Ryan Hollingshead, FC Dallas #12

After taking a year off from the game, Ryan has slowly but surely shaken off the rust and started to make the kind of  impact FC Dallas expected when the signed the former UCLA and Placer United standout late in 2013. Hollingshead #12 made such a huge contribution in Lamar Hunt US Open Cup semifinals against Philidelphia that head coach Oscar Pareja had no hesitation in starting Ryan for the second time as FC Dallas beat the Earthquakes 5-0 on Saturday in San Jose.

Coach Pareja said after Ryan’s big semi final performance “I learned that he’s accountable, and that he’s ready to contribute more for this team and it’s great news for us.”

Said Ryan who feels good about his latest contribution ” I feel like my game is getting stronger and stronger.The main step for me now is getting more games  because there’s only so much you can replicate in practice. I could feel at times during the games I was playing like I used to play, I felt like I was quick and could run at people.”

“Playing like he used to play” is something that bodes very well for FC Dallas as they are now on a 9 game unbeaten run and indeed, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the last two games  were the most competitive minutes Hollingshead has seen in a match since late 2012 where he won PAC-12 Player of the Year at UCLA.

Way to go Ryan!

Go Placer! Go Dallas!

The U18B Black team traveled to Pleasanton this past weekend to represent the Club at the Ballistic United Summer Classic.  In a flight of 12 teams that included several top 10 and top 20 ranked sides, the boys fought hard and ended up taking 3rd place.  The weekend didn’t start out as desired with a 3-1 loss to a good Merced Atlas team which was very strong on set pieces. Knowing that their work was cut out for them after losing the opening match, the boys rallied, winning 6-0 Saturday afternoon against a team from Oakley to keep their weekend hopeful.

Needing another win against Milpitas Sunday morning to advance, the team showed up strong and played great soccer, but for 59 minutes and 30 seconds, couldn’t get a goal across the line.  That changed in the final 30 seconds as midfielder Lantz Shope won a ball at midfield, and spotting winger Brendan Allen making a run and drawing most of the Milpitas defense, he slotted a great pass to striker Pablos Carlos in the box who beat one defender and then the keeper to score literally as the referee looked at his watch and prepared to blow the final whistle.  With the 1-0 thrilling win, the team advanced to the 3rd place match.

After giving up an early goal against Manteca in the playoff match, the team got their composure back in a physical, hard fought battle, equalizing late in the first half on a stunning goal from Connor Entz who would not be denied.  The second half remained knotted at 1-1, and after some…interesting…officiating, the Placer team found itself playing down two men and the Manteca team down a man, for a net one man advantage to Manteca. The boys in yellow stayed strong however, surviving the final 5 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of overtime without conceding.  With kicks from the mark now the determining factor, the Placer lads were down 3-2  after 3 rounds.  Another miss from Placer left the team hanging by a thread, with any further miss or Manteca conversion would end it.  But Manteca forgot to factor in Alex “The Wall” Vazquez.

SAVE! – the Placer Goalkeeper made a huge diving save right to keep it at 3-2.  After captain Brendan Allen scored to equalize at 3-3, Vazquez SAVED again with a perfect dive to his left!  As the sequence moved to sudden-death kicks, Shope converted for Placer to give the squad the lead at 4-3…and then Vazquez came up big again with a huge kick SAVE to ice it and give the team a thrilling win!

Coach Cory Clonce expressed great pride in the team coming back from an opening loss to reel off three straight wins and get a great result for the weekend.  Go Placer!

Erika Garcia

Erika Garcia

Alumni, Erika Garcia, Placer United 93 Gold, was selected to play for the Full Mexican Senior Women’s National Team. The Harvard University defender will take on the USA Women’s National Team in September.

Mexico will travel to the US for two fixtures, September 13th in Salt Lake City, Utah, and September 18th in Rochester, New York.

These games are a tuneup for Mexico as they begin World Cup qualifiers in October for a chance to compete in the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada. Mexico will name it’s final roster for qualifying next month.

Good luck Erika!  We are so proud of you!

