8 SLSG Metro Teams Head to Showcase of the South

Eight SLSG Metro Teams Head to Showcase of the South

No snow here!

SLSG Metro is descending upon the Deep South.  In search of warmer weather and no snow, five high school age boys teams and three high school age girls teams have made their way to Little Rock, Arkansas to compete in the Showcase of the South. With the forecast for the weekend set at 70 degrees and sunny, I think we have succeeded.  Great weather, quality fields, a college talk and good soccer; it doesn’t get any better.  The Showcase of the South attracts a number of teams from Region 3 and is attended by a large number of college scouts from throughout the southern United States.  With the first game slated for Saturday morning at 7:30, SLSG Metro teams will compete in 24 games over the weekend.

The girls are sending teams from the U15, U16 and U17 age brackets.  The Showcase of the South will be the final event of an extremely successful season for all three of the teams.  The 15 girls finished with an even slate in a very difficult Midwest Regional League Division (MRL), the U16 Girls won the MRL division finishing the year undefeated and U17 Girls finished at the top of their Showcase divisions in the Labor Day Friendlies, SLSG Metro Showcase and the Germantown Showcase. Not surprisingly, the college placement for the U16 and U17 teams is ahead of schedule as the girls have created a following of both regional and nationally recognized programs through their success and quality play on the field.  This event allows us the opportunity to keep the girls training through the new year in order to ensure their sharpness as they enter the high school season as well as serving as a final assessment for this phase of the season.  After this event, we will see the girls again in late May/early June to compete for State Cup with SLSG Metro!

The boys are on the other end of the spectrum.  The Little Rock Showcase is the beginning of their spring season with the club.  Whereas the girls will start their high school seasons shortly, the boys finished competing for their high schools in November.  In addition to providing players with exposure to college coaches, the Showcase of the South allows our coaching staff to see the boys in competition for the first time this calendar year.  The performances of the teams and individual players will help us plan how to best organize and train the teams as we head into the spring.  Upon their return, the teams will be preparing for various competitions like the MRL, US Club Regionals, State Cup and other showcase events.  The information gained this weekend will be integral to the preparation of our teams for the many elite level events in which they will compete over the course of the spring.

Exposure to college coaches on the field is not the only benefit players will experience.  All SLSG Metro players attending the showcase will also participate in off the field activities designed to increase their understanding of how to get placed into a college program. At 8:30 on Saturday night, SLSG Metro Program Director, Dale Schilly, will speak to players from all eight teams about the college selection process and marketing yourself to college coaches.  This presentation will be held in the meeting room at the Little Rock-Hilton.  With the last matches of the day wrapping up at 7:30 PM on Saturday, we are expecting a packed house.  Joining Dale in this presentation will be SLSG Metro coaches Mitch Bohnak, Jason Mathenia, John Van Buskirk, Don Sheehan, Kyle Burns and Adam Lanter.  The exposure to this wealth of knowledge and experience in the college placement process is just another example of the added benefits experienced by SLSG Metro players.