News and Announcements

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Team Chicago Academy-Brasilia midfielder Maddy Lambert has accepted a great scholarship to continue her soccer career at Kent State University. Maddy, who plays her prep soccer at Oswego East H.S., will be part of Kent State Head Coach Rob Marinaro’s 2017 recruiting class.

Maddy will be joining her sister Miranda and Kristen Brots as Team Chicago alumnae in the Golden Flashes program.

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The 2014-15 was a very successful year for Team Chicago both on and off the field. The girls program is among the top-4 in the State of Illinois and with a realistic chance of become a top-2 program within the next 3-4 years. The boys program has now stabilized and with teams through the U17 age group is only one age group away from having a full complement of age groups. Several of our boys teams are competitive within the state and region, and this will be the platform from which to pursue a path to becoming one of the top non-Development Academy clubs in Illinois.

With the addition of Herb Schuler and Dave Lovercheck as U10-18 directors, as well as the renovated indoor facility, we are poised for continued competitive improvements over the next five years.

Here are some competitive highlights from the past year:

U17 Girls Brasilia: Finished 2nd in the MRL Premier I Division last Fall and won the prestigious Disney College Showcase last Winter. Going into Junior year they have 8 players committed with athletic scholarships at Villanova, Illinois, DePaul, Purdue (2), Ball State, Kent State, and Grand Valley State. For the upcoming season the team has earned a spot in National League (the top league under the USYSA).

U17 Boys Palmeiras: Finished tied for 3rd in the MRL Premier II Division in the Spring and competed well both in State Cup and the State Premiership division.

U16 Girls Cruzeiro: Finished 2nd in the MRL Premier I Division, runners-up in State Cup, Semi-finalist at Regionals, and 5th in National League. 1 player has committed to Penn State.

U15 Girls Bahia: Finished 3rd in the MRL Premier I division and as runners-up in State Cup after losing an 11-10 penalty kick shootout in the final. .

U14 Girls Santos: Won the MRL First Division and won promotion to MRL Premier II Division for the Fall.

U13 Girls Vitoria: Was crowned State Cup Champion.

ODP and National Team:

In September 2014 Kerry Abello traveled with the U17 National Team to South Korea for two weeks. She was also called into camps in November 2014 and January, April, and August 2015.

In November 2014 Kerry Abello, Alyssa Bombacino, Jamie Goralski, and Bailee Witt represented Region II at the prestigious Boca Raton ODP Inter-regional event.

In January Mia Marconi represented Region II at the National ODP Training Camp in Florida.

This July at the conclusion of the Region II Camp in Rockford, Kerry Abello, Sarah Avery, Sarah Griffith, Alyssa Bombacino, Jamie Goralski, Riley O’Brien, Bailee Witt, Paige Miller, Natalie Massa, Mia Marconi, Katelyn Nardulli, and Tara Tesmond were all selected as Regional Pool players making them eligible to be selected for the 2015-16 ODP Inter-regional events.

2015-16 promises to be an exciting year on all fronts for Team Chicago, its teams, and its players.

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Team Chicago Academy-Brasilia has been selected for participation in the 2015-16 National League U17 Girls Division. Brasilia is coached by newly minted Girls Director of Coaching Dave Lovercheck.

Below you will see the official announcement from the National League:

FRISCO, Texas (July 31, 2015) — US Youth Soccer is proud to announce the 160 teams that have earned their place in the 2015-16 US Youth Soccer National League season. The league, entering its ninth season, is home to the nation’s top Under-14 through Under-18 Boys and Girls soccer teams, with each team having an individual proven track record of continued success in US Youth Soccer programs.

The National League’s alumni have gone on to prove themselves at the collegiate and professional levels, with former players competing in NCAA Division I, II and III, Major League Soccer, National Women’s Soccer League, English Premier League, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Each National League gender age group fields 16 teams divided into two divisions, and the top two finishers from each division receive an automatic berth to the 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships, the oldest and most prestigious youth soccer national championship competition — to be held July 25-31, 2016 in Frisco, Texas. The four National League representatives will join the four Regional Champions for a total of eight qualifiers per age group at the National Championships in the Under-14 through Under-18 divisions.