U18B Gold – 2014 San Diego Surf Cup Champions

U18B Gold Team Captain, Corban Anderson accepts the award for MVP Player of the Tournament

The Placer United U18B Gold were crowned “Big Kahuna” yesterday at the 2014 San Diego Surf Cup. The boys, who narrowly lost the State Cup final to Marin FC on PK’s got their revenge by winning the Surf Cup Super Group Final by three goals to one. They brought home their second Surf Cup winner’s trophy in ten months.

The boys really produced some gutsy performances over the long weekend and yesterday’s final was no different. With the scoreboard showing 1-0 at the half to Marin FC, the team knew they had to step it up if they wanted a 2014 Surf Cup Champions jacket.

In the second half, the crew of U18 Yellow Sub really showed their winners mentality as the newly crowned NPL National Champions continually pinned the current Nor Cal State Cup Champions into their own half.

When new sub man, Danny Puablo, fired a missile into the top corner there was no stopping the boys in yellow as they were now riding all over the big blue waves of Marin FC’s defense.

The defining moment in the game came when Nathan “Big Country” Miller was denied the go ahead goal by a Marin defender who stopped the ball from crossing the line with his hand. The referee didn’t waste any time or hesitate to award the PK and a red card.

With regular PK shooter “Bird Man” Heptner getting treatment for an injury, and the boys all looking at each other, Thomas “Quiet Man” Arnstein calmly walked out of the crowd and took the ball from the referee. The boy from Truckee, who obviously has Tahoe ice water running through his veins, calmly placed the ball in the bottom corner and the Yellow Sub entourage went ballistic. With the man advantage on the field the boys sealed the victory and the game with a third goal from none other than “Captain Clutch” Corban Anderson.

What a great run of success and huge source of pride for the boys, the parents and everyone connected to our soccer club. Over the last three back-to-back weekends, the U18 team have played a total of 17 games. They have won 16. tied 1, scored 43 goals, only conceded 5 goals, and picked up three major soccer trophies.

The Clutch, Corban Anderson, also picked up another back-to-back Tournament MVP award as he was named the Boys Player of Surf Cup by the Surf Cup Committee.

Congratulations to all the players, parents and coaches of the U18 boys.

Go Placer!
“We all live in a Yellow Submarine”

With over 200 women’s college soccer coaches in attendance at 2014 Surf Cup, the Placer United U16 and U18 Girls produced some really strong displays.

The U18 girls, who have thirteen U17 players playing up. had a very tough bracket as they played all U18 ECNL teams. They opened up against West Coast FC, one of the top ECNL teams in the country and tied 1-1. In Game 2, the girls drew with the talented Mustang ECNL squad 1-1. With a chance to advance to the semi-finals, the girls needed a win against Real So Cal ECNL. It was a back and forth affair with both teams having a couple of great chances. Real So Cal scored with ten minutes to play and our girls pressed on the attack with multiple scoring chances but could not convert. The Real So Cal GK made a few unbelievable stops to preserve the win and advance. Real So Ca ECNL team made it all the way to the Super Group final and narrowly lost out 1-0.

The U16G 99 Gold also had a very tough bracket which contained two strong ECNL teams. They started the tournament off very strong with a 2-1 victory over Ahwatukee SC from Arizona. The girls were down 1-0 and came back with a vengeance, scoring two goals to seal the victory. In Game 2, the girls faced a good LV Heat ECNL squad out of Nevada. The girls came out flying and burst into a  2-0 lead. Heat ECNL FC clawed their way back and scored but the girls wouldn’t be denied a good victory over an ECNL team and stayed strong till the end. Game 3 saw the girls play eventual Surf Cup winners Arsenal ECNL out of L.A. Arsenal were very athletic, organized and had a lethal attack. The girls were down 1-0 at halftime but began to find a rhythm and create some scoring opportunities. Midway through the second half, the Arsenal left winger had a special moment and they went up 2-0.  Placer then had to press forward and chase the game, throwing numbers forward into the attack. With a few minutes remaining as Placer was attacking, Arsenal broke free on a counter attack and scored the final goal of the game. The girls finished with two wins and one loss. But they can be proud of their performance especially against  Arsenal ECNL girls team that went on to win Surf Cup.

