May 2010

DCU U14 Boys Soccer Make Elite 8; Finish 3rd at State!

Congratulations DCU U14 Red Boys for putting on such a strong showing at State!

Capping off a very successful season under Coach Jerry Yarbrough, the Dawson County United U14 Red Boys Soccer team advanced to the elite 8 and competed this past weekend in the State Finals held in Columbus, GA.

The DCU Boys earned a spot in the Elite 8 by going undefeated in district play in a 3 game round-robin format that featured the best teams in our region. On the final day of district play, Dawson County tied the GSA Renegades, in a very tight back-and-forth dual. The tie earned GSA Renegades the district title by virtue of cumulative points allowed, but DCU’s undefeated record earned them on of the 2 open wild cards available for state finals.

A 3 game round-robin format was the format also used to decide the State Champion at the Elite 8. In the Elite 8 competition, DCU earned a rematch with GSA Renegades and erased any disappointment that may have been lingering from their district result by posting a huge 1-0 victory. The victory was a confidence boost for the boys. DCU also posted a very convincing 5-0 victory over Hinesville Gators. The only disappointment of the campaign came in a loss the eventual state champs, SCY Portugal.

In a very evenly played match, DCU and SCY Portugal looked destined to end deadlocked at a 0-0 tie. Scoring chances were difficult to come by for either team, but in the later stages of the match, NAME earned a 1-0 victory over the DCU U14 Red Boys off of a goal scored from a deflected corner kick. It was DCU’s first loss and only loss in the competition, but it was enough to crown NAME as state champs and place DCU in third.  A strong result for a first year team hailing from a club that is only 2 years old.

“The entire club is really proud of the U14 boys”, said DCU Club President Anton Sieber. “We have all seen them go grow tremendously over the past year. They have worked hard and they are all turning into quality soccer players.” Head Coach Jerry Yarbrough added, “the boys worked harder than they have ever worked at anything before. They’ve put in the work and deserve a lot of praise for what they have accomplished.

Academy & Pre-Academy Soccer Tryout Registration NOW OPEN!

Register Now to reserve a place to tryout for one of our 2010/2011 Academy, Pre-Academy, or Select Soccer Teams.

CLICK HERE to register, or please visit our ‘REGISTRATION” page.

Tryouts for Academy Teams are June 7-9.
Tryouts for Select Teams are June 14-15.

IMPORTANT:

If your child is 12 years of age before August 1, 2010 then he or she will be trying out for SELECT.

If your child is ages 8-11 before August 1, 2010 then he or she will be trying out for ACADEMY.

Contact the league office for more information or visit the programs page of our website.

U10 Boys Place First at AFU Classic

The DCU Red U10 Academy Boys placed first in the Gold Division of the 2010 AFU Academy Classic.

On a warm North Georgia Soccer weekend, the boys fought their way to two opening day victories on Saturday, each by a margin of only one goal. In a very physical battle, DCU defeated the #1 ranked team from Alabama 3-2 in a game which they had to come back from a 1-2 first half deficit. In the second game, the boys had a difficult test against the tournament host, AFU, one of the biggest clubs in North Georgia Soccer. After going out to 4-1 lead, the DCU Red U10 Academy Boys held on for a 5-4 win.

Sunday saw the DCU Red U10 Academy Boys playing their best soccer season as the posted a convincing 7-1 victory over the Cheerokee Impact U10 Academy Soccer. The win put the DCU boys in the finals, which would be a rematch with AFU. Understanding the challenge in front of them, and remembering how difficult their group match was with AFU, the DCU Red U10 Academy Boys came started strong and exploded to a 5-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the game.

It was a wonderful display of passing and team work that provide the quick lead. From that point on, the boys cruised to a 7-3 victory. It was a great way for the DCU Red U10 Academy Boys to end a very successful Academy Soccer season. As season which saw them win two tournaments, and spend the entire time ranked within the top 15 in the state.

Academy Soccer and Select Soccer in North Georgia

Important points to keep in mind when trying out for an Academy Soccer or Select Soccer Team

Is an Academy Soccer or Select Soccer team a Perfect Fit For You?

The first and foremost thing for you is to decide whether the team you are thinking to make is a perfect fit for you. Are you and your family comfortable with the team environment and do you feel that your child will learn and also enjoy the experience.

More importantly, whatever the case is, it is always important to agree and honor the philosophies of your coach. Concisely, we can say that before you make a decision to join a specific team, make it a point to understand the coach’s method’s and his goals for the team.

Getting Ready for Tryouts

The time leading up to tryouts can be an exciting and nervous time for many players. Do not put too much pressure on the players to perform. Instead, focus on getting the player excited about going out and playing hard, competing, and learning. For North Georgia Soccer players that are new to Academy Soccer and Select Soccer, tryouts are a first chance to get exposure to higher level of training and competition. Make sure they come into it with an open mind.

Many of the exercises will be rigorous, and it will be hot, so please hydrate properly the day before and the day of tryouts. Water coolers will be on hand at the fields, but proper hydration before tryouts is critical.

What to expect at tryouts:

At Academy Soccer and Select Soccer tryouts, the training staff will take many factors into account when evaluating a player.

1. Soccer Playing Ability: Performance and overall soccer skills, such as how fast and strong you are, how good you are at passing the ball, is there accuracy in your shooting of ball, are you a good offensive player or a better defensive player, are you poised and confident in possession of the ball? These are many factors that we will take into account when looking for soccer players.

2. Attitude: How you take instruction, deal with adversity, and interact with the other soccer players will also be a big factor. Playing for an Academy Soccer Team or a Select Soccer Team is a big commitment and the team will spend a lot of time together. For the enjoyment of everyone involved, we make it a point to choose players AND PARENTS that we feel interact well and fit into the Academy Soccer environment.

3. Effort: Regardless of whether a player fails or succeeds at a task, do they consistently go into each exercise giving their best effort. Not every player has had the same exposure to advanced training so they may be lacking in certain advanced skills. A player’s work ethic and desire to learn will be taken into consideration.

Conclusion:

Playing Academy Soccer and Select Soccer is a big commitment for both the player and parents. The end goal to of the trainers is to teach young North Georgia soccer players to be skilled and confident players, as well as fans of the game. We encourage creative play, creative decision making, and playing with dynamic flare. We also encourage players to seek out and watch quality soccer from the European and South American leagues and choose favorite teams and players to emulate. The Academy Soccer and Select Soccer experience should be one that sets a player on the of being life-long fan of the game.

Kathryn Update

We wanted to update everyone on the condition of Kathryn (Kat). You may have heard about or witnessed the scary scene this Sunday when Kat went down injured. Players and parents were very shaken to when she had to be taken off by stretcher and transported to the hospital.

We are very pleased to report that she is up and doing well. Doctor says she needs to take it easy for a while, but she will be good as new very soon. From the entire league we wish her well and hope to see her back out on the field ASAP!

If you have any comments for Kat, please leave them below.