http://emeraldcityfc.org Emerald City FC Latest News en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 05:12:30 -0500 http://emeraldcityfc.org/clipart/xsecfclogo2.gif http://emeraldcityfc.org Our 3rd set of tryouts for f90-92 teams completed this past weekend. Congratulations to all of our new players, and many thanks to all the the volunteers who helped things run smoothly this past weekend Congratulations to the winners of our top club awards for the 2007-08 year, announced last night by our Coaching Director, Bobby Howe, at our annual general meeting.Golden Boot: Dylan Gagnes and Lauren McAndrews/Kelli StewartGolden Ball:  Hailey Bobin and Kohl ShoenigManager of the Year (older teams): Ron NationCoach of the Year (older teams): Jan SmisekIn addition the following players recived the pivotal player award on their respective teams:  Jordan Travis, Liz Blonden, Sara Ives, Anastaja Endres, Jessica Louw, Kate Peters, Tiana Brockway/Megan Fieser, Lucas McCormick, Erik Thornquist, Kenny Buyco, Matt Durland, Gabe Gonzales, and Naketa McDonald.Each player recognized will also be receving a nice gift certificate for Adidas products redeemable at Sporthaus Schmetzer.The next time you see these players please join us in congratulating them. Salute ECFC's state champions as the f95 Green team hosts a fundraiser at the 7pm May 18 Sounders Game at Starfire Stadium.  The defending USL champion Seattle Sounders will be the main attraction, of course, as they expect a very competitive fame from their opponent in last year's USL title game, the Atlanta Silverbacks. Before the game, the ECFC girls champs will be selling 50/50 raffle tickets to help them fund their trip to represent Washington State at regional championships in Hawaii.  The Sounders will be kicking in some extra prizes, too.There are still opportunities for your team to take part in the fun:The Sounders need ball managers (teams U12 and older) to work the sidelines during the USL match. Up to 4 teams can take part in mini-games during the halftime of the USL match.Please contact Mark Manum (markmanum@hotmail.com) or Dereck Soo (dsoo@copacino.com) to confirm your interest in either opportunity. Group tickets ($13) may be purchased by contacting the Sounders' Gary Boyle at 206-381-7908.  Individual tickets ($15) may be purchased through ticketmaster or at the gate. Finally, be sure to wear your ECFC gear and prepare for a fun night. The election committee is pleased to report that the votes have been counted and certified by a parent member outside of the committee.We wish to extend congratulations to the new board members and our sincere thanks to all candidates who ran for a position. As with many elections spirits and emotions often run high, and this election certainly did not prove to be different. There were some very positive aspects to this process but it was clear the opposite also occurred. The committee strongly urges all those involved, and all club members, to move forward from this election in a constructive and positive manner, to put behind us any ill feelings that may have been caused, and to concentrate and focus our energies and efforts on our mission:Emerald City FC exists to develop each of our players to their fullest potential, competing at the highest possible level while demonstrating exemplary teamwork, sportsmanship, and a passion for the game. Lastly we welcome feedback on the election process, including ideas and opportunities for improvement.The following candidates received the most votes for the general board positions:Bryan Coluccio, Tor Jernudd, Monique KeranenFor the vp of membership position the following candidate was voted in:Karen LauncefordThe following player rep candidates were voted in:Rachel Keyser for the girls rep and Chris Perkins for the boys.Coach Rep U11-U14: Jon BakkenCoach Rep U15U18:  John Hamel Respectfully submitted, Meg Grimaldi, Peter Bladin, Dan Barsher (election committee) The new board of directors will elect its own officers sometime in the next month, in the interim Tor Jernudd was (re)elected to continue to serve as acting Treasurer.Please join us in thanking the following retiring board members for their service to the club:  John Ryan and Jamie Rees (3 years!!!), Randall Johnson, Stefan Cobb, and Laura Caldwell.  They did it again!  Congratulations to the Girls U15 Green Team, state champions in the US Youth Soccer Washington State Championships.  The team has won the state championship four out of the last five years, and as the state champion, they will represent Washington (and Emerald City) at the US Youth Soccer Far West Region IV Championships, in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Congratulations to Jason and Shawn and all of the players in this remarkable achievement.  Congratulations to all the ECFC GU15-18 teams who participated in the state cup tournaments over the last 3 weekends. It was a wonderful campaign, and all of our teams performed admirably.  Thank you for demonstrating exemplary teamwork and sportsmanship throughout the tournament.  We are proud of your efforts.   