Tag Archives: KC Wizard Juniors

Springfield SC U18 Boys End Their Region II Run

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Region 2 2009 logoThe Springfield SC U18 boys squad will be arriving home tonight and tomorrow, having been eliminated from the Region II tournament following their loss to Javanon (KY) today. Three straight trips, two that included reaching the semifinals, and college soccer plans for every young man that chose to continue playing, is a pretty nice legacy. They have also set the standard that every team in the region will now have to shoot for. Congratulations fellows and continued success.

Max Duncan (Joplin HS) has advanced to the semifinals with the KC Wizard Juniors U17 team. The U16 team has also advanced.

Missouri will have plenty of representation going forward:
U19 Boys – Scott Gallagher advances
U18 Boys – both Lou Fusz and Scott-Gallagher have advanced to the semifinals and could face each other in the final on Wednesday
U14 Boys – Scott-Gallagher Academy advances
U19 Girls – Scott-Gallagher advances, although Chelsea Russell is out with injuries (this team were National Champions as U15 players)
U16 Girls – Scott-Gallagher Green advances
U15 Girls – Scott-Gallagher Green, losers to SG United in the MO Cup Final, advance while their club mates, including Molly Brewer, lose Monday

Peter Vermes, KC Wizards Technical Director Interviewed

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Peter Vermes, 1990 US World Cup

Peter Vermes, 1990 US World Cup

Soccer By Ives recently did a two-part interview with Peter Vermes of the KC Wizards. It’s timely with the visit of the KC Wizard Juniors teams that are playing in the Challenge Cup at Lake Country Soccer this weekend. Vermes, who represented the US in the 1990 World Cup, is the Technical Director for the KC Wizards and therefor responsible for every team that represents the Wizards including the Juniors. He hired Head Coach Curt Onalfo and they work together to recruit, draft and determine team strategies.

The SBI Questions: Peter Vermes Answers (Part 1)

STEVE T- Peter, what was your most memorable moment from the 1990 World Cup, both on and off the field?

VERMES- Everybody always asks me about the shot that I had against Italy, and obviously that was very memorable, but what I would say it’s the opening game, standing in the tunnel before the game. That was pretty incredible, knowing we were in the World Cup and we were getting ready to play our first game.

Off the field I would say our preparation in Switzerland was pretty amazing. We were very focused, in our own hotel. Guys were all so young and naïve. Really, at the time, we didn’t really understand the magnitude of what we were doing. As I look back on it now we really forged a lot of great relationships with a lot of the guys who were from that group of players.

The SBI Questions: Peter Vermes Answers (Part 2)

CHUCK- Wow, this is so random. I was litteraly just thinking yesterday about my time at Peter Vermes soccer camp from like 15 years ago. Anyway, I was hoping Peter could touch on the strides US Soccer has made since is MNT playing days and how he thinks we should improve our current youth setup to develop a truly world class player.

VERMES- What has happened in U.S. Soccer is absolutely incredible. It’s so hard to talk about the strides that we have made. In the 1990 World Cup, out of the 23-man roster we had, I was the only player at that time playing overseas. Every other player was playing in the United States and signed with U.S. Soccer. I was playing in Holland for FC Volendam. Everybody else was playing in the United States.

Finally, as this headline from last Summer notes, KCW Juniors U-16, U-17, U-19 Teams Capture Kansas State Cup Crowns

Three age groups in the KCW Juniors Youth Development Program were crowned Kansas State Champions over the weekend, as the U-16, U-17 and U-19 teams rolled through the competition to capture state titles in their first year of competition.

The U16 and U17 teams are now a year older and playing this weekend in Springfield. Come see the best at Lake Country Soccer! Meanwhile, here’s the KC Wizards schedule for 2009. You can find it on Google Calendar by doing a Public search or you can download it here, see the button on the bottom right. Or the Wizards have an Outlook version on their website.

