Belmar elevating play for Western Conference-leading T2

Portland Timbers 2 forward Kharlton Belmar is quick to point out one element that makes a successful professional player: consistency.

Through three games, Belmar already has proven to be T2’s steadiest performer with three goals as Portland is now 2-0-1 and atop the Western Conference with seven points.

“It’s been really exciting,” Belmar said. “We’ve gotten off to a great start and have really come together. We have a pacey group of forwards, and when you can combine that speed to press other teams, that can cause a lot of damage. For me, I didn’t know what to expect heading into my first professional game, and it was great starting off on the right foot.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Four players with Eclipse Select ties bound for national team camps

CHICAGO – Mid-April will have a heavy representation of players with Eclipse Select ties at USA national team camps.

Former Eclipse Select forward Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) and goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier (Tallahassee, Fla.) have been called into a U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team camp. Meanwhile, current Eclipse Select forwards Zoe Redei (Highland Park, Ill.) and Alissa Gorzak (Naperville, Ill.) will represent the U.S. U-19 Women’s National Team.

The U-19 and U-20 camps both consist of 24 players and run April 11-18 at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif. For the U-20s, the camp will also include split-squad matches against USC and UCLA on Friday, April 17.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Versatile Craven already proving worth at Seattle Sounders FC 2

Seattle's Andy Craven

Two games is a small sampling to fully appreciate the true impact of a player, but Seattle Sounders FC 2 forward Andy Craven is making his play heard in the early going of the 2015 USL season.

Craven has been a big part of Seattle’s lethal offense, with the team posting two dominant victories to take the early lead in the Western Conference. Craven also etched his name in the record books with the club’s first goal during S2’s 4-2 victory against defending champion Sacramento Republic FC on March 21.

“That was so incredible,” Craven said of his goal. “I didn’t even realize that was what I had done until after the game. I was getting so much love from the fans and community, which made it that much more exciting. The Sounders community has been so supportive of us as a team. It’s not just that goal, but all of the goals and our performances – it’s exciting.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Aztex forward Alfred Koroma Shams eager for Texas return

Austin's Alfred Koroma Shams

Austin Aztex forward Alfred Koroma Shams has never really had a permanent home.

Shams fled his home country of Sierra Leone as a child along with his mother. He spent several semesters with the U.S. U-17 Residency Program in Florida, and he has bounced around from various clubs and teams, whether domestically or most recently in Brazil.

Austin represents a bit of a homecoming location for Shams, whose legal guardians are from Fort Worth, Texas.

“It’s refreshing coming to Austin and sticking close to my family,” Shams said. “Since I was 11, I’ve been away playing soccer, playing at Residency as well, and you have to learn how to grow up real quick. It’s been hard, but a couple months ago I had the opportunity to come to Austin and it was time for a change.”

For more, visit USLSoccer.com.

Eclipse Select's Zoe Redei called in for U.S. U-20 WNT trip to Spain

Eclipse Select forward Zoe Redei

Eclipse Select Soccer Club forward Zoe Redei (Highland Park, Ill.) has been named to the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team for a three-game tournament in La Manga, Spain.

Redei is one of 22 players called in by USA head coach Michelle French for a 10-team competition that includes games against Norway (March 5), the Netherlands (March 7) and Sweden (March 9).

This is Redei’s second call-up with the U-20s after featuring for this age group during an October camp to start the new cycle.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Thirteen Eclipse Select players earn invite to ECNL PDP event

A large contingent of Eclipse Select Soccer Club players traveled to the University of Wisconsin Madison over the Feb. 7-8 weekend to earn the right to take part in the 2015 Elite Clubs National League Players Development Program. A total of 13 players represented Eclipse Select as the club touted the largest group among the ECNL’s Midwest Conference teams.

Team 1 included Eclipse Select Elite ECNL 2018 (U-15) goalkeeper Haley Leanna (Grayslake, Ill.); Elite Pool 2017 (U-16) defender Camryn Biegalski (Lombard, Ill.) and Elite ECNL 2016 (U-17) defender Emily Hess (Batavia, Ill.); and Elite ECNL 2018 midfielders Jessica Denney (Naperville, Ill.) and Brynn Miller (St. Charles, Ill.).

