Press Release
8/02/11
SLSG Metro U14 Pre-Academy Wins National Title in Boise
The St. Louis Scott Gallagher-Metro U14 Boys’ Pre-Academy team are National Champions. The boys secured the US Club National Championship in Boise, Idaho on Monday by defeating Olimpica FC United out of Los Angeles, CA. The match ended with a 3-2 SLSG Metro victory on two first half goals from Anthony Brown (Belleville, IL) and the game winning goal coming from Brentsen Wolf (Belleville, IL) which broke the 2-2 tie with only 10 minutes remaining in the match.
SLSG Metro (formerly Metro United), based out of Collinsville, is the Illinois division of St. Louis Scott Gallagher. Previous SLSG Metro teams had advanced as far as the National Semi-Finals, however, on Sunday afternoon the 14 Pre-Academy became the first to advance to a National Championship match after defeating Ironbound SC out of New Jersey 3-0 in the semi-final match on goals from Anthony Brown (Belleville), John Horstman (Alton), and Brentsen Wolf (Belleville). Similarly, the teams’ victory on Monday makes them the first-ever National Championship side for the Illinois division of SLSG.
According to Blake Decker, 14 Pre-Academy coach and Director of the SLSG Metro Pre-Academy Program: “The success of this team is no accident. It was the result of countless hours of work put in by the boys. They have trained on average 3 times per week since last August, regardless of the weather and regardless of the time of year. If we as a soccer community in Southern Illinois want to compete on the national stage with the likes of major metropolitan areas like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, we can’t take any short-cuts, skip any steps or miss any details. This group of players has a uniquely keen understanding of that fact.”
SLSG Metro is a member of the US Soccer Development Academy, which is an extension of the US Men’s National Team program. The US Development Academy serves as the main platform for the identification and development of Youth National team players. There are only 78 Academy programs throughout the entire United States that compete in the Development Academy League at U16 and U18. Academy clubs must adhere to strict training, curriculum and developmental guidelines as mandated by the United States Soccer Federation.
The SLSG Metro U14 Pre-Academy team is comprised of players from across the Metro East and Southern Illinois area who have been identified as possessing special qualities and talents needed to play at the Academy level. Decker stated the origins of the Pre-Academy program are found in the first few years of the US Development Academy League. “We launched the Pre-Academy program in the fall of 2009 after a comprehensive analysis of our player development structures at that time. Based on that analysis, we designed the Pre-Academy program to fall in line with the technical standards given to us by US Soccer for our U16/18 US Development Academy teams. Given the qualification of our 13 Pre-Academy to US Club Nationals and our 14s taking the National title, I think we are already starting to see the benefits of such a change.”
Since August, players on the 13 and 14 Pre-Academy teams have trained 3-4 times per week and competed in 36 matches against opponents from across the Midwest in preparation for the US Club National Tournament. Both teams qualified for the National Finals after going undefeated at the US Club Cincinnati Regional in June. The 14 Pre-Academy continued their unbeaten streak at the National Finals in Boise with 4 wins and one draw over the course of the 4 day event which consisted of 3 matches of round play, a semi-final and final.
When asked to comment on the teams’ success, SLSG Metro Program Director, Dale Schilly said: “First, I want to congratulate both the U13 and U14 boys team for making it to nationals. The 13 boys are the youngest SLSG Metro team to qualify for nationals and the 14 boys are the first team to win a national championship. With this success, the bar has been raised for our younger players as there are now higher expectations set; expectations based on the intrinsic value of commitment and effort as well as those of being a member of a successful soccer organization. There is a lot of hard work involved in achieving such an accomplishment and I truly hope the boys remember the effort necessary to succeed rather than merely the success. Lastly, a special thanks to Coach Blake Decker (14 PA) and Coach Shawn Hewitt (13 PA) who have invested themselves and their time to help bring the kids along. We are very proud.”
The National Championship won by the 14 Pre-Academy caps off a banner year for the Southern Illinois based division of St. Louis Scott Gallagher. This year saw the SLSG Metro U16 girls win the Midwest Regional League advancing to the Premier Division for the upcoming season, U18 Academy player Vince Cicciarelli called into a U18 National Team camp, and the U18 US Development Academy team winning a Divisional Title and advancing to the Academy Play-offs.
When asked about the significance of a National Championship for the SLSG Metro organization, Director of Coaching, Jeremy Alumbaugh, commented “Winning the US Club National Championship is a huge step for St. Louis Scott Gallagher- Metro. The past few years have seen a number of changes to the club and for the Under 14 Pre-Academy team to travel to Boise and bring home a National Championship shows that the changes are pushing the club in the right direction. It shows that it is possible for the club to focus both on individual player development while simultaneously achieving major accomplishments in terms of competing on the National stage. The players on that [14 PA] group have endured a lot of changes, obstacles and challenges along the way and through it all they have continued to work and train at a high level. The lessons that were learned in Boise will go along with these players as they progress to the US Development Academy and the National Premier League in years to come. The entire club wants to THANK the players, coaches and parents for their commitment and effort to achieve this goal.”
Members of the SLSG Metro 13 Pre-Academy Team are:
Jared Hamann, Collinsville
George Tragoudas, Carbondale
Justin Schmidt, St. Louis
Zeke Kaufman, Alahambra
Max Kieffer, Edwardsville
Zack Becker, Granite City
Jake Koenig, O’fallon
Nick Heinemeier, Edwardsville
Ian Bender, Edwardsville
Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal, Carbondale
Eric Ferenbach, Alton
Clayton Pearson, Edwardsville
Zach Hall, O’Fallon
Eric Tejada, Troy
Tommy Giacobbe, Edwardsville
Adam Johnes, Alton
Members of the SLSG Metro U14 Pre-Academy Team are:
Aaron Arreola, Anna-Jonesboro
Grant Bauer, Collinsville
Anthony Brown, Belleville
Nick Posey, Edwardsville
John Horstman, Alton
Isaiah Seidler, Collinsville
Ian Jones, Alton
Matt Klosterman, Belleville
Brett Langley, Collinsville
Brad Leonard, Alton
Donald Link, Collinsville
Andrew Mullican, Edwardsville
Zach Parr, Lick Creek
Jordan Smith, Collinsville
Brentsen Wolf, Belleville
Keaton Cheffer, Belleville
Landon Paul, Edwardsville
Tanner Przybysz, Collinsville
For more information regarding the SLSG Metro Pre-Academy program, St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro or the US Development Academy, please contact Blake Decker at BDecker@slsgsoccer.com
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