PRSS REPORT

Just wanted to let the club know that the WPS All Star game will be Wednesday night starting at 7:30pm live on Fox Soccer Channel from Atlanta.

Also wanted to wish Albertson Fury 98, Albertson Fury 93 and Albertson Fury 91 lots of luck and success at the 2010 Regional Championships in West Virginia. Do us all proud and bring a Regional Championship back.

Best Regards,

Paul Riley
DOC Albertson SC

HE'S GOING PLACES
Nicholas Gaitan to captain U-15 NT in Argentina, plans to play in Italy

By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor

Albertson S.C. midfielder Nicholas Gaitan will captain the U.S. Under-15 National Team for its trip to Argentina next month.

But Gaitan's next international trip could make more of an impact on his life.

He's mulling over offers to play for Italian professional soccer clubs.

His father, Adrian Gaitan, said Nicholas has narrowed the possibilities to three or four clubs. A decision could be made as early as Thursday night.

"He's going," Adrian said. "He's going for sure. One hundred percent.

"I'm leaving the decision up to him, to let him go where he wants to go."

Scouts have checked out Nicolas Gaitan at Albertson S.C. games during U.S. Soccer Development Academy competition over the weekend. Gaitan, who turn 15 on March 29, plays for the U-16 team.

"People are at our games," said Adrian Gaitan, the coach. "He's taking it in stride."

Nicholas Gaitan's progress should not surprise many soccer observers because he comes from a soccer family. His grandfather Tony Gaitan, was a well-known youth coach in his day, directing the Oceanside Navahos, a superb team that included former U.S. international and Red Bulls goalkeeper Tony Meola and his son, among others.

Adrian Gaitan was a member of the U.S. U-20 team that competed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile in 1987 and was a starter on the Long Island Rough Riders' team that captured the U.S. Interregional Soccer League (now USL-2) championship in 1995.

"He's doing well," Adrian said. "He's quite a player -- so far. His path is to go to Europe at a very young age. He can play. He's the real deal."

Gaitan asked for advice of a former Rough Riders teammate -- one-time MetroStars standout Giovanni Savarese, thanks to his experience and knowledge of the Italian Leagues. Savarese is with the Met Oval in the U.S. Development Academy competition. Savarese helped find the right people to look at the younger Gaitan.

"He needs to go and give it a shot," Adrian Gaitan said.

But first thing first --U-15 trip to Argentina.

Playing in Argentina is one thing, captaining the team is in another orbit. Nicholas' ancestry is Argentine.

“I was happy,” Nicholas was quoted by the Long Island Herald. “It's a once in a lifetime experience. Not too many kids have that opportunity.”

Nicholas started playing with Oceanside United S.C. for two years before performing for B.W. Gottschee in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League. He eventually joined Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association's ODP before the National Team program discovered him.

"He always wants the ball," U.S. Soccer Development Academy director of scouting Tony Lepore told the Herald. "He shows up in really good spots to help the team keep the ball in possession."

The U.S. will play Argentina during the tour and Adrian plans on taking an 11-hour flight down south to watch his son in his family's country.

"The whole Gaitan clan will be 3,000," Adrian said. "I may have to go down there for crowd control."

LI FURY NEWS

Fury defender Alyssa Pember and GK Brittany Anghel make the WPSL Team of the Week...

D Alyssa Pember (LONG ISLAND FURY)
The 2009 East Conference Co-Player Of The Year & Boston College star has been the lynchpin of a impressive Long Island defense, leading the East-Central Division leaders to two more shutout wins.

GK Brittany Anghel (LONG ISLAND FURY)
Two more shutouts this week for the soon-to-be Syracuse University keeper, as she has given up just one goal in 405 minutes of play this season - good for a microscopic 0.22 goals against average.

Click for Full Story

U.S. U20 Women win CONCACAF Crown with 2 Albertson Players!

Congrats to Vicki DiMartino (Fury90, Boston College) and Crystal Dunn (Fury91, going to UNC) for a great win over Mexico in the finals. The U20s have also qualified for the U20 World Cup in Germany later this year. Click here for full story.

