Tuesday, December 22, 2009

 Jonathan Kempin - Player of the Week


Jonathan Kempin was honored by U.S. Soccer Federation's Development Academy for the week Nov. 23 as player of the week.

Kempin’s shut out victory over Texas Rush AJ Auxerre and a 1-1 draw with Texas SC DTH helped the Kansas City Wizards secure four points from their opening weekend of play. The goalkeeper had standout performances in both matches, including a key save on a penalty kick against Texas Rush AJ Auxerre. Kempin will feature on an Academy Select team at the upcoming Winter Showcase and the the Kansas City Wizards at their first Showcase event.

Kempin is a 6'2'' Junior at Blue Valley North High School. He resides in Lenexa KS and has been part of the Juniors programs since 2008; before joining the KCW Juniors he spent a year in Bradenton, FL with the USSF U17 Residential Program and played for KCFC.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

 Cold in KC

When the temperatures start to drop in Kansas City our Juniors are forced to find other alternatives rather than training outside. For example, today is a high of 19 degrees which means the boys can't be outside or they may turn into icesicles. So we wanted to give you a little glimpse at what they do to stay in shape when the temperature drop below freezing. The boys use a newer training system called TRX which is Suspension Training at its finest as well as fancy treadmills from Woodway.

The teams also participate in workouts like this after a hard weekend of games in the form of "regeneration" which is more stretching and losening up the muscles. In turn, if they did not have a match over the weekend, Monday would be fully dedicated to fitness.

Friday, December 11, 2009

 Kansas All-State Honors

Kansas Soccer Coaches Association
Class 6A All-State
1st Team 2009

Forwards(7)
Ben Coyle Sr. OlatheEast (U18 Wizards)
Jordan Rideout Jr. BlueValley North (U16 Wizards)

Midfielders(6)
Nick Golden Sr. WashburnRural (U18 Wizards)
Konnor Knoll Jr. WichitaSoutheast (U16 Wizards)
Jordan Saybounkham Sr. WichitaSoutheast (U18 Wizards)

Kansas Soccer Coaches Association
Class 6A All-State
Honorable Mention 2009

Forwards(11)
Brad Barclay Sr. OlatheSouth (U18 Wizards)
Garret Pulliam So. BlueValley West (U16 Wizards)
Lucas Throckmorton Jr. ShawneeMission East (U16 Wizards)
Alex Pilsl Sr. OlatheSouth (U18 Wizards)

Kansas Soccer Coaches Association
Class 5A All-State
1st Team 2009

Midfielders(9)
Jordan Zarse Sr. SaintThomas Aquinas (U18 Wizards)
Defenders(8)
Sean Latz Sr. SaintThomas Aquinas (U18 Wizards)
Goalkeepers(2)
Colby Martin Sr. SaintThomas Aquinas (U18 Wizards)

Kansas Soccer Coaches Association
Class 5A All-State
Honorable Mention 2009

Forwards/Midfielders(16)
Emilio Quezada Jr. SaintThomas Aquinas (U16 Wizards)

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

 U16's fight hard against Real So Cal

Our U16's had a hard fought match yesterday. They played Real So Cal from the San Fernado Valley in Cali. The first half was very even, a lot of back and forth but no real chances by either team. The Juniors possessed the ball better in the second half but it wasn't enough as they made a mistake in their offensive third. Real So Cal capitalized quick and made an offensive transition that resulted in a goal in the 68th minute. The score remained 0-1 throughout the 80 minutes and the U16's came away with a record of 2-1-0 in the Winter Showcase.

Check out Chris Brown's goal; it made the Day 3 Highlights.

 U18's stay Consistent

The U18's played their final game on Monday at 1:15pm against Crossfire Premier out of Redmond, Washington, which is just East of Seattle.. At kick off there was torrential rains and this continued throughout the whole match. Note: It has not rained in Phoenix in over four months. At half time the score was still 0-0 and this was proving to be a very even match up. About 10 minutes into the second half Crossfire got on the board first with a near post volley. We battled back and in the 89th min. Tony Young got on the end of a cross from Brandon Fricke to tie the match at 1-1, which was the final. So at least our U18's were consistent...they tied every match at the Winter Showcase.

