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 

PRE - REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE

All Goal keepers- Sunday May 11 4:30-5:30 at Ingraham

GU16
        Sat  May 10  9:30-11:30 am  Summit #2
        Sun  May 11  6-8:00 pm   Ingraham 1/2
        Mon  May 12  6:30-dark  Roosevelt HS
GU17
        Sat  May 10   1-3:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2
        Sun May 11    4-6:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2
GU18
         Sat May 10   3-5:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2
         Sun May 11   2-4:00 pm  Ingraham 1/2

Please arrive 1/2 hour early for sign in. Wear your ECFC white training shirt if returning ECFC player and all new players will be given a numbered shirt. Bring ball, water bottle, and wear appropriate gear.

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.

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.

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.

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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 and League MVP, Juanita)      WESTERN WASHINGTON (D2)
Nick Burdett
     (M89 Green)                               CAMPBELL, NC (D1)
Cody Clark
     (M89 Green)                               ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2)
Mickey Crudo
     (M89 Green)                               ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2)
Tyler Klein
     (M89 Green, Kingco Fisrt Team, Eastlake HS)             UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON (D1)
Xan Nixon
     (M89 Green, Kingco First Team, Roosevelt HS)            ST MARTINS UNIVERSITY (D2)
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.