Team 2 consisted of Eclipse Select Elite ECNL 2016 defender Courtney Coleman (Antioch, Ill.) and Elite ECNL 2018 defender Caitlin Haislip (Munster, Ind.); Elite ECNL 2016 midfielder Ena Sabanagic (Hanover Park, Ill.); and Elite ECNL 2017 forward Emma Cooper (Coralville, Iowa).

On Team 3, Elite ECNL 2017 defender Lydia Brosnahan (Highland Park, Ill.) and Elite Pool 2017 midfielder Samantha Salay (Glenview, Ill.) represented Eclipse Select.

Team 4 included Elite ECNL 2016 midfielders Nicki Hernandez (Naperville, Ill.) and Cassandra Rohan (Palatine, Ill.).

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select midfielder Amanda Rapaduski called into U.S. U-16 camp

Eclipse Select Soccer Club midfielder Amanda Rapaduski (Algonquin, Ill.) has been called into a U.S. U-16 Girls’ National Team camp.

Rapaduski will be part of a 24-player group at a Feb. 15-22 camp at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif. This is the USA’s first U-16 programming since 2007. Women’s development coach Tricia Taliaferro is heading the camp.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

UPDATE:
Amanda Rapaduski and Eclipse Select President Rory Dames caught up with the Northwest Herald before Rapaduski went into camp:

• Around Town: Jacobs High School's Rapaduski in U.S. Soccer U16 Girls National Team camp

National Signing Day: Eclipse Select Class of 2015

Eclipse Select Soccer Club is proud to announce its Class of 2015, currently featuring featuring 27 players headed to their respective NCAA women’s soccer teams starting this fall.

“We are very proud of the Class of 2015, which is our largest class since 2009,” Mike Nesci said. “The players will represent the club at some of the top institutions in the country. It is a credit to their commitment and dedication to soccer and academics.”

Below are breakdowns of the Eclipse Select Class of 2015 on National Signing Day:

• Chelsea Burns (Jacksonville, Fla.), midfielder - Duke 
• Hannah Davison (Geneva, Ill.), defender - Northwestern
• Caroline Dempsey (Lincolnshire, Ill.), midfielder - Washington (St. Louis)
• Morgan Egan (Naperville, Ill.), defender - Pittsburgh
• Sydney Griffin (Hinsdale, Ill.), forward - New Hampshire
• Kate Hennessy (Plainfield, Ill.), forward - Belmont Abbey College
• Sophia Jendrzejczyk (St. Charles, Ill.), forward - Wingate
• Megan Kalkofen (Naperville, Ill.), defender - Wisconsin 
• Reilly Martin (Carmel, Ind.), midfielder - Michigan
• Maeve McLaughlin (Hinsdale, Ill.), defender - Indiana
• Hannah Mussallem (Palos Heights, Ill.), midfielder - Purdue
• Drew Moulton (Sycamore, Ill.), goalkeeper - Valparaiso
• Maya Neal (Naperville, Ill.), forward - Tennessee
• Ann Marie Niro (Barrington, Ill.), midfielder - Notre Dame
• Aspyn Repp (Lake Bluff, Ill.), midfielder - Northwestern
• Jessica Ritchie (Glencoe, Ill.), midfielder - Cornell
• McKenzie Runyan (Lake Villa, Ill.), midfielder - Rochester
• Megan Runyan (Lake Villa, Ill.), midfielder - Rochester
• Kelli Santo Paulo (West Chicago, Ill.), midfielder - St. Cloud State
• Kayla Sharples (Naperville, Ill.), defender - Northwestern
• Riley Sykes (Gurnee, Ill.), midfielder - Wisconsin
• Juliet Torres (Oak Lawn, Ill.), midfielder - Grinnell College
• Samantha Villwock (Lake Villa, Ill.), midfielder - South Dakota
• Emily Whitcomb (Elmhurst, Ill.), midfielder - Belmont
• Katie Wilson (Frankfort, Ill.), goalkeeper - Toledo
• Sydney Witham (Crown Point, Ind.), defender - Army
• Elizabeth Woerner (Bloomington, Ill.), forward - Memphis

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.