Come Out and Support This Weekend

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Come Out And Support

Come Out And Support

As noted Thursday, big tournament this weekend bringing plenty of soccer-loving visitors to the region. Be nice on the roads :) Here are the games that are on my radar, I’d like to suggest you pick one and come out and support. And I trust everyone is well aware of the fact that you get to move your clocks ahead 1 hour on Saturday night? That’s right, DST springs forward this weekend!

U18 Springfield SC Boys – pursuing a 3rd State Championship in their age group, which they will get to defend when the Missouri State Cup returns to Springfield on June 6th, the boys have 4 games this weekend against top talent, including the KC Wizards Juniors who were Kansas State Champions last year. The U17 Springfield SC Boys will be competing in the same group with the 18′s.

Saturday March 7th
8:00 am – U18 SSC vs U17 KC Wizards
10:00 am – U17 SSC vs BVSC Stars (a top club from KC)
4:30 pm – U18 SSC vs Evansville
6:30 pm – U17 SSC vs U18 KC Wizards

Sunday March 8th
9:45 am – U18 SSC vs U18 KC Wizards
1:00 pm – U17 SSC vs U17 KC Wizards

U16 Springfield Boys were the Champions in their age group at this tournament last year. The competition is improved this year and this group will also include the #1 team from Total Demize SC. With the KC Wizard Juniors, Scott Gallagher, Florissant United (Silver Champs last year) and Shawnee Elite, this is an excellent early measuring stick for all of the teams involved!

Saturday March 7th
8:00 am – Total Demize vs KC Wizards
3:00 pm – Total Demize vs Springfield SC

Sunday March 8th
2:45 pm – Championship game

Other Games of Interest

Saturday 8:00 am – U15 SSC vs KC Wizards, Field 10
Saturday 12:30 pm – U15 SSC vs Scott Gallagher, Field 10
Sunday 8:00 am – U15 SSC vs Milwaukee SC, Field 10
Sunday 12:30 pm – U15 SSC vs Scott Gallagher IL, Field 14

Saturday 12:00 pm – U14 SSC vs KC Legends, Field 1
Saturday 12:00 pm – U14 SSC vs BVSC Stars, Field 2
Saturday 4:30 pm – U14 Cobras (Webb City) vs KC Legends, Field 3
Saturday 6:30 pm – U14 SSC vs BVSC Stars, Field 16
Sunday 11:00 am – U14 SSC vs Cobras (Webb City), Field 16

U13 Ozark Premier SA competes in the Boys Silver division with games at 2:00 and 6:30 pm on Saturday and on Sunday at 9:30 am and 5:00 pm.

U14 Girls (the oldest group competing, now that HS Girls has begun) includes the Springfield SC and the Ozark Xtreme. The two teams would only play each other if they reach the playoff round on Sunday afternoon which I’ll be watching for.

You can find them all on my calendar!

2008 USYSA National Championships Begin in Little Rock

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The US Youth Soccer Association National Championships, the ultimate goal of any team that competes in the Missouri State Cup, opens today in Little Rock AR with the Opening Ceremonies. Games begin Wednesday. As the the website notes:

A field of 10,000 teams has been narrowed to the Final 56 for National Finals. The top boys and girls teams in six age groups will be crowned in North Little Rock, AR. The event features the oldest youth sport trophy, James P. McGuire Cup, est. 1935

No team from Missouri, Arkanas or Iowa made it to the Finals but Kansas has a pair of teams, the U15 Girls KCFC Intensity and the U19 Boys KC Wizards Juniors. I’m sorely tempted to make an overnight visit to get a glimpse of the action although the likelihood is low I’ll actually go. If you are interested, here are the game times for the relatively local teams you can see.

U15 Girls
Wed 11:30 am – Field 10 – Lonestars 93 Red (STX) vs. KCFC Intensity (KS)
Thu 9:30 am – Field 9 – KCFC Intensity (KS) vs. So Cal Blues-Dodge (CA-S)
Fri 7:30 am – Field 10 – Slammers FC (CA-S) vs. KCFC Intensity (KS)

U17 Boys and U17 Girls play at 7:00 pm each evening in the preliminary rounds.