February 2, 2010

LIFE OF RILEY
Veteran coach named BigAppleSoccer.com's personality of the year

Paul Riley could not have asked for a better year.

And if you want to get technical, he accomplished it in triplicate, making headlines with three different teams -- the Albertson Fury, Long Island Fury and Philadelphia Independence.

As coach of the Albertson Fury, he directed four youth teams to the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association State Cup titles. As coach of the L.I. Fury, he guided that club to the Women's Premier Soccer League championship. And to top off 2009, Riley was named coach of the Independence, which will be an expansion team in Women's Professional Soccer this season.

So, it should not be surprising that Riley was selected as BigAppleSoccer.com's personality of the year on Tuesday.

"Paul Riley has enjoyed a distinguished career as a soccer coach," BigAppleSoccer.com editor Michael Lewis said. "What he accomplished in 2009 was truly remarkable and will be difficult to duplicate, let alone surpass. Just about the only thing that could top last year would be winning the WPS title. We congratulate Paul for this honor and a memorable 2009 and wish him well in Philly."

Riley appreciated what he and the teams accomplished last year.

"09 was a great year," he said. "It was it was a pheomenal year for the club, Albertson and the Long Island Fury.

"It was an amazing year. everything went according to plan, I guess. All of the work that was done in January and Febeuary last year hopefully paid off. The teams peaked at the right time."

This year Riley finds himself with yet even more challenges in Philadelphia.

"This is a different monster all together," he said. "Trying to get this team to peak at the right time in August and September when everything is on the line. I don't want to peak in June (laughs), like State Cup teams have to. If we peak at the right time, we will be in contention to least get into the playoffs and to be in contention to win a championship."

Riley leads an impressive list of men, women, girls and boys who were honored by BigAppleSoccer.com.

“WE’RE GOING FOR IT ALL”
Lohman says Independence is ready to make its mark on the WPS

Joanna Lohman has very quickly adopted Philadelphia and her new team, the Independence.

Joanna Lohman celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in last Thursday’s preseason match against Penn State. - Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images

“I adore our team,” she said. “I think Paul (Riley) is the best coach I have ever had. He sets extremely high expectations for everyone, yet he is very realistic in achieving those expectations and also very encouraging,” she said.

Winding up in Philadelphia has been the culmination of what Lohman called a “rollercoaster last few years .”

The native of Silver Spring, Maryland played collegiately at Penn State and has been knocking around the world of soccer ever since. She trained with the Washington Freedom while she was still in college and played for their W-League team. She also spent some time in Sweden before signing with the Freedom for their inaugural WPS season last year.

“I had back surgery in 2005 and reinjured that,” she said. “It was very disappointing to go over to Sweden where I thought I was going to be playing a lot and being one of the major contributors on the team, and it just turned out that I couldn’t really play.

“I wasn’t the same person, I wasn’t the same player, and I was very often in pain so I had to take some time off.”

Lohman sat out six months before the start of the last WPS season, then was drafted by Saint Louis before being traded to Washington, seemingly her dream come true.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always wanted to play professional soccer. I used to say that before there was even a league, people used to stare at me and kind of laugh.

“My entire life was in Washington. My family is there, my job, I work commercial real estate in Washington DC, my friends from high school are all there,” she said. “The most important piece of my life, which is playing soccer, wasn’t necessarily going the way that I expected or wanted it to. Its great to be around people you love and your other occupation, but in terms of my passion, soccer, it wasn’t what I expected so as great as it was to be around, I wasn’t necessarily happy.”

That’s why, even though it meant a move, Lohman welcomed the opportunity to join the expansion Independence.

“I’ve been looking forward to this season for a couple of years now,” she said. “It was pretty impromptu that I came to Philadelphia, but I am so glad I did.”

“The way Paul wants this team to run and the way he runs it, you feel like you are all in it together, in a sense.”

Team chemistry and Riley’s coaching style have all impressed Lohman, who talks about the players lounge the team built at United Sports Training Center in Downingtown.

“When we have double days, we all hang out in the players lounge and get to know each other, and when games get tough, we have that chemistry to fall back on.”

The team also has had a chance to get to know the city some.

“We had a day where we toured around Philadelphia. We hit the Rocky steps, we went to the Liberty Bell, and then we had Pat’s cheesesteaks.

