Emerald City FC is hosting the 9^th annual Turkeyshoot Jamboree on Saturday, November 29^th at Shoreline fields a & b - rain, shine, or snow, (weʼve had them all!) This year the format for Turkeyshoot will be a round robin jamboree for U9 and U10 REC boys and girls teams registered with SYSA. Click HERE for more information.

ECFC players who are certified referees can earn money by helping ref the games. Contact, thebarshers@yahoo.com, if you are interested in being a Turkeyshoot referee.

"Tournaments are a very important component to the development of players in the United States. However, the value of tournament play really comes down to two critical points that most benefit the player ---- it should provide the challenge of competition and also, respect the value of skill over endurance." Click here to read the entire article.

Another great showing for ECFC M97 at the SeaTac Cup!  ECFC M97 White and Blue teams won 2 out of 3 games in their respective groups, while Green team won all 3 games in their  group.  Blue and Green teams advanced out of group play to face each other in one of the semifinal games.  Green team won the semifinal and played Crossfire M97 Black in the final game.  ECFC M97 Green won the final by a score of 3-1 to bring home the championship!  Great job team!

ECFC teams in Bellingham at PCC saw a lot of success but no ultimate winners. M90 Green went to the final and lost 2-1 to Columbia Timbers. M95 Green lost in the semis to the ultimate tournament winner as did the M93 White in the Copa semi. M92 White went to the semis as well and lost to the NW United who they had beat in the initial round 3-0. Go figure.

M97 White and Blue Teams, SeaTac Cup 

F96 White Big Foot Tournament 

M97 Green, Federal Way Blast Off 

JULY 9, 2008 -- Emerald City FC is pleased to announce that former Seattle University men’s soccer coach Peter Fewing has been named the club’s assistant coaching director and will be taking over the coaching duties of two boys’ teams. 

Fewing has two national college championship rings and was twice named National College Coach of the Year. ``We are delighted that Peter is joining Emerald City F.C.,’’ said Director of Coaching, Bobby Howe. ``He brings a high level of quality and great experience that will benefit all the players within our club. And as assistant director, it will enable him to support all our coaching programs.’’ 

Fewing, who has already begun coaching the U-14 and U-18 teams, said he is excited to join Emerald City. As the assistant director of the U-16 to U-18 age groups, he hopes to provide exposure for the boys and girls who want to play college soccer. ``Through my time coaching in college I’ve come across ways to bring teams together,’’ Fewing said, ``to visualize, focus, and to goal set -- and we’ve learned how to win and win the right way.’’ 

Passing on the secrets of what it takes to succeed at the college level will be one of Fewing’s key contributions to the club. But as people who have enrolled their children in Fewing’s soccer camps, or who have played on his college teams, also know that he holds high standards when it comes to creating the proper winning attitude. ``For me, the game of soccer is a medium on how to teach and learn valuable life skills,’’ Fewing said. 

Such values have been a hallmark of Fewing’s successful soccer teams and have been recognized by two National Sportsmanship Awards. What’s more, they have been instrumental in helping create one of the most successful college soccer programs in the past decade. 

As head coach of Seattle University men's soccer from 1988 to 2006, Fewing has won two national championships:  NAIA in 1997 and NCAA Division 2 in 2004, a team that also went undefeated.  His teams have been regional champions - 2004, 2001, 1998, 1997.  And they have twice made it to the NAIA Final Eight and Final Four.

Fewing had an equally successful run playing professional soccer at time when opportunities were limited. Fewing played midfield for the Seattle Storm from 1985 to 1990, in the defunct American Professional Soccer League. He was the team’s all-time assists leader, was top ten in total points and was Number 2 in total team appearances with 78. 

Fewing, who earned one of his coaching licenses from Howe years ago, said he looks forward to working with his former mentor and with all the coaching staff. ``I am really excited to be working with Bobby and with all of our coaches,’’ Fewing said. ``I feel really fortunate to be able to work with Emerald City.’’

It was the first hot weekend and teams were in Bellingham at the Baker Blast, Snohomish for U11 Jamboree and Starfire for the Diadora Cup.

Congrats to the GU17 91 White team who lost in the semis at the Baker Blast.

No scores or refs at Snohomish so no published winners.

Congrats to the following teams for results at Diadora-
       GU13 F95 White won, beating MRFC Cosmos in the final 3-1!
       GU15 F93 Green lost in the semis to the HPFC team
       BU15 M93 White also lost in the semis to the HPFC team. 
       BU16 M92 White lost in the final to the S Hill Rev (had beat them in initial round robin play 2-0)
            The effect of being the team who played 5 games instead of 4 in the heat took its toll.

The ECFC GU17 White team is looking for some players to complete their roster and would entertain adding U18 players as needed. Dedicated core of players looking to stay together. Will train M/W until the fall. Contact Mike Margolies at HSSoccercoach@comcast.net or (425) 241-6539 - cell

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.

The ECFC GU-13 South Team is interested in finding a goalkeeper.  Please contact team manager Dave Richardson for more information:  david@dbrlaw.com

May 28^th 2008, 7:00-8:45pm, Sandpoint Education Center, 6208 60^th Ave NE

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 Stewart

Golden Ball:  Hailey Bobin and Kohl Schoening

Manager of the Year (older teams): Ron Nation

Coach of the Year (older teams): Jan Smisek

In 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.

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 Keranen

For the vp of membership position the following candidate was voted in:
Karen Launceford

The following player rep candidates were voted in:
Rachel Keyser for the girls rep and Chris Perkins for the boys.

Coach Rep U11-U14: Jon Bakken

Coach 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 

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.

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 

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, League MVP and Times All Area 1st Team, Juanita)
                                                                                                                                        WESTERN WASHINGTON (D2)
Nick Burdett
     (M89 Green)                                                                                CAMPBELL, NC (D1)
Cody Clark
     (M89 Green, All Kitsap First Team, Olympic HS)                              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 First Team, Times All Area 1st Team, Eastlake HS)       UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (D1)
Xan Nixon
     (M89 Green, Kingco First Team, Roosevelt HS)                                  ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2)
Jamie Rees
     (M89 Green, Kingco First Team, Garfield HS)                                     HARVARD (D1)
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.