Eclipse Select defender Hannah Marwede bound for Miami in 2016

Eclipse Select's Hannah Marwede

CHICAGO (June 20, 2014) – Eclipse Select Soccer Club defender Hannah Marwede (Lake Forest, Ill.) credits the club for her increasingly assertive demeanor and leadership over the years. Now, Marwede will look forward to utilizing her skills in the incredibly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

Marwede recently announced her commitment to play for Miami starting in the fall of 2016, and representing the Hurricanes in the ACC is already motivating her as she continues performing at a high level with Eclipse Select.

“I’m just so excited to play in the ACC,” Marwede said. “I’m really looking forward to that, and just knowing that I will be playing in that conference makes me want to keep training super hard to help the team when I come in.

“I visited all types of schools – big, small, private and public – and after Miami came to one of our games, they showed interest in me. I was definitely interested, and I could tell after my first visit with them that things clicked and I fit in well with their coaching staff.”

Under the guidance of Eclipse Select President Rory Dames and the club’s experienced staff, Marwede says she has made the biggest strides in changing what she says was a passive approach before joining the club.

“When I first came to Eclipse, I was not a very aggressive player,” Marwede said. “Rory and the coaches branded the fact that you cannot be passive. They really changed me from a player who was too soft. Now I’m aggressive, hard-nosed, and mentally I’m much stronger.”

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select's Lea Waddle headed to Vanderbilt in 2016

CHICAGO (June 16, 2014) – It is only natural to gravitate toward the successful Eclipse Select Soccer Club sister connection that exists in the Waddle family. With two older sisters already competing at the college level, current club midfielder Lea Waddle (Lake Forest, Ill.) will become the third collegian on the pitch as she recently made her commitment to play at Vanderbilt in the fall of 2016.

“It’s so exciting to finally know where you are going to go to college,” Waddle said. “I still have a lot to do and accomplish with the club program, so that is where my focus still is. It was never my priority to have my commitment this early, but it’s nice to have gone through this process. Everything just fell into place.”

During her search, Waddle had also visited Boston College, as well as Northwestern, where her oldest sister Georgia completed her junior season in the fall of 2013. Instead, Lea will reunite with the family’s second-oldest sister, Angela, who wrapped up her freshman campaign and will be a junior when Lea joins in 2016.

“She obviously had some great pointers and great advice, discussing how to weigh the positives and negatives during the search,” Waddle said of her conversations with Angela. “Her personal experience, though, will be much different than mine. We are two completely different players. It turned out to be a perfect fit for me in my own way, and in her own way, so it’s interesting how things worked out like that.”

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Academy Alum Shipp's Technical Prowess Benefiting Chicago Fire

Development Academy alum Harry Shipp

Chicago Fire midfielder Harry Shipp garnered some well-deserved praise following his team's 5-4 victory against the New York Red Bulls on May 10. The rookie and homegrown player tallied his first three Major League Soccer goals and he assisted the game-winner to also earn MLS Player of the Week.

Shipp is not the biggest or fastest player on the pitch, but his technical savvy and comfort with the ball more than make up for that. For the former Development Academy player for the Fire and Chicago Magic PSG (Chicago Magic AS Monaco during Shipp's tenure), these elements of the game truly shone at an early age.

"I would travel with a bunch of guys for an hour or hour and a half each way to play for the Magic and Fire," said Shipp, who hails from Lake Forest, Illinois, north of Chicago. "Those four or five times a week when we trained were important. They were competitive sessions, and for me, the technical work was incredibly important. I'm not a big or fast guy, and I was really able to get good with the ball."

For my full conversation with Harry Shipp, visit ussoccer.com.

Kecia Morway Jumps at Chicago Red Stars Opportunity

Kecia Morway

As the National Women’s Soccer League’s Chicago Red Stars prepare for their 2014 season, a familiar face is hoping to make her leap to the professional ranks.

Defender and Lake Villa, Ill., native Kecia Morway just wrapped up her tenure at Colorado College, and the Eclipse Select alumna is now testing her game to the fullest with the hopes of joining the Red Stars.

“I have never banked on having a soccer career after it was over,” Morway said. “But right now, I’m not ready to leave my cleats behind. This is a good opportunity, and I can’t pass it up. You never know how many opportunities you’re going to get.”

Morway’s name was up for consideration during the 2014 NWSL Draft in January, though she said that she was not expecting a team to select her. Following the draft, Morway reached out to her longtime club coach, Eclipse Select President and Red Stars head coach Rory Dames.

“I expressed interest to him that I still wanted to try and continue to play,” Morway said. “Obviously having Rory as a coach for so many years growing up, he knows my capabilities and didn’t want me to stop playing. I am willing to put the time and effort into doing this, and so I decided after my spring semester to give this a shot.”

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select College Commitment: Lotz Preps for Northern Iowa this Fall

CHICAGO (March 18, 2014) – As is the case for many Eclipse Select Soccer Club players based in Northwest Indiana, local youth players are drawn to Eclipse for their further development to make the competitive transition to college.

Midfielder Natalie Lotz (Wheatfield, Ind.) is another fitting example of a player seeking that extra edge. Now, the Kankakee Valley High School senior is headed to the University of Northern Iowa later this fall as she has announced her commitment to play for the Panthers in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“One of my friends had played on the Northwest Indiana Eclipse team, so after hearing about it I went out and made the team,” Lotz said. “I liked it a lot, and it was competitive. