Cody Sunquist

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 29, 2013) – In a video announcement, head coach Gerry McKeown unveiled the roster of 18 players for US Club Soccer’s 2013 id2 National Selection International Tour in advance of the team’s journey to Spain from February 28 to March 11.

Head of Delegation Phil Wright, McKeown and assistant coach Benjamin Ziemer will lead the squad, which consists of boys born in 1999 selected from the id2 Program events held in 2012. Seventeen clubs and 11 states are represented on the team.

While in Madrid and Barcelona, the id2 National Selection will play matches against youth academy programs from some of the world’s most well-known professional clubs, in addition to conducting daily training sessions and gaining the unique educational and cultural experience of life in another country.

The schedule for this year’s tour will be released soon.

The 2012 edition of the tour included competitive matches against academy teams from FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, as well as attendance at a pair of La Liga matches, one of which brought the chance to see Lionel Messi score four goals in FC Barcelona’s 5-1 victory over Valencia CF at L’Estadi Camp Nou.

“We are very excited to be returning to Spain with another roster of some of the best young players in this country,” said Gerry McKeown, US Club Soccer’s id2 Boys’ Program Director. “This trip will be a great opportunity for them to experience different cultures, grow as players and build on the success this program has had during our previous three tours.”

This will mark the fourth straight year for the id2 National Selection International Tour, following on the heels of very successful trips to Germany and the Netherlands in 2010, England and Scotland in 2011, and Spain in 2012. Consistent with US Club Soccer’s philosophy that identification and development should be free for players, the organization will fund the trip in conjunction with the strong support of Nike, with no cost to players.

Aided by their time at id2 National Selection International Tours and id2 Program Training Camps, numerous alums have advanced into U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs. The id2 Program is an Olympic Development Program as approved by the United States Olympic Committee and U.S. Soccer Federation.

Once again, fans will be able to follow the id2 National Selection International Tour through video journals and other updates via the US Club Soccer website and social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and KYCK.

The 2013 id2 National Selection International Tour is again being coordinated in conjunction with Premier International Tours.

The Placer United U11-U13 girls teams had a very successful weekend in the Norcal State Cup at various locations across the state. Two teams made it to the TOP 8 in the State! Quarter-finals and semi-finals will be played the weekend of February 9-10, 2013.

The U12G Red won two games in the second round to advance to the Top 8. The girls earned an early draw to North Bay Elite in December. They then went on to defeat Juventus 7-0 and then a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Central Valley Magic. They now move on to the quarter-finals versus San Juan Holmes.

The U13G Red also advanced to the Top 8.  They had a 1-0 victory over 49er United in December. The girls were upended on Saturday 1-0 by Diablo FC after having numerous scoring chances. The girls showed their resiliency and came back to win 3-0 over Santa Clara Sporting to advance to the quarter-finals.

The U11G Red had a draw and a loss in the second round. They moved on to the Premier 2 Cup quarter-finals and beat Sacramento United Red 2-0 to advance to the Premier 2 semi-final versus the Santa Rosa Waves.

The U11G White played some great soccer on the weekend but came up a bit short.  They had a draw and a loss in the second round and then fell 5-2 to Manteca in the Silver 1 quarter-final.

The U12G White had a convincing 4-0 win versus Argentina and then a tough 1-0 loss to Ceres. The girls move on to the Silver 1 quarter-finals and face Los Gatos.

The U13G White had an impressive 1-0 win over Cal Northstars and then were upended 1-0 by Central Marin. The girls will move on to the Silver 1 quarter-finals versus Burlingame.

Congratulations to all of the girls teams on a great weekend in State Cup!

Madalyn Schiffel, starting goalkeeper for University of San Francisco

2013 graduate and Placer United Alumni, Madalyn Schiffel, the starting goalkeeper for University of San Francisco, was called up to the U.S. Women’s Youth National Team Camp.

Madalyn Schiffel is among 24 players to be called into the US U18 Women’s National Team’s first training camp of the year, February 2-9, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.  The US U18’s will train concurrently with the US U20’s, and the two squads will scrimmage against each other on February 5th.  The U18’s will also scrimmage UC Irvine on February 8th.

Reached by phone on the “hilltop” at the USF campus, Madalyn said, “I am so grateful for this opportunity I have been given and I’m very excited to train with some of the best players in the country in my age group.”

Long time Placer United Coach, Gene DuChateau, was an integral part of Madalyn’s success. “It was about seven years ago that I was at a tournament with my team,” recalled DuChateau.

“After our game, I decided to stick around to watch our younger under 11 girls play. As a former professional goalkeeper, I first recognized the tallest girl on the team was the goalkeeper. It took less than 10 minutes of watching the game to find out her name was Madalyn, also known as Maddy. This tall, thin, statued girl stood out by how many times her Under 11 teammates played the ball back to her. Every time she received the ball or kicked it a mile you would say, oh my, did you see that? She was cool, calm and confident with every touch or collection. Madalyn looked the part of a goalkeeper and had the profile to become big time. I left that game saying that l would love to have the chance to coach her someday. That hope became a reality when I took over as coach of the Under 15’s and Madalyn was our goalkeeper. She was a natural who had it all and it was my job to insure that she continued to develop. There were times when we butted heads because I expected so much from her and knew she has what it takes to compete at the highest level. Well, the battles paid off with Madalyn now attending USF on a full athletic soccer scholarship. This young lady has it all and is without a doubt the most talented female goalkeeper that I’ve ever coached during my 19 year tenure with Placer United. After Madalyn accepted the offer to attend USF, a coaching change was made and Jim Millinder was named head coach. Jim and I had played professionally together and was excited to hear that Maddy would be attending USF. In a discussion with Jim, I said that I felt Maddy had the entire package and I would love to see her get a shot in the US Camp. Well as they say, good things come to those who work hard and are passionate about what they do.  We at Placer United look forward to following her path and look forward to seeing her in a USA jersey sometime in the near future. A big thank you to Jim and Maite from USF!”

