Thanksgiving Tournament Rush

The Thanksgiving weekend offered dozens of games for our teams here in Phoenix and in San Diego.  All of our teams defended the Club colors well with some excellent results to show.

This past weekend we had 8 teams participating in the 3 different tournaments. Our 95 SK Boys, 97 Girls, 01 GL Boys and 01 BP Boys participated in the Tempe Thanksgiving tournament where they finished as Runners-up in a very competitive bracket.  The final game loss was the only loss in 5 games as they dominated and beat the competition in the other 4.  The 97 Girls and 01 BP Boys competed very well in the event and ended their run in the semi finals losing to very good competition.  The 95 SK Boys fought valiantly in probably the toughest bracket in the tournament. They were unable to make it out of the bracket but they ended up playing 4 good games.

Our San Diego travelers had a very busy weekend as well.  The 95 Girls competed in the November Nights College Showcase in Carlsbad, CA where they performed in front of a large number of college coaches who have shown great interest in our girls.  The 94 Boys, 95 Boys and 97 Boys played in the Nomads tournament.  The 94 Boys finished the tournament with a well fought win against a National powerhouse Pateadores to finish their run.  The 95 Boys won their bracket but exited the event in the Quarterfinal stage in a very tough game vs an excellent Cal South team.

But the sweetest story of the weekend were the 97 Boys who triumphed in the final game vs a very tough and physical Hawaii team.  The final game ended 0-0 after 2 overtimes to see our goalkeeper Coltin Smith save his 6th PK in two days while our PK shooters calmly put all of their shots in the back of the net so our 97 Boys and the Club could claim its first Nomads Championship Trophy! Great job everybody!!!

Valparaiso 95 Girls Make an Impact at CASL Showcase in Raleigh, NC
Between November 18th and November 20th our 95 Girls competed well and showcased themselves in front of well over a hundred of Division I, II, III and NAIA College Coaches who were in attendance at the prestigious CASL Showcase in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The girls played very well against extremely tough competition and impressed a number of the coaches who have already expressed desire to see them play for their respective College programs in 2012 and 2013 seasons.  The girls had an opportunity to watch a NCAA Playoff game as well between Ohio State and Milwaukee during our visit to the Duke campus.  After such a good weekend we are sure that the e-mails will keep on coming! Well done girls!

 

Valparaiso 2001 Boys GL Win Tuzos Gold Championship

The Valparaiso 2001 Boys GL team dominated the 2011 Tuzos Challenge U11Gold Division, which was held September 10-11, 2011, scoring 23 goals in four games and giving up only 3 goals on their way to the Championship.  One of the newest teams at VUFC, the boys were proud to wear the VUFC badge on their chest for their first tournament victory for the Club.  The Tuzos championship is the 22nd title in the history of the team.  Coach Gene Love remarked, "I was pleased with the way the boys played this weekend.  They played far above their age group. We had people from nearly every club at the tournament come up and ask me how the boys play like that.  It is their hard work and dedication to the game that makes them able to play like that. There is lots of work ahead of us, but it is nice to take a moment and reflect on an excellent weekend.” The boys currently play in the AYSA Maricopa League and the Bimbo League, and their next tournament  is the Valparaiso United Invitational Tournament on October 28-30, 2011.

Fredi Fiorentini, VP of the Alliance of the European Football Coaches' Association, visits Valparaiso

In August, Mr. Fredi Fiorentini, the current Vice President of the Alliance of the European Football Coaches' Association came to Phoenix and was the guest of Valparaiso United FC.  During his stay he observed and evaluated a number of our training sessions, discussed our curriculum, club philosophy, and plans for the future.  He was extremely impressed with our organization, and he plans to continue to support the club with his expertise and additional visits to our training sessions.  In addition to his substantial responsibilities with AEFCA (a part of UEFA) and the position of the Board Advisor at famous HNK Hajduk, Split from Croatia, Mr. Fiorentini currently teaches soccer at the University of Zagreb and University of Split as one of the few Ph.D.'s in the field of soccer in the world. Our 94 Boys were fortunate to experience a memorable training session with Fredi while he was here. Thank you Fredi for sharing your expertise and friendship. See you soon!

95 Boys Triumph at Las Vegas Players Showcase

Demonstrating their technical and tactical prowess in front of thirty college coaches, our 95 Boys team triumphed out of a pool of 16 elite teams from throughout the US, defeating Vegas United Limon 4-2 for the championship of the prestigious 2011 Las Vegas Players Showcase in March.

Valparaiso Alum Marjani Hing-Glover starting at forward for #1 Stanford.

Click here to view Marjani's highlight goals
Valparaiso alum Marjani Hing-Glover currently starts at forward for #1 ranked Stanford which has been undefeated this season. She started this season against ASU and scored a left-footed volley before her hometown crowd.

Valparaiso is a Different Kind of Soccer Club

Valparaiso UFC is coaches, parents, and soccer fans who believe that youth soccer should develop the complete individual – athlete, student, and citizen. We're committed to positive soccer experiences, on the field and off. We foster a commitment between our club and our loyal players and their families. Our vision is to become the premier youth soccer club for student-athletes and to create positive opportunities in life through competitive soccer. To learn more about our soccer club, visit our Club Info page.