It’s Sacramento Soccer Day culminating tonight as the Sac Republic take on West Bromwich Albion at 7:30 p.m. at Bonney Field. Part of the evening’s festivities includes the Future All-Stars Game at 5:00 p.m. Coach Matt Scammacca and the following  Placer United Boys players were chosen to participate in the game:

• Zac Anderson – mid/def
• Ryley Kraft – mid
• Jaleel Baker – fwd
• Riley Holbrook – fwd
• Conner Hountalas – GK
• Justin LaPerle – mid/def
• Hunter Loomis – mid
• Jay Roundtree – GK

In addition, the Republic will recognize soccer achievement across the region including players from Placer United:

National Premier League Golden Boot honorees:

• U19G – Jessica Raybe and Alex Jenkins – tied with 11 goals each
• U17B – Kristian Heptner – tied for the award with 12 goals
• U16B – Riley Holbrook – tied for the award with 14 goals

Del Oro High School Girls Soccer Team, coached by Ron Benjamin and Rich Donofrio, which includes Placer United players Taylor Cirksena and Alyssa Leaman, will be recognized for their D2 Section Girls Championship.

Congratulations to all for their successes on the field and good luck to our all-star players.

Go Placer!

U15B 00 Gold, 2014 Davis College Showcase Champions

U18B 97 Gold, 2014 Davis College Showcase Champions

After some big victories eight days ago for the U12G Gold and U18G Gold at the Davis Girls College Showcase, and the U18B Gold at the NPL National Finals in North Carolina, the Yellow Submarine set sail again this past Friday with stops at the Davis Boys College Showcase, Girls College Showcase in Pleasanton, and the Girls Mustang Stampede.

Thirteen Placer United boys teams dropped anchor in Davis, six Placer United girls teams pulled into the port of Pleasanton and our U10 and U11 girls surfaced and went ashore at Mustang. With the new club colors drawing rave reviews from both inside and outside of the club, and the sound of Yellow Submarine being hummed on sidelines, the Sub had an awesome weekend on the green seas.

There were close to 100 college coaches in attendance at the Pleasanton Girls College Showcase. The teams had a really good showing as they competed against lots of strong opposition. In the Girls Super Groups, the U15G Gold  and U18G Gold finished the weekend as finalists. Over at Mustang event, our U10 and U11 girls also faced some really good competition. Both teams played four games over the weekend and had identical records as they each tied two and lost two in the premier brackets of the tournament.

Meanwhile in Davis, our U12B Gold, U14 Academy, U15B Gold, U18B Gold and U18B Black teams all advanced to the semi-final round. Unfortunately, the U12 Gold , U14 Gold  and U18 Black came up a little short. But, a big shout out to the U14B as they were playing up in the U15 bracket and narrowly lost out in the semi’s to the eventual tournament winners from So Cal.

The reigning U17 NPL National Champs had another dramatic semi game as “Captain Clutch” Corban Anderson tied up the game with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock. In the PK shootout, the boys took care of business with “El Gato” Robert Quintero saving 2 PKs to move on to the championship game. In the final, the boys came out flying and beat a strong Cal Odyssey side 4-1 to win their second big championship in back-to-back weekends.

The U15B Gold won their semi-final 4-0 against a highly ranked Washington State team to advance to the final. The boys really raised their game another notch in the final as they scored three brilliant goals in the first 20 minutes to be crowned U15 Davis College Champions.

During the awards presentation, Omar Oseguera was named MVP of the U15 boys age group and “The Clutch” Corban Anderson received the MVP award in the U18 boys age group.

Congratulations to all the teams on a good weekend and to our champions and MVP players on their latest achievements.

Way to Go Placer! “We all live in a Yellow Submarine!”

2014 NPL National Champions

Corban Anderson (L) and Zach Vane (R)

A beaming Coach Jason Gantt and proud Assistant Coach Paul O’Brien

On a hot muggy Monday morning in North Carolina, the chorus of The Beatles hit tune, “Yellow Submarine,” could be heard all over Greensboro. The Placer United U17 Boys had finished off their championship run in style by beating Elite SC from Illinois 2-0, and achieving their goal of being crowned 2014 NPL National Champions.