U19 Boys
Wed 7:30 am – Field 9 – KC Wizards Juniors (KS) vs. Freestate United (MD)
Thu 11:30 am – Field 3 – Colorado Rush Nike (CO) vs. KC Wizards Juniors (KS)
Fri 9:30 am – Field 2 – KC Wizards Juniors (KS) vs. Solar 89 (NTX)

The teams play a round robin series and the top two teams in each group face off for the Final. Saturday evening will be the Finals for the U14 Boys and Girls, starting between 6:30 – 7:15 pm. Sundays schedule starts early, 7:30 am for the U18 Boys, 7:45 am U18 Girls, and continuing in this fashion with U17B, U17G and then at 10:00 am U16G, 10:15 am U16 B 10:30 am U19 G and 10:45 am the U19 B Final.

If anyone heads down there, I’d love to have some photos and a Soccer Adventure story to share with my readers. Call me!

On a side note, it’s kind of remarkable how even the USYSA recognizes that a tournament is more fun with a large group of teams. To bad the Missouri Youth Soccer Association has lost focus of that fact. Were there even 56 teams total this year? Remember the crowds and the excitement in 2006 when Springfield hosted!

Off the soapbox now – mark your calendars for Saturday August 9th when Fox Soccer Channel will broadcast the USYSA National Championships Highlight Show

Region II Soccer Tournament: Springfield SC Advances To Semi-finals Again!

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The Springfield SC U17′s shut out Northwest Indiana FC 1-0 today, winning on a goal by Brock Ruggeri (Kickapoo HS, pictured at last years Regionals vs FC Milwaukee). When combined with the KC Wizard Juniors loss to FC Barrington by the same 0-1 score, our local boys advance from the group to reach the Region II semi-finals for the second straight year.

The team has now scored 6 goals while only giving up 1 in the tie to the Wizard Juniors yesterday.

UPDATE – Semi-Final Results and schedules
Missouri puts both U17 Boys teams into the Semi-Finals as Scott Gallagher SC, who lost in the semi-finals of the Missouri State Cup but advanced with a Midwest Regional League (MRL) wildcard (16 teams from 13 states qualified for Regionals). Gallagher went through on tie-breakers with a better goal differential.

Scott Gallagher sends their U13, U15, U17, U18 and U19 boys teams into the Final 4, the KC Wizards U19 Boys team qualified and St Louis SC qualified two girls teams. Chealsey Russell’s (Kickapoo/Rice) St Louis SC U18 advanced to the semi-finals, going 3-0 and outscoring their opponents 8-3 in the process. The U13 Girls team also advanced.

12 NOON Under 17 (KY) UNITED 96 FC INT’L vs (MRL1-MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER
12 NOON Under 17 (MO) SPRINGFIELD SC vs (ON2) EVEREST SOCCER CLUB

Missouri Semi-Finalists (and KC Wizard Juniors)
B Under 13 (IL) ELGIN PUMAS (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER
B Under 15 (MRL1-KS) KCFC RANGERS (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER
B Under 18 (WI) FC MILWAUKEE BLUE (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER
B Under 19 (KS) KC WIZARDS JUNIORS (IL)CHICAGO FIRE JRS. RED
B Under 19 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER (NE) ARSENAL BLUEJAYS
G Under 13 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC (KS) KCFC FORCE
G Under 18 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC (WI) FC MILWAUKEE BLUE