Monday, December 7, 2009

 Jonathan Kempin makes Academy Select Team


As you know the Juniors are in Phoenix right now at the Third annual Winter Showcase and our U16's Gk made the "Academy Select Team". In addition to the four national teams, eight Development Academy Select Teams will be featured throughout the weekend. Four teams comprised of players born in 1993, three with players born in 1994 and one made up of players born in 1991 and 1992 will play together across the weekend. Development Academy Select Teams are comprised of 130 total players who were chosen by youth national team coaches and U.S. Soccer’s youth national team scouting network. They will have a unique opportunity to play alongside some of the top players in their age group while competing against either an Academy club team or another Select Team. To see a list of all those you made the Select Teams, click here.

 Juniors continue to find Success


Yesterday both teams played Rickmond Kickers in Day 3 of the Winter Showcase. The U16's opened up the scoring in the 31st minute with a header from Eric Moore. Moore received a great cross from Lucas Throckmorton and was able to finish it in good form. In the 44th minute we drew a free kick that was taken by Eric DeJulio. Chris Brown was able to get on the end of it and helped secure a 2-0 victory.

The U18's once again tied, but the game was not without scoring, excitement, and struggles along the way. They kicked off with a depleted squad as four of the players fell victim to potential food poisoning and a few others out with injuries. The juniors went up 2-0 with the first goal By Brandon Fricke from about 18yds out. The second goal was a PK taken by Will Witherspoon. The Richmond Kickers then came back with two goals, one of which was an unbelievable chip over our keeper and the other was a free kick. With about 10 minutes remaining Richmond scored again with a bullet to put them in the lead. In the 90th minute Witherspoon was able to find the net again to tie the match 3-3.

On another note USA tied Brazil 1-1.

Friday, December 4, 2009

 Juniors off to a solid start at Showcase


U16's Eric Moore (left of our GK) scored in the 79th Minute


Our Juniors were both in action today in sunny but chilly Phoenix, AZ at the Development Academy Winter Showcase. They both faced teams from Seaside United from Hampton NH. The U16's kicked off at 10am and completely dominated the match. Seaside's GK was unbelievable and defiantly kept them in the match. In the 60th minute Eric Moore subed in at left midfielder and scored the lone goal in the 79th minute. He received a cross inside the 18 from our right defender, Konnor Knoll, and then took a touch inside to finish from 12 yards out. So the final was 1-0 and tomorrow is all about stretching/resting and free time to work on homework.

The U18's kicked off directly after at 12pm and ended up playing 90mins to a 0-0 draw. The Wizards dominated most of this game as well, but were unable to find the net. Again our coaches were very complimentary to Seaside's U18 GK for his strong play today. Our leading scorer, Mhango Mbulunji, and another impact player, Tony Young, were both subed out with injuries at halftime. Hopefully they will have time to rest and be ready to play on Sunday.

Both team will be back in action on Sunday, Dec. 6th against Richmond Kickers. In the meantime the boys will enjoy a great game tomorrow night (Saturday) which will feature the U17 US National Team vs U17 Brazil National Team.

Monday, November 30, 2009

 The Juniors find Success at Home


KCW Juniors played Scott Gallagher Metro out of St.Louis yesterday, which was a very chilly afternoon for soccer. The U16's took the field first at 10am with a slow start and unfortunately went down a goal right before half-time. The second half was dominated by KC and Derek Schrick found the net in the 70th minute to tie the game for us. After 80 minutes of play the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

The U18's played directly after at 12pm. The game was full of action straight away with a lot of back and forth play. Wizards found the net around the 20th minute with a left-footed bomb outside the 18yd box from Tony Young (pictured above, #21). They went into half-time up 1-0. Mbulunji Mhango sealed the win with another goal in the second half, which made the final score 2-0 and already three goals for Mhango this season.

The Juniors will travel to Phoenix AZ on Thursday, Dec 3rd to prepare for the Winter Showcase where they will take on teams from California and Virginia.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

 Juniors to make home debut Sunday-Nov. 29th


The U16's hope to continue their strong start to the season.


The Juniors will be taking on "cross state" rivals this coming weekend. Both teams will play St. Louis Scott Gallagher Metro on Sunday, November 29th. The U16's kick off first at 10:00am and the U18's directly after at 12:00pm. Both games will take place at Swope Training Center.

Entrance and Parking is FREE so please come out and support.