It was clear from the start that the boys in yellow had only one thing on their minds and that was to win the big prize.

The pace and energy the boys opened up with clearly caught the NPL Champions from Illinois by surprise. Five minutes into the game two good opportunities were created that somehow the team from the Windy City scrambled off the goal line.

With the ball now pinging around the field, like a torpedo skimming through the ocean, the submariners took control of the game. It seemed only a matter of time before the unrelenting pressure would yield a goal. When it arrived it was a thing of beauty.

From a rare Elite SC corner, Diego “New Shoes” Buenrostro won the ball and quickly dispatched it to James ” Pretty Boy” Ramos wide on the left. James took a clever first touch inside the defender which opened up enough space for him to switch the play to the right into the feet of full back Zach “The Road Runner” Vane.

The speedy right back, who had sprinted more than 50 yards past two defenders into open space, received the ball with his right foot and before the keeper could get set, Zack ripped a low shot into the bottom left hand corner. 1-0 Placer United and a goal worthy of gracing any final.

When the first half came to a halt the yellow sub was deservedly on top.

The second half was more of the same as the sub was now set to “full steam ahead”. With Captain “Courageous” Anderson and crew mate Matt “New Boy” Carnifex both working hard in the midfield, the opposition was finding it really tough to get anything going.

Half way through the second half, goal number two arrived.

A Placer corner was cleared away but the ball landed at the left foot of Brayden “Silky” Sullivan. Silky then picked out Kristian “Big Bird” Heptner with an inch perfect cross and the “Bird Man” didn’t disappoint as he powerfully headed the ball past the outstretched keepers right hand to make it Placer-2 Elite SC-0.

The second goal of the game for Placer was a huge step towards the boy’s dream now becoming a reality.

As expected, the last ten minutes of the game was quite the battle as a team of Elite SC quality were not going to go down without a fight.

But the boiler room boys of Nico “No Nonsense” Figueroa, Isaul  “El Toro” Bautista, “Mad Max” Ferriera, Nate “Big Country” Miller along with goalkeepers Luc “Too Tall” Barbe, and Robert “El Gato” Quintero, all stepped up huge to deny the Illinois team any chance of crashing the party.

In minute 93 the referee blew the final whistle and Placer United now has a new National Champion.

Great job boys and congratulations on your brilliant achievement!

“We all live in a yellow submarine!”

Placer United U12G and U18G Teams – Davis Legacy College Showcase Champions 2014

Placer United U18 played a visiting team from Germany in the final at Davis Legacy College Showcase

Twelve Placer United girls teams travelled down to the Davis Legacy Girls College Showcase, the first college showcase event of the new 2014-15 season. Five of the teams reached the semi-finals and two of the teams reached the championship game and were crowned champions. The U12G 03 Gold and the U18G 97 Gold were crowned champions of the Premier Group on Sunday afternoon.

The U12G 03 Gold had a dominant performance in group play with three victories.  They beat the Cal Blues 5-0, Diablo FC 4-1 and FC Elk Grove Navy 5-0.  The team moved on to the semi-finals and faced a very talented Eastside FC out of Washington.  The girls prevailed 2-1 in the match and moved on to the finals.  In the final, they faced Davis Legacy.  The girls controlled portions of the game and won the match in the second overtime period to claim the title.

The U18G 97 Gold played well in the initial group play with two wins and one draw.  In Game #1, the girls faced FRAM from Los Angeles and won 2-0.  In Game #2, the girls defeated CDA Slammers out of LA, 3-1.  The girls clinched a spot in the semis and only needed a draw versus Juventus Avanza to win the group.  The game ended in a 0-0 draw and the girls advanced to the semi-finals.  In the semis, the girls squared off against a very talented Sonoma County Alliance team.  Placer had a majority of the chances and possession but ended up drawing 1-1.  The game went straight to penalty kicks and prevailed 4-1 from the mark.  In the final, the girls had the unique opportunity to play against an All Star team from Germany.  The game was back and forth with Placer having an advantage in possession and opportunities.  The girls scored with 15 minutes to go and closed the game out to win the tournament.