“I loved it, it was my first cheesesteak ever.”

Lohman says Riley’s attention to detail has made training camp an incredible learning experience for her.

“He pays attention to every single detail, and he makes you a better player because he appreciates the subtleties of the game and the small things that he can point out to you that will make you better than the person next to you.”

Riley has called Lohman the best player in the team’s training camp, but the team’s depth, with nine national team players does not assure her a starting spot. Still she is glad to be a part of it and made a very bold statement for an expansion team, even one with such a star-studded roster.

“I think everyone on the team is extremely excited to start the season on April 11th and we all have the expectation that we’re going to win the championship. This isn’t a first year, a building year. This is ‘we’re going and we’re going for it all.’ We believe that we can win it and throughout the season we’re just going to get better.

“We like bold statements in Philadelphia. We wouldn’t be Philadelphia if we didn’t make bold statements,” Lohman said.

The time to back up those words begins on Sunday at 6pm, when the Independence opens against fellow expansion team Atlanta.

March 4, 2010

Elite Clubs National League expands for 2010-11 with addition of 12 clubs

[ECNL Web site]

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (March 3, 2010)  From nearly 60 clubs that applied for membership, the ECNL Board of Directors recommended 12 new clubs for membership in the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). The ECNL member clubs approved these recommendations, increasing the number of member clubs to 52 for the 2010-11 season.

The clubs granted membership for the 2010-11 season are:

This is the first year of expansion of the ECNL. Expansion of the ECNL is a two-year process that will carefully and gradually establish the membership necessary to create regional and national competition in a 25- to 30-game schedule.  Significant additional expansion is expected for the 2011-12 season.

There were many very good clubs that applied for membership that were not accepted this year, said ECNL President Christian Lavers. Several of these clubs will almost certainly be a part of the ECNL in the near future, and many more may be a part of the long-term future of the ECNL. Likewise, we expect that other new clubs will emerge in the coming years that will continue to raise the level of the league.

The new clubs are extremely excited for the 2010-11 ECNL season:

 The Michigan Hawks Soccer Club is thrilled to be among the clubs invited to join this league and is looking forward to the challenge of competing against the nation's best. The Michigan Hawks Soccer Club has a proven record of developing elite female soccer players. The ECNL will provide our players with a national stage to showcase their ability and prepare them to transition seamlessly into the college ranks
--Brian Doyle, Michigan Hawks Soccer Club Director of Coaching

The primary reason in joining the ECNL is the quality of the events and the clubs that are in the ECNL. We are really excited for our teams to play in the ECNL-scheduled events and have our teams compete against the best teams in the country. I always believed to be the best you have to play the best.
--Walid Khoury, Slammers FC Director of Coaching

Acceptance decisions based on the overall performance level of the clubs, as was determined by the following factors: 1) long-term club history in female soccer, 2) long-term history in development of female soccer players, 3) club leadership and management structure and 4) geographical considerations.

We are all very excited about the new member clubs that will join us next year, said ECNL Vice President Doug Bracken. We look forward to continuing to make the ECNL the best league for elite youth girls that this country has to offer. It is certain that these new member clubs will only enhance the overall experience for all of our players, and that they will help the ECNL to continue leading change, growth and development in female youth soccer.

An announcement relating to the 2010-11 ECNL regular-season events will be made in late March.

March 4, 2010

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY CLUBS USE INDOOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT DURING WINTER MONTHS

Clubs Must Adjust to Winter Months To Continue Elite Player DevelopmentTechnical Training Becomes A Priority When Clubs Move Indoors

Record snowfalls and temperatures have plagued the northeastern part of the country all winter long, presenting many challenges to the continuity of the Development Academy season. Complications with transportation and snow-covered fields have wreaked havoc on the plans many clubs have put into place, but the clubs have shown that where there is a will, and a little bit of creativity, there is a way.

“We have a lot of clubs that deserve credit for dealing with difficult circumstances,” said Development Academy Director of Scouting Tony Lepore, who serves as the technical advisor in the northeast. “They are coming up with creative ways to continue training and overall they have handled the record winter quite well.”