The 2015-16 National League field includes 58 of the 72 Under-13 through Under-17 teams that qualified for the 2015 National Championships, 16 of the 20 finalists and eight of 10 champions.

As is the case with the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series events and the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program, the National League creates another significant opportunity for the nation’s collegiate, professional and national team staffs to see players in an environment of meaningful play.

Last season, several National League players were invited into youth National Team camps, and many of the U-17 and U-18 players have committed to play collegiate soccer at some of the top programs in the country.

“The US Youth Soccer National League continues to provide the top competition for boys and girls in the country as each team must prove itself to gain entry into the league,” said Paul Luchowski, National League commissioner. “National League teams have claimed 26 of 36 possible National Championships in the past four years, which speaks to the quality of the teams in the league and the value of the competition. Hundreds of collegiate, professional and national team scouts attend each National League date for just that reason.”

2015-16 US Youth Soccer National League teams [Link]

The National League is an extension of the highly successful US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues (Region I Champions League, Midwest Regional League, Southern Regional Premier League and Far West Regional League). The National League provides an avenue for teams to play in meaningful matches against top competition from across the country for continued development. In addition to recruiting opportunities, National League teams compete for the National League title and one of four slots from each gender age group to the annual US Youth Soccer National Championships, the oldest and most prestigious youth soccer national championships.

The 2015-16 National League will consist of 31 of the 55 US Youth Soccer State Associations, from Region I (East): Eastern New York, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York West, Pennsylvania West and Virginia; from Region II (Midwest): Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio North, Ohio South and Wisconsin; from Region III (South): Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Texas and Texas South; from Region IV (West): Arizona, California South, Utah and Washington.

The seven-game season will begin with the inaugural National League Fall Showcase in Wilson, N.C., with the girls playing Dec. 3-6 and the boys playing Dec. 10-13. Under-15 through Under-18 teams will participate in one of two other events, the first being in Orlando, Fla., alongside the Disney Soccer Showcase, Dec. 27-29 for the boys and Dec. 31-Jan. 2 for the girls. The final play date will be held in Las Vegas, alongside the Player’s College Showcase, March 11-13 for the boys and March 18-20 for the girls. All Under-14 teams will complete their seasons in Las Vegas. In 2014-15, there was much on the line during the final weekends of play, as 18 of 20 division titles and 31 of 40 National Championship berths were decided in Las Vegas. The complete 2015-16 National League schedule will be announced in the fall.

Since its inception, National League teams have captured a combined 39 of 58 possible National Championships. In 2008, seven of the eight championship finals slots in the Under-15 and 16 age groups were won by National League teams, which resulted in the League’s first four national championships. Since that inaugural year for the league, National League teams have continued to excel each year at the National Championships. Most recently in Tulsa, National League teams took 31 of 40 possible semifinalist spots, represented 16 of 20 finalists and won eight of 10 possible National Championships.

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Team Chicago Academy-Vasco GK Emma Veselsky has accepted a scholarship offer to continue her career at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. Emma, who plays her prep soccer for Head Coach Jane Crowe at Plainfield North H.S., will be part of Bellarmine Head Coach Chris Tinius’ 2016 recruiting class.

The Knights are coming off great 14-4-3 season that ended with a 2-0 loss to National Champions Grand Valley State University in the NCAA DII Tournament Midwest Region semi-final. The Knights are part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Team Chicago Success in the WPSL!

Posted by Team Chicago Soccer Club at Jul 27, 2015 5:35PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
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The Chicago Red Stars Reserves capped an unbeaten season in the WPSL with a National Championship defeating So Cal FC 2-1 in the final on former Team Chicago Academy-Botafogo standout Ashley Handwork’s game-winning header in the 2nd half. In the final Handwork came up against her former Botafogo teammate and UCLA standout Zoey Goralski. Handwork also had a goal in the 3-2 semi-final win over Oklahoma City FC.

Ashley and Zoey’s former Botafogo teammates Rachele Armand, Brooke Ksiazek, and Zoe Swift also helped the Red Stars Reserves to its unbeaten run this season.

Schedule