Winning vs. Player Development in Youth Soccer
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
December 17, 2013-What is more important, winning or player development in youth soccer? We asked four very successful coaches in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) for their views. Three of the coaches said that player development is more important while one coach said that both are equally important.
Tim Bradbury, the Director of Coaching Instruction for Eastern New York, said, "For the truly devoted coach who can educate the parent group, the answer is that winning is not at all important. Youth players can be convinced to take pride in skills mastered, consecutive passes in a row and moments of individual brilliance being more important than the win or loss. Players quickly realize that learning and how they play is more important than the win."
Sarah Dwyer-Shick, the Head Coach for the Girls Division of Eastern New York’s ODP-North Program, commented that "if a team plays only opponents they can beat, they may have a winning record but they are not developing. If they play stronger teams, they may not always win but their vision of what is possible is expanded and the desire and motivation to improve as a player and team is fostered. This leads to development and the desire to improve so the next time they play a stronger opponent, they compete better and potentially win."
"For individual development, take a young player who has only been able to juggle the ball 10 times, the fewest on the team," Sarah continued. "She works all season and can now get 20 touches consistently. She may still have the lowest number on the team but she has succeeded in beating her previous record or ‘winning’ and that accomplishment must be recognized and the player encouraged to keep challenging herself to get the next ‘win’."
Chris Lyn was selected in 2012 as the Girls Competitive Coach of the Year in Eastern New York. He has developed top teams in the East Hudson Youth Soccer League, Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League, Westchester Youth Soccer League and the Long Island Junior Soccer League. Chris said that "player development is at the top of the pyramid. Technical ability and tactical awareness are paramount. It’s important to deal with the player as an individual and to emphasize nutrition as well. The main focus is helping players get into college programs."
Joao de Souza, the Director of Coaching for the Westchester Flames in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League, commented, "Both player development and winning are important. The most important thing is skills, then mental preparation. The coach needs to understand the player and how that player can help the team win. Unfortunately, focusing only on skills does not solely make the team victorious."
Bradbury and Dwyer-Shick had very similar ideas on how to get the most out of players.
"All training sessions focus upon individual ball work and age appropriate technical mastery of skill sets that are taught through a series of fun and competitive game-like activities. Through guided discovery and effective questioning, players begin to figure out the game for themselves," Bradbury said, "Although it takes more time and demands more patience, it creates players who can think for themselves and understand the game. I never use laps, lines, lectures or drills. All players are active in every session so their level of engagement is high."
"While every coach and team is different, I have found that an environment that is both fun and focused, where the players are encouraged and comfortable trying new things and making mistakes as they learn is the one where the greatest improvement in play and love of the challenge is seen," Dwyer-Shick stated.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.
Dimitrie Draguca Settling in as President of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
September 17, 2013- 2013 is a year of milestones in New York soccer. The Eastern New York State Adult Soccer Association is celebrating its centennial as it was founded in 1913, the same year that the United States Soccer Federation was founded in New York City. The New York Referees Association held its 75th anniversary celebration in April.
The Cosmopolitan Soccer League (CSL) is celebrating its 90th anniversary and the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. The leagues are once again joining forces with an Anniversary Dinner-Dance on Friday, November 1 at the Astoria-World Manor in Astoria.
Although the CJSL is the most historic youth soccer league in the United States and by far the oldest soccer league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA), the CJSL has a new leader as First Vice President Dimitrie Draguca was elected President. Draguca takes over for Eastern New York Soccer Hall of Famer Burt Wilkes, who was CJSL President for seven years before not seeking another term in office.
"We look forward to working with Dimitrie in his new role as President of the CJSL, an extremely important youth soccer league in the history of American soccer which has sent many players on to professional soccer," commented ENYYSA President Richard Christiano. "At the same time, I am delighted that Burt will continue to serve the kids of Eastern New York in his role as one of our Vice Presidents."
Draguca is well-versed in the CJSL as he volunteered as First Vice President for three years and was on the Board of Directors for a total of six years. The Middle Village resident is of Romanian heritage and his parents emigrated to the United States from Banat, Serbia in 1969 and he was born shortly thereafter.
"I’m a product of the CJSL, I grew up playing in this league with B/W Gottschee," said President Draguca. "I remember going to tournaments where we were not only proud to represent our club but we were proud to represent the CJSL. It’s that feeling that we will bring back to our member clubs."
Draguca’s "real job" for the past 20 years is working as a physical education teacher at PS/IS 119 in Glendale. He also coached boys soccer for 10 years and girls tennis for five years at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood.
When he served as Travel Soccer Director from 1997 to 2009 for Asphalt Green in Manhattan, their teams were playing in the CJSL and now play for another ENYYSA-affiliated league, the Westchester Youth Soccer League (WYSL). He somehow finds the time to currently serve as Registrar and Travel Scheduler for the CJSL’s Downtown United Soccer Club and referees high school games within the five boroughs of New York City after previously serving as a college referee.
One of Draguca’s goals is to increase girls soccer participation in New York City.
"Starting this Fall Season with the help of current clubs, we look to host one or two girls soccer festivals for Under-8 to Under-11 at various locations within the city. Where we will be setting up small-sided games between teams, no score keeping, no win-loss records, just fun and games. There will be no charge for these festivals, we want to create a fun day for all and spark interest in the league and hopefully this can grow into something."
"With the addition of some new members on the board, new clubs signing up and a renewed sense of excitement among the existing clubs, we are looking to change and implement new things from within," commented President Draguca. "Our Select Program agreement with the New York Cosmos, the planned girls festivals and some changes we have in store for the spring concerning league play are just the start of this."
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 12 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.
Eastern New York Salutes Our Women’s World Cup Champions
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
July 11, 2019-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) salutes the United States Women’s National Team on winning their second consecutive and fourth overall women’s World Cup. They have won half of the eight Women’s World Cups played.
Eastern New York would like to particularly salute our own Crystal Dunn and Allie Long.
Crystal grew up a short corner kick from the Eastern New York office in Rockville Centre in the Town of Hempstead. She developed her wonderful skills in Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) for six years, and also played for the Rockville Centre Power, Rockville Centre Tornadoes and Albertson Fury ’93 in the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL), winning a State Cup title with the Power.
The USA team that Crystal was on won the 2012 Under-20 Women’s World Cup and she duplicated that success in France. She also received the 2012 Hermann Award as college soccer’s best player, was the first selection in the 2014 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft and the 2015 NWSL Most Valuable Player. In the NWSL, Crystal plays for defending champion NC Courage.
The 27-year-old Crystal played defender in six games during the Women’s World Cup and often was given the assignment of marking the opposing team’s best forward.
“Throughout the World Cup, I do feel like people were kind of doubting my ability to play that role,” she told Michael Lewis of Newsday. “I never really doubted myself. I came up against world-class forwards. Outside back is not my primary position, but I’m walking away from this World Cup with my head held high. I think I’ve proven to myself and everybody out there who ever thought I wasn’t fit for the job, I’m a world champion because I am fit for the job.”
Her USA teammate, Allie Long, grew up in East Northport in the Town of Huntington and started playing soccer for the Northport/Cow Harbor Mustangs of the LIJSL. She completed her youth career playing for LIJSL teams Oceanside Express and the Albertson Express, winning four consecutive State Open Cup titles with the Express. Allie used being a member of ODP for five years as a springboard to representing the United States internationally with the US Women’s National Team and Under-23 Team.
In the NWSL, she plays for Reign FC in Washington State.
Allie, 31, played in midfield in the USA’s 3-0 win over Chile in group play.
The champs were celebrated in a ticker tape parade down Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes on July 10.
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log onto http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.
Education is a Great Thing
By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching Instruction, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
2015 looks set to be a very active and interesting year in soccer education. Within our own state, we will be making great efforts to offer programs suitable and designed for entry level coaches and courses designed for coaches who wish to continue to enhance their coaching skills and coach at a higher level.