Final Round Robin Results
B Under 13 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 5 (ND) CAPITAL CITY SC
G Under 13 (MO2) J B MARINE 2 (MI) MICHIGAN HAWKS BLACK 2
G Under 13 (ON) CASA 0 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 4
B Under 14 (MO) LOU FUSZ SC GOLD 1 (OS) BLAST FC RED 2
G Under 14 (KS) KCFC HEAT 0 (MO) KC SELECT SCREAM 3
B Under 15 (IA) WEST DES MOINES FIRE 1 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 1
G Under 15 (SD) RUSHMORE U15 GOLD 0 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 0
B Under 16 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 1 (IL) ECLIPSE SELECT 1
G Under 16 (OS) CUP-RED 4 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 0
B Under 17 (OS) WORTHINGTON UTD BLUE 0 (MRL1-MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 1
G Under 17 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 1 (OS) OHIO ELITE ACADEMY 1
B Under 18 (WI2) MEQUON RED 1 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 3
G Under 18 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 3 (OS) OHIO ELITE ACADEMY 1
B Under 19 (OS) EAGLES SC 2 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 3
G Under 19 (WI) FC MILWAUKEE 3 (MO) J B MARINE 0

Region II Soccer Tournament: Springfield SC Ties KC Wizard Juniors

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More good news from Rockford today. In the second game of the three game round-robin, the Springfield SC U17 boys team earned a tie in their game against the Wizard Juniors. Devon Newport scored for our boys, his second in two games.

Today’s game had the possibility of determining the group winner if one team had been able to earn a win. I’m still trying to determine the tie-breakers, assuming both Springfield and Wizards win tomorrow. Goal differential? Goals given up? Anyone have some details?

Region II Tournament – Missouri team results, Day 2
Boys
Under 13 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 2 (IN)HOOSIER 94-95 PREMIER 0
Under 14 (NE) GLADIATOR 93/94 0 (MO) LOU FUSZ SC GOLD 2
Under 15 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 2 (OS2) COSA EXPRESS 0
Under 16 (WI) ELM GROVE ACADEMY 2 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 3
Under 17 (KS) KC WIZARDS JUNIORS 1 (MO) SPRINGFIELD SC 1
Under 17 (IN) NWI UNITED 2 (IL) FC BARRINGTON 3
Under 17 (MRL1-MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 4 (SD) DAKOTA GOLD FURY 0
Under 18 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 6 (SD) RUSHMORE U18 GOLD 0
Under 19 (MO) SCOTT GALLAGHER 0 (MN) BANGU BW UNITED 0

Girls
Under 13 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 4 (MN)BANGU TSUNAMI ACDMY E 0
Under 13 (IA) WDM FREEDOM ROYAL 0 (MO2) J B MARINE 0
Under 14 (MO) KC SELECT SCREAM 2 (IL2) Eclipse Select 3
Under 15 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 4 (IA) ANKENY MAROON 0
Under 16 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 0 (KS) BVSC STARS MALLORCA 5
Under 17 (MRL2-OS) BLAST FC 1 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 2
Under 18 (IN) DYNAMO FC 90 1 (MO) ST. LOUIS SC 3
Under 19 (MN) PSA GUNNERS 2 (MO) J B MARINE 1

Springfield SC U17 Boys Pursue Region II Title Opportunity

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Missouri State Champions - Springfield SC U17sThe Springfield SC U17 boys team left town this morning for the long drive to Rockford, IL, site of the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships. The boys return to the tournament for the second year after winning their second straight Missouri State age group title. As a returning semi-finalist (they lost to the eventual champion Michigan Wolves in the semifinal, after going 3-0 in group play), they were seeded and drawn into a group that includes the following games:

Saturday June 21st, 2:00 pm vs IL – FC Barrington
Sunday June 22nd, 12:00 pm vs KS – KC Wizards Juniors
Monday June 23rd, 12:00 pm vs IN – Northwest Indiana FC

This is a tough draw for our boys. The first game should be the easiest, as they face FC Barrington, first time winners at the state level for their club, like our boys last year. Let’s hope they don’t surprise the way we did. The KC Wizard Juniors team includes half a dozen boys from Rockhurst HS, a perennial Missouri power in the large school class while the NWI FC club pulls from the southern boundaries of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Winners of each of the four groups (16 teams in each age group) move on to the semifinals on Tuesday with the championship Wednesday. I’ll provide updates as the week progresses.

Good luck boys, wish I could be there!