U15 Green, State Champions  PRE - REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE All Goal keepers- Sunday May 11 4:30-5:30 at Ingraham GU16        Sat  May 10  9:30-11:30 am  Summit #2        Sun  May 11  6-8:00 pm   Ingraham 1/2        Mon  May 12  6:30-dark  Roosevelt HSGU17        Sat  May 10   1-3:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2        Sun May 11    4-6:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2GU18         Sat May 10   3-5:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2         Sun May 11   2-4:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2Please arrive 1/2 hour early for sign in. Wear your ECFC white training shirt if returning ECFC player and all new players will be given a numbered shirt. Bring ball, water bottle, and wear appropriate gear. Lots of great soccer happening at both tournaments- Here are the teams who progressed out of bracket. Starfire Spring Classic-              BU13  M95 Green finalistsSkagit Valley Tulip Tournament             GU11  F97 Green Champions                       F97 White Semi Finalists                       F97 Blue  Semi Finalists             GU12  F96 Green  Finalists at GU13                       F96 White  Finalists in Gold                       F96 Blue    Finalists in Silver                GU15/16 F93 White  Finalists Emerald City FC is a volunteer driven and managed organization that relies upon its membership for leadership and  governance.  Elections for the board of directors will be held later this month and interested candidates are encouraged to contact current ECFC board member and chairperson of the 2008 election committee at :   thebarshers@yahoo.com .Candidates running for positions are located under Parents, 2008 Candidates, or you can click HERE:For more information on the 2008 elections, the timeline, and other requirements/suggestions please click HERE .The deadline to receive candidate statements has been extended to midnight of April 29th. The ECFC GU-14 Black Team is looking for players to complete their roster.  If you are new to town, if you missed tryouts or you're just looking for a team, please contact the team manager, Christine Naranjo Clarke at christinenc1@gmail.com. At first glance, John Smith could be the model of a promising young striker playing for any elite club in the area. He is tall, fast, aggressive and athletic. He is dedicated to the sport. He trains all the time, running ten kilometers daily, doing 50 push-ups and 100 sit-ups. He hits the weight room three times a week. He can run like a gazelle.That is all fine and good. But John made a serious training mistake. Gazelles cannot play soccer. They never could.CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING  All teams will be assigned a date and time as their primary fitting appointment at Sporthaus Schmetzer. Your coach or manager will be know the specifics. click here for directions to the store. 12524 Lake City Way NEIf you can not attend the specific appointment for your team, you can go any day during the week of April 8-12 during normal business hours. You must know your team name, coach name and uniform (jersey) #. You will order 2 sox, 2 shorts, 2 tops, bag or backpack (team choice), 2 training t-shirts and training jacket and pant. Payment is due at time of sizing. If unable to pay in full at time of sizing, contact team or club treasurer in advance to make special arrangements. There is a discount offered by Sporthaus on all regularily priced items in the store if you attend your assigned team fitting appointment. ECFC GU12 F95 Green triumph with final score, 1-0! With 2 minutes remaining in the second OT period, ECFC scored a goal against the NW Nationals! Glad they were to avoid the dreaded PK's! Reports indicate it was about as exciting of a match as you will ever see. Although they knew they were off to Regionals win or lose (wildcard in this age group), the girls were thrilled to win and will accept the harder bracket at Regionals in Hawaii in June! Congrats to the girls and their coaches Stefan Cobb and Jordan Dolan. ECFC BU18 M89 Green lost in the final to HPFC Heat '89 Blue 0-4.  We wish the team the best as they continue their soccer careers at various colleges across the country. The following commitments have been made to date with many more to come. Congratulations to all ECFC players who will be off to college next fall. Hailey Bobin         (F89 Green, injured for fall hs season @ U Prep)  HAMILTON NY (D3)Brett Eisenhart      (F89 Green, All Metro First Team from Lakeside)  WILLIAMS, MA (D3)Ashley Engel      (F89 Green)                                               ST MARTINS COLLEGE, WA (D2)Taylor Fannin      (F89 Green, Columbia Basin First Team, HM State All-State)  SEATTLE U (D2/D1)Madison Goverde      (F89 Green, All Wesco & Area First Team, HM All State, Snohomish) SEATTLE U (D2/D1)Annika Hanson      (F89 Green, All Metro First Team from Seattle Prep)  ALBANY (D1)Becky Harris    (F89 Green, SeaMount First Team, Mt Rainier)         REDLANDS (D3)Alexandra Jensen     (F89 Green, Columbia Basin First Team from West Valley) CENTRAL WA (D2)  Lauren McAndrews      (F89 Green, All Metro First Team & League MVP, Seattle Times All Star 4A/3A, Lakeside) COLGATE (D1)Kalie Pleis    (F89 Green, Cedarcrest)                              Seattle University (D2/D1)Maddy Phillips    (F89 Green, Emerald City League First team, Forest Ridge)  REDLANDS  (D3)Lacee Ross     (F89 Green, All Wesco Second Team, Snohomish) SOUTHERN OREGON (D2)Brittany Shefts    (F89 Green, All Metro 1st Team, Seattle Prep)       Seattle University (D2/D1)Kelli Stewart     (F89 Green, All Wesco First Team, Seattle Times All Star 4A/3A, Kamiak) WASHINGTON (D1)Ashley Waplinger      (F89 Green, All Metro First Team, Bainbridge)  ROLLINS FLO (D2)Tyler Bjork     (M89 Green, Kingco First Team and League MVP, Juanita)      WESTERN WASHINGTON (D2) Nick Burdett     (M89 Green)                               CAMPBELL, NC (D1) Cody Clark     (M89 Green)                               ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2) Mickey Crudo     (M89 Green)                               ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2) James Griffin     (M89 Green, Kingco First TEam, Garfield HS)              REDLANDS CA (D3)Michael Hodges     (M89 Green)                                       ST MARY'S COLLEGE (D1)Tyler Klein     (M89 Green, Kingco Fisrt Team, Eastlake HS)             UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (D1) Xan Nixon     (M89 Green, Kingco First Team, Roosevelt HS)            ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2) Kohl Schoening     (M89 Green, Kingco First Team, Woodinville HS)       UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (D1) Dylan Tucker Gagnes     (M89 Green)                                UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (D1) Starting April 1, Seattle Parks will have recycling containers at ball fields, picnic areas and beaches in SE and SW Seattle. Please use them only for recyleable glass, plastic and aluminum. Keep the trash out! Emerald City Football Club is pleased to announce that Scottish and Sounder soccer legend Jimmy Gabriel has joined the coaching staff and will be coaching two boys’ teams for the 2008 season.   Gabriel, 67, has 34 years of coaching experience that ranges from youth teams to professional clubs. By the time he retired from the Seattle Sounders at age 33, Gabriel’s professional playing career included long stints at such top-flight English clubs as Everton, Southampton and Bournemouth, and he made several appearances for the Scottish National Team.   Gabriel will be coaching next season’s U-18 and U-14 boys, says Bobby Howe, Emerald City FC’s coaching director, a close friend and teammate of Gabriel’s in England and with the Sounders. ``It’s an honor to have Jimmy joining our club,’’ Howe said. ``Not only will he be great for the players but he will also be a fantastic coaching resource for our entire coaching staff.’’ Gabriel, who brought Howe to the Sounders as an assistant coach from Bournemouth in the mid-1970s where they were teammates and friends, said he looks forward to reuniting with Howe to make Emerald City an even stronger club. ``Bobby wants the teams to be winning but he also wants the players to be progressing,’’ Gabriel said. ``Are they becoming better players? That’s our No. 1 priority.’’Gabriel will draw on his vast reservoir of coaching experience, including long stints as a youth coach in Washington state, University of Washington, and at Crossfire Premier. For Gabriel, coaching young players is about developing their skills, technique and positional awareness, but it’s also about passing on a lifetime of soccer knowledge to the youngsters. ``I want to pass on my knowledge of the game to the kids to help them to be better players,’’ Gabriel said. ``So these kids can become some of the top groups of players in the state.’’   Some of the key attributes that Gabriel looks for in young soccer players includes a variety of elements. Obviously, athleticism, speed, stamina and quick feet play a big role in evaluating talent, he said. ``You have to have quickness in feet and you have to stamina. Then you look at technique and try to see how much further the player needs to develop. Finally, you look at their decision-making on the field. That’s one of the big things.’’   One piece of knowledge Gabriel hopes to pass on to his players is a stronger sense of positional play on the pitch. ``I want to teach them how to play their positions,’’ Gabriel said. ``A lot of times they are allowed to go on their own, and I think can teach and help them in that area.’’ Gabriel also hopes to draw out the personalities of every one of his players because ultimately that’s one of the crucial ways to get players performing at their highest level. ``Many times, young players will hide their personalities, but they really have to bring it out on the field,’’ Gabriel says. ``Once a young player finds his personality, it’s as if he’s dancing on the field and it makes him a far better player.’’  Ultimately, Gabriel said his aim is to help players reach their highest level of play while keeping their passion for the game intact. ``I want the player to get the best out of himself, to be the best that he can be. It might not take him to the highest level, but hopefully if we can bring it all out, he will be enjoying his soccer for the rest of his life.’’ Congratulations to all the PDL team Pivotal Player award winners. These are listed in the column to the right under awards. We also honor the Silver Boot winners for 2007, Jenna Glad for the girls and Tolossa Hassan for the boys. Jordan Dolan (Bieler) was named PDL coach of the Year and Laurel Rech was awarded PDL Manager of the Year. It is with heavy heart that I note that we lost Neil Callahan, parent in ECFC (Alex F95 White), parent of QA soccer player (Abby QA Steelheads), President of SYSA and one of the biggest supporters of youth soccer in the Northwest. He started Spring soccer for SYSA, developed clinics for players, coaches and referees and has been a champion for the integration of ECFC with all select soccer in Seattle while working to find levels of play for all players in Seattle. A passion for the game and a respect for it and all who play it was his way of life. A scholarship fund has been established in his honor and will support coaching clinics in the Seattle area to help new coaches volunteering to help kids play the world's greatest game. Details are shown at www.sysa.org