This year we will offer:
• US Youth NYL – this course will be taught over two weekends on Long Island and is really the “must do” course for anyone that wishes to become a quality youth coach. Although both USSF and NSCAA have borrowed bits of information from this great course, there is no substitute for taking the course in its entirety.
• US C license – this course will be taught over 9 days in early August out of Orangeburg NY. The C is a great course that deals with high level game evaluation, understanding the Principles of Play and being able to design an effective training session based upon at least 2 lines of a team built around a game observation.
• A number of E and D licenses throughout Eastern New York. Any club interested in hosting an E or D can e-mail me directly at directorofcoachinginstruction@enysoccer.com. All information on the 18 hour E and the 56 hour D can be found on ENYSOCCER.com
• We will continue to host NSCAA level 1-6 courses for any club or organization that wishes to hold any of these courses. All details can be found on our website, www.enysoccer.com
• A huge number of F license field practical’s throughout the entire state. This 90-minute field portion, which is the practical piece of the new online F course, will include practice suggestions suitable for all levels of players aged 5-12. Dribbling, control, short passing, two player combinations and some basic possession activities will all be addressed.
We remain convinced that to really affect change within the youth sports culture we must continue to make every effort to share some thoughts on parent education. Our online Parent education piece ( 22 minutes in total) can be viewed at any time by clicking http://my.brainshark.com/Soccer-Parent-ENY-version-45369814
In addition to the array of formal educational opportunities listed above, we will continue to provide FREE coaching seminars and clinics for any club that requests one by e-mailing me directly at directorofcoachinginstruction@enysoccer.com
One of my New Year’s resolutions was to try educate in some small way as many parents and coaches as I possibly can. With this aim in mind I have now started a twitter account and for those interested I can be found at @TimBDOCI. I will be using this account much like this newsletter to share thoughts on the game and soccer education in an easily digestible way.
I thought it worth sharing some important news from the world of soccer education to end this first newsletter of 2015. For a longtime the NSCAA and US Soccer have had an agreement on what has become known as equivalence. At the most basic level ,this simply meant that people who attended one level of course for example an NSCAA Advanced National could then begin their US Soccer Education at the B Level. Similarly obtaining an NSCAA national meant that a coach could then register for a US Soccer C course. As of Jan 2015 this agreement is no longer in place and all coaches wishing to enter the US license pathway will be asked to do so sequentially, obtaining a D before a C and F before E etc.
I am certain this change will become the cause of much debate over the next few months and wanted to share this information as soon as possible.
Hailey Pereira of Carmel Receives a Masotto and Driscoll Scholarship
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
August 10, 2021-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Hailey Pereira of Carmel is receiving a
Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll Scholarship
.
The award is based on success in high school as well as community service.
Hailey played for Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) as well as the East Region ODP team, both for five years, and toured the Netherlands and Scotland with the latter. She was recently invited to the Portugal Women’s National Team Camp. She played club soccer with the New York Xtreme and Force FC plus trained for five years with the Red Bulls Development School.
At Mahopac High School, she was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society plus was on the soccer, golf and indoor track teams there.
Hailey stated in her essay that “words cannot express how thankful I am to have had the opportunity to represent Eastern New York ODP, East Region ODP and US Youth Soccer. All of those programs were driving factors of my success and brought me to the position that I am today. In the fall, I will be attending Bryant University to continue my academic and athletic career on scholarship. I whole-heartedly believe the future progression of these programs will only continue to open doors and give other student/athletes the same opportunities I received.”
The scholarship’s namesakes, Patricia Louise Masotto and Brenda Driscoll, were best friends and top women’s soccer players from Massapequa, Long Island and Eastern New York set up a scholarship in their name after they were killed by a drunk driver in 1985.
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/
Philipstown Coach Andrea Maasik Honored as the Personality of the Month in Eastern New York
Andrea Maasik and the Philipstown Arsenal
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
March 2, 2016-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that coach Andrea Maasik is being honored as our Personality of the Month for March, which is also Women's History Month.