Training indoors, though obviously different from playing games outside, presents an opportunity for players to concentrate on individual ball work, small-sided games and playing in tight spaces. In fact, the Midwest and Northeast part of the U.S. have a strong history of player development despite having shorter playing seasons due to the longer winters.

When they have been forced inside, Seacoast United is one club taking advantage of the chance to focus on technical ability and working in small spaces.

“It’s very different, but we use indoor to help the boys as much as we can with their ball work and things like that on a faster surface,” said Seacoast United head coach John Price.

Connecticut’s South Central Premier and New Jersey’s PDA have both incorporated futsal, a variation of indoor soccer, into their regular training regimen, utilizing the indoor game that has been credited with the development of some of the best players in the world.

“We’ve actually been in far better shape I think than our counterparts in the Mid-Atlantic,” said South Central Premier head coach Brian Quinn, acknowledging the record amounts of snowfall in the Mid-Atlantic this winter. “For the most part we have been able to get outside once or twice a week, but when we are inside we have the hard surface of a field house that we use and the guys play futsal.”

“It’s something they wouldn’t get otherwise and it’s great for them to be able to work with the smaller ball,” said Quinn, who takes advantage of the weighted futsal ball, which forces players to keep it on the ground. “The guys actually really get into it and it’s great for them technically to have structured training with the ball at their feet.”

Teams with a variety of weather patterns are forced to change up training regimens throughout the year, exposing their players to a variety of conditions. While training indoors is not an ideal situation, for three to four months out of the year, clubs have made the most of it.

Long Island’s Albertson SC kept this goal in mind when the club acquired some time in the practice bubble on the campus of Hofstra University, the former training facility of the New York Jets.

“We’re very fortunate to have the opportunities that we’ve had with the facility at Hofstra, and we’re lucky that our board of directors and administrators are coming up with creative ways to allow us to continue to train there,” said Albertson SC head coach Adrian Gaitan.  “In fact, we have a great relationship with [Brooklyn-based club] Met Oval, so there are times when we invite them to share the space and split the field in half.”

Gaitan admits that training indoors 100 percent of the time is not ideal in the buildup to an outdoor game, or for complete player development.

“Tactically, we have to make adjustments when we play indoors because the most we tend to get on the field is nine against nine,” he said. “Our players also have to almost re-learn the art of striking a 30-yard pass or taking a long shot on a full-sized goal when we get outside, so in those areas we’re at a bit of a disadvantage but it’s just about adjustment.”

Though limited training indoors is far better than nothing, and his teams do everything they can to make the most of the opportunities to practice.

“The area is obviously smaller, which means the guys are playing in a tighter space,” said Gaitan. “There is a bit of an adjustment when we do get outside, and the more we can get good work on the ball, the better it is for the players.”

Seacoast United has utilized everything from snow plows to shovels to clear outdoor turf fields. New Hampshire has not had quite as much snow as the Mid-Atlantic states, but has dealt with downed power lines and icy, treacherous travel.

“We are lucky to have our own facility and a snow blower that we can use most of the time, but there have been situations where we ask the parents to come out and bring their shovels,” said Seacoast United head coach John Price. “We know that’s not something easy to ask a parent to do, but what is great is that they all come together like a big family and pitch in. It’s a way for parents across the club to get to know each other.”

Price also sees the benefit of the players dealing with difficult circumstances together.

“We have had a few instances this year of power outages, but things like that have actually been kind of a positive for us,” he said. “We have really used our community phone chain and carpool systems, with the older guys who can drive making a great effort to get the younger players to the fields. After training, they’ll end up going to someone’s house, whoever has power, to shower and get a good meal. It’s actually quite nice to see them come together.”

With the end of winter hopefully in sight for that part of the country, clubs will shift their practice sessions back outside as much as possible, but according to Lepore, the themes should remain similar regardless of the elements.

“We know it’s been tough on a lot of clubs to constantly be inside,” he said. “But we have been generally pretty happy with the way they have been training, keeping technical training a priority for player development and playing indoors has been shown to be a huge catalyst for individual development.”

East Conference play continues this weekend, with the Liberty, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Divisions all in action.  

- ussoccer.com -

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