Monday, November 23, 2009

 Juniors Win to Open DA Play

The KCW Juniors U-16 and U-18 squads both won their first-ever U.S. Soccer Development Academy matches Saturday outside of Houston with victories over teams from Texas Rush. The U-16s won 1-0, while the U-18s twice came from behind to win 3-2. The U-16 team then registered a come-from-behind 1-1 tie Sunday against Dallas Texans Houston, while the U-18 team lost 2-0 to a team from the same club. Jordan Rideout scored both goals on the weekend for the U-16s, including the first Developmental Academy goal in KCW Juniors history. Mbulunji Mhango had two goals and Michael Oakley scored one goal for the U-18s.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

 Winter Showcase set for Dec. 4-8 in Phoenix


The 2009 Development Academy Winter Showcase and Nike International Friendlies are set for Dec. 4-8 at the Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Ariz. All 154 teams representing 77 Development Academy clubs will participate in 234 games during the extended weekend, while six Under-17 international matches will highlight Friday, Saturday and Monday.

*Nike International Friendlies to Coincide with Showcase, Featuring the U.S., Netherlands, Portugal and Brazil U-17 Men’s National Teams

*Three U.S. Games to be Televised Live on Fox Soccer Channel at 7 p.m. MT on Dec. 4, Dec. 5 and Dec. 7

*A Total of 240 Games to Take Place During Five Days at Reach 11 Sports Complex

For the full article on U.S. Soccer, click here.

Monday, November 16, 2009

 St Thomas Aquinas is Unstoppable


Aquinas boys won the 5A State Championship and ended up being ranked #2 by ESPN Rise. This is coming off the heels of winning its seventh straight state championship and completing its first undefeated season since 1994. Check out the article from ESPN Rise.

 Nine Players Honored....

Below is a list of the boys who received honors from NEKSCA (All Northeast Kansas Soccer Coaches Association)

1st Team All NEKSCA
1. Ben Coyle-U18
2. Brad Barclay-U18
3. Jordan Rideout-U16
4. Lucas Throckmorton-U16

2nd Team ALL NEKSCA
1. Alex Pilsl-U18
2. Andrew Garcia-U18
3. Tom Adams-U18
4. Garrett Pulliam-U16
5. Jon Kempin-U16

Congrats Boys!

Friday, November 13, 2009

 Quezada receives "Athlete of the Week" Honors


Emilio Quezada

•SCHOOL: St. Thomas Aquinas

•YEAR: Junior

•SPORT: Soccer

Aquinas finished the second perfect season in school history (the other was in 1994) last week by winning its seventh consecutive state title — thanks in no small part to Quezada. After scoring twice in a 2-1 Kansas 5A quarterfinals win over Shawnee Heights last Tuesday, Quezada scored both goals in the Saints’ 2-0 win over Bishop Miege in the state championship game Saturday. He finished the season with a team-high 14 goals as Aquinas finished with a sterling 21-0 record. Source-KC Star

Quezada currently plays on the U16 Juniors team.

Friday, October 30, 2009

 Practice begins....

As high school season winds down the Juniors will be starting practice next week on November 3rd. The U18's and U16's will be training on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. The teams will have three week to prepare for their first weekend of matches that will take place in Texas.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

 Three Seniors Verbally Commit



#1 Colby Martin to William Jewell
#4 Jordan Zarse to Benedictine
#17 Sean Latz to Drake University

 Congrats St. Thomas Aquinas


The boys varsity team had a perfect season this year, 16-0-0. This is the 2nd time in school history to have a perfect record. Currently they are ranked #1 in Kansas and #3 by ESPN Rise National Soccer Poll. Five of our KCW Juniors were on the team: Colby Martin, Jordan Zarse, Emilio Quezada, Andrew Brown and Sean Latz. Congrats boys!

Friday, October 23, 2009

 Development Academy Scholarship Program


U.S. Soccer has selected 163 participants for the 2009-10 Development Academy Scholarship Program. The athletes represent 53 different Academy clubs and will participate in a year-long program that will not only help offset the costs of participating in the Academy, but will also focus on educating athletes on healthy lifestyle habits. Check out the full article here.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

 Development Academy-What is it?

Our U15/16 and U17/18 teams play is the U.S. Development Academy. Check out the video for a full description.