“Andrea represents everything the Philipstown Soccer Club stands for! She is a dynamo and deserves the recognition for all she does for her team, our club and soccer in our community,” commented Philipston Soccer Club President Craig Roffman. “In addition to a full-time career, Andrea has been an active community volunteer, with the Cub Scouts, Philipstown Garden Club, as a class parent. For many years, she also has worked with me on the Haldane School Foundation, tirelessly raising money to benefit the enhancement of educational opportunities for the students of our district.“
Andrea did not play youth soccer in an era when there were far fewer teams, particularly girls teams.
“Youth soccer didn’t start up in my town until after I was in middle school so my first time playing organized soccer was in 7th grade for the modified team,” Andrea explained. "I didn’t discover competitive soccer until the summer after my sophomore year of high school when I spent a week at a soccer camp in Pennsylvania with a friend who invited me to join her. The camp had visiting soccer pros from the UK and it opened my eyes to the sport and I quickly improved my game.”
She went on to play at Wallkill High School, captaining the team and setting the girls assist record her senior year. Yet she mainly improved playing pick-up games, often against boys.
“We would play wherever we could find a game, on our home fields in Wallkill or in the City of Newburgh.”
She walked on at Ithaca College as the Bombers won two Division 3 national championships in 1990 and 1991. Andrea stated, “My college coach, Pat Farmer, really understood the game and had a profound influence on me as a player. Coach Farmer moved me to a defensive position on day one and the skills I learned as a defender made me a better all-round player. Ultimately, this also influenced my coaching philosophy because I look for all my players to develop their defensive skills and my defenders must be fast, relentless and play with a lot of heart.“
With the Philipstown Soccer Club, Andrea co-coached the Philipstown Chargers for one year with her husband John. Their older son, Alek, plays on the team.
Then she started coaching the Philipstown Arsenal with her younger son Evan on that team. She commented, “Arsenal has also benefited from the leadership of coaches Josh DiNardo and Todd Drake, who have brought their sense of humor and soccer knowledge to the team’s development.“
The Philipstown travel teams were playing in the Westchester Youth Soccer League but Andrea and John, along with Club President Roffman, spearheaded the move to the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL).
“John and I grew up playing soccer in the Hudson Valley and we knew that not only would many EHYSL teams be located closer to Philipstown, but also that the quality of soccer in the EHYSL is extremely high,” Andrea said. “After sitting down with the EHYSL leadership, our club was impressed with their dedication to the development of all the players in the league and to elevating the sport in our region. It became clear that we had found a new home for our club.“
It’s obvious that the Philipstown Arsenal has found a home as the team has been quickly making their way up divisions. Last fall, their first season in EHYSL Division 1, the team finished 4-3-1 and also won the 2015 Beekman Cup, their first tournament championship.
When Andrea and her family are not coaching or playing, they can be found rooting on Bayern Munich, the national teams of the United States and sometimes even Estonia. And if all this was not enough, her “real job” is Director of Marketing for Naya Energy in Phoenix, a long indirect kick from her home in Garrison.
Congratulations to Andrea Maasik, Eastern New York’s Personality of the Month for March.
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.
Eastern New York is the Gold Standard in Youth Soccer
New York Futsal players
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
April 15, 2015-Founded in 1972, the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) has over 100,000 players from Long Island to the Canadian border and is the gold standard in youth soccer as we offer:
• Some of the lowest registration fees in the nation which, in some cases, is half the fee of local competition.
• While a goal of some other youth soccer organizations is to make a profit for their founders, Eastern New York has been a non-profit organization since our founding over four decades ago.
• Eastern New York annually awards six $1,000 college scholarships to help defray the cost of college for deserving high school seniors.
• Eastern New York provides exclusive, free access to acclaimed SAT and ACT prep courses from eKnowledge, which is normally a $250 value. These courses can be taken online or via DVD, which makes them ideal for our busy student/athletes.
