of those growing up here to living in jail where the people were prisoners rather than criminals and one of the few ways to escape this metaphorical prison was through soccer. Perhaps this is why, as many noted, the Argentine players fight for every loose ball and through every challenge with a ferocity not often seen elsewhere.

“Both club visits were fun and interesting experiences,” Unsworth said. “What really stood out was their sense of community and culture. Overall I’m really happy to be here and looking forward to seeing what else the trip has in store for us.”

After Lanus, it was onto Rosario where NorCal’s trip begins Monday night after a drive through the Argentine countryside.

RICHMOND, Va. (August 18, 2022) – After an extraordinary 2021-22 season that saw the ECNL Girls Regional League crown the inaugural ECNL Regional League Champions in Seattle, the league is excited to announce the first ever ECNL All-Regional League teams.

“These players have not only excelled as individuals in their performances on the field but have helped their teams qualify for the postseason championship events and the 2022 Regional League Finals in Seattle,” said ECNL Girls Commissioner Ralph Richards. “Congratulations to the players for their dedication, commitment, and years of hard work to earn this honor. We are excited to see what these fantastic young ladies will do in the future in the regional league, in college, and beyond.”

Honorees were selected by conference awards committees with technical representatives from every club in each of the 13 ECNL Girls Regional Leagues. A total of 20 players across all four age groups were selected from each league.

The following Placer United players made the All-Regional League Team for NorCal:

• Kiana Faucette
• Samantha Liaty
• Lucy Newlin
• Angela Shannon
• Stella Grace Tamayo

ECNL All-Regional League – NorCal – Click here for full team

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About the ECNL:
The ECNL is the nation’s leading youth soccer development platform. The ECNL respects and celebrates the unique individuality of every youth soccer player and club, supporting and enabling them to unleash their unfettered passion and fierce tenacity in striving to achieve their potential.

The ECNL mission to Raise the Game is a total commitment to create the best possible environment for players, coaches, referees and administrators, with a determination to constantly question convention and challenge the status quo in youth sports.

The ECNL Commitment:
We will lead, set our eyes on new horizons, and pursue them relentlessly. Born out of the belief in a better way. Continued in the ever-evolving pursuit of excellence.