“We are so proud of Madalyn and what she has accomplished thus far,” said Ron Benjamin, DOC Girls. “Madalyn is a great teammate and friend to many.  Gene and I fielded many emails and phone calls in regard to Madalyn during her college recruiting process.  She was heavily sought after by many collegiate programs.  Former USF head coach Mark Carr and assistant Maite Zabala made a real impact with Madalyn during the process.  Some say that she was the best GK recruit in the nation for the 2013 graduates.  We look forward to her continued development and look forward to the possibility of Madalyn representing our country in the sport that she loves.”

The U13 Girls Red have taken second place in the Norcal Fall League’s Region 6 Premier Division. The team went 3-0-1 over its last 4 matches, including back to back wins over top ranked MFC Newcastle, to solidify their second place position.

The girls play State Cup matches in Woodland this weekend and victories will place them in the Top 8 in the U13 Girls State Cup.

Congratulations Girls! Good luck this weekend!

Placer United U12G Red and Mustang Fury U12

The U12G Red team travelled down to Danville this past weekend to play the U12 Mustang Fury, one of the top teams in the state.  This game was played as the final tuneup for the State Cup second round which is January 26-27 in Woodland.The match was of very high quality and it went from end to end with both teams having very good possession and many attacking moments.  Mustang scored towards the end of the first half on a shot from 18 yards out.  In the second half, both teams had exciting scoring chances and defended very well.  The game ended 1-0.

After the game, the girls practiced a round of penalty kicks just in case it is needed next weekend to break any deadlocks.  Additionally, both teams showed their sportsmanship and posed for a group photo together.

Placer United and Mustang Soccer Clubs have a very solid relationship and we look forward to more friendly matches in the future!

Kelcey, Kace and Crystal Chaidez

Dearest Placer United Families:

It is with mixed emotions and heavy hearts that Crystal and I announce the current season with Placer United will be our last. Both of us have been presented with great job opportunities in Sonoma County where we are both from originally. The decision to raise our family closer to longtime friends and our immediate families is an exciting new chapter in our lives. We are very sad, however, to be moving away from a soccer club we have thoroughly enjoyed working for and truly love.

We hope the impact we have made on our players lives off the field is as significant as the successes we have made on the field. This is more important to us than any win! Crystal, Kace and I are a Placer United family through and through. There has been lot of hearsay surrounding the club lately and I think it is important to note that none of this has played any role in our decision to move home. Placer United has provided us with much support over the last five years. The club has encouraged and financed our coaching licenses and has given us the opportunity to work with some of the best players in the Sacramento region. The bonds of friendships and the experiences we have shared with fellow coaches, players and families have been some of the most memorable times of our lives and ones we take forward with us past the lines of the soccer pitch.

We will be finishing out the season with our older teams and then completing our move. Until that time, we will continue to be very active within the club, with both with our teams and behind the scenes and with any club-based events.

In closing we are proud to have been part of Placer United. It’s a great club with dedicated coaches and outstanding families.  In our opinion, no other club comes close to the number of players Placer United has placed onto US Youth National Teams and into colleges over the last five years. There is no doubt in our mind that Placer United is the best youth soccer club in Sacramento and the best soccer environment for your children to excel.

We hope to see you on the pitch in the near future.

Jay Roundtree, U14B Red

Congratulations to Jay Roundtree who was selected to travel to Las Vegas with the 98 ODP Boys team.

All the coaching staff at Placer United wish Jay the best of luck.

Go Placer!

Coach Matt Bernard

Former executive director of coaching for the North Bay Elite Football Club, Matt Bernard, has joined the Placer United coaching staff.  Matt brings a wealth of youth soccer experience to our club.  He is currently a member of  U14 U.S. Boys National Team coaching staff. He is also currently a scout for the USSF Academy program and U.S. Club’s  ID2  Identification Program. In addition, Matt is the head goalkeeper coach for the Norcal PDP Program.Before returning to California to take the executive DOC role at NBEFC, Matt was a Technical Director for Sereno Soccer Club, one of Arizona’s biggest and best known clubs.

From Coach Matt:

“I cannot express how excited I am to join Placer United Soccer Club. When I was approached by Ron and Paul about joining the club, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of a club I once played for as a child. I first played for Placer United in 1989 when my family moved to Roseville from Sacramento. The club was in its infancy at that point and they have come so far in almost a quarter century. I laugh when I think back to the Placer United Board of Directors meeting in my parent’s living room many years ago, and now the club has over 40 teams, top notch facilities and an overall quality program that has state, regional and national respect.

I have been lucky to be involved in some very good clubs over the past twelve years and I know Placer United, under the direction of Ron and Paul, will be a great place for me to call home. One of the main attractions for me to join the club is the desire to compete at the highest level of youth soccer in the United States. I am looking forward to helping in any way I can to help Placer United continue to develop and grow. 

I have personal relationships with many of the coaches at the club and look forward to working with them all on a regular basis. The camaraderie of the coaching staff is second to none and I look forward to being a part of the team that has been working hard to develop the top players that are coming out of Placer County.

I look forward to my new role within the club and getting started with the players on the field”