Showing our strength in the U18 age group, the U18G 98 Gold reached the semi-finals of a major event for the second time this year.  The girls played in the Championship Group at the event and started off very strong with two wins.  In the opener, the team defeated American River FC Auerring 3-0.  In Game #2, the girls battled Santa Rosa Blizzard and pulled off a 1-0 victory in a back and forth affair.  The two wins automatically placed the girls in the semi-finals with one game to play in the group.  Game #3 saw Placer versus Orange County Premier.  The girls fell 2-1 in a battle for 1st and 2nd place in the group.  In the finale, the girls missed a few chances early and fell to Ajax out of Modesto.

The U16G 99 Gold girls had a great run through the tournament.  They opened up with league rival, Davis Legacy and fell 2-1.  Many college coaches attended the match and said that game was one of the best games of the weekend featuring two of the top teams in the state.  Needing to get back into the win column, the girls flexed their muscles and defeated Beach FC 5-1 and CDA Slammers 4-1 to reach the semi-finals.  The semi-final game saw Placer take on a very talented Lamorinda squad.  A couple of unfortunate bounces resulted in the girls being down 2-0 early in the match but they never gave up.  An apparent goal was scored by Placer but the referee deemed that it did not cross the goal line.  The game was very even on possession and the girls had a multitude of chances to score.  In the second half, the girls again put a ton of pressure on the Lamorinda defense and goalkeeper with shots and crosses but the ball was avoiding the back of the net.  As they  tried to push forward and chase the game, Lamorinda scored a goal to seal the victory.  This was one of the most exciting games of the weekend as well, even though the score line does not reflect it.

The U15G 00 Gold  girls started out with a pair of victories and earned a spot in the semi-finals.  In Game #1, the girls defeated CDA Slammers 1-0.  In Game #2, the girls defeated the CV Crossfire 2-1 on a last minute goal.  In Game #3, the girls faced the Santa Rosa Tremors and played a great game but ended up with a 2-0 defeat.  In the semi-finals, the girls played their rival, Davis Legacy and came up on the short end in the loss.

Congratulations to all of the players and teams who played in the tournament this weekend!

You’ve all heard about the “Rumble in the Jungle,” and the “Thrilla in Manilla.” Well add another one to those old classics, the “Battle in the Boro” as the 2014 NPL National semi-final game in Greensboro N.C was all that and more. In the red corner was Space United FC, the NPL Champions from Florida. In the yellow corner was Placer United, the NPL Champions from northern California.

For the first 15- 20 minutes of the first half, both teams played a little cautious as they poked and prodded each other looking to find an opening. Over last 20 minutes both teams really went at each other with lots of hooks, jabs, and punches, but neither side seemed able to find that first knock down.

The second half of the game was a completely different story and worth every penny of the price of admission as the red team really came to play. After some light exchanges, the red team rocked the boys in yellow. But somehow, the sub stayed afloat. The warning signs were there and clearly visible to all. Something big was about to happen. In the 67th minute it arrived. A quick combination on the edge of the box, a cross whipped in and the knock down was delivered. Placer was down 1-0  and looking wobbly .

For the next few minutes instructions from the yellow corner where simple. Stick to the game plan, stay out of trouble, and pass-n-move. Slowly, a yellow brick road was laid and a pathway to OZ begin to appear.

With three minutes left on the clock and the dream starting to disappear, the blow was delivered. Carlos Lomeli released Isaul Bautista down the line. Isaul looked up and whipped in a great cross towards Brayden Sullivan. His shot was blocked by the keeper but rebounded to Corban Anderson who delivered the hit. Now the clock said 88 minutes and the dream was back on.

The Florida champs were now dazed and confused and the yellow sub had them in their cross-hairs as they pushed forward more and more looking for the knockout. In minute 92 with the referee about to blow for extra time, the man of the hour, Captain Courageous Corban Anderson, stepped up again as he volleyed home a ball from all of 30 yards out. What a shot! What a game! Placer United 2! Space United FC 1!

The boys are now in the 2014 NPL National Final. Great job by all players. Go Placer!