• Our coaching licensing curriculum provides all soccer coaches, from the beginner to the advanced, with up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge so that our coaches can help our players develop to their full potential. All courses offered by Eastern New York are available in both English and Spanish.
• The State Open Cup, part of the National Championship Series, in which each champion team from the state in the older age groups advances to Regionals with the hopes to play for the national championship. During the past two years, Eastern New York had a national champion on the boys side in both Manhattan Paris Saint-Germain and Smithtown Arsenal.
• The Kohl’s American Cup provides intramural players an opportunity to experience a high-quality statewide tournament in a fun environment and will be hosted by the Big Apple Youth Soccer League in New York City this year.
• Every winter, over 100 teams play in New York Futsal, under the umbrella of Eastern New York, in gyms throughout Manhattan. Futsal is the only version of indoor soccer approved by FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, and many of the best players from Latin America and Spain played futsal as children.
• To protect our players, Eastern New York conducts background checks on coaches and referees before they can participate in our games. They must pass this background check every two years to continue to be involved in our competitions. Eastern New York also provides awareness education to coaches, communicating information regarding field and player safety.
• Eastern New York is preventing player injuries through an educational app from At Peak Sports that has been provided free to our more than 100,000 players, as well as their parents and coaches this spring. The app delivers strength and conditioning exercises and video workouts, specific to age, gender and sport, that are designed by medical professionals for youth athletes.
With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.
Former ODP Player Rebecca Moros Seeks Her Fifth Championship in the United States
Rebecca in red taking a shot in Japan
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
January 29, 2014-The professional players who win four championships often wind up in their sport’s Hall of Fame. Rebecca Moros is that rare player in any sport who has not only won four championships but she did it on four different teams.
In 2005, the Larchmont resident competed for the New Jersey Wildcats and won the W-League championship.
In 2006, playing as a forward, Rebecca scored on a 12-yard shot in the 89th minute in the Women's Premier Soccer League final to give the expansion Long Island Fury the title, 1-0, over River Cities FC and was named to the All-WPSL playoff team.
In 2007, she scored in the first minute on a 20-yard chip to lead the Washington Freedom to a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Silverbacks in the W-League final in Rochester, New York.
In 2011, Rebecca played right defender as the Western New York Flash outlasted the Philadelphia Independence, 5-4, in penalty kicks after tying 1-1 in overtime to win the Women’s Professional Soccer championship.
After the WPS folded, she went to Japan to play for INAC Kobe Leonessa. She continued her role in leading her team to titles as INAC Kobe Leonessa were Nadeshiko League champions in 2012 and 2013, Nadeshiko League Cup champions in 2013, Japan/Korea Women’s League Championship winners in 2012, Empress Cup All-Japan Women’s Football Tournament Champions in 2012 and 2013 plus Mobcast Cup International Women’s Club Championship winners vs. Chelsea in 2013.
“I had a great time in Japan! I spent two years there and learned a lot, including a ton of Japanese, which I continue to study, although a little less rigorously now that I don't have a use for it in my daily life,” she said. “I hope some Japanese players will join the NWSL so I'll have a chance to talk to them.”
When her former coach, Paul Riley, was selected to coach the defending National Women’s Soccer League champion Portland Thorns, the Duke graduate, who was an all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection from 2004 to 2006, wound up coming back to the United States.
“Becs is a total professional. She understands the importance of planning and preparing and that has been a major reason for her success,” commented Coach Riley. “The opportunity to bring her to Portland was almost too good to be true. She is bright and clever on the ball, fit as a fiddle and her soccer IQ is outstanding. I’m excited to coach her again and I hope Portland will provide her with another platform for success and longevity.”
Rebecca played for him with the Long Island Junior Soccer League’s HBC Fury, winners of five State Open Cup and two Region 1 titles, and with the Long Island Fury eight years ago. Prior to the Fury, she played for the Larchmont Leopards, Soundview United and Yorktown Jaguars of the Westchester Youth Soccer League. The now 28-year-old also played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) for an amazing six years and for Region 1 ODP for an equally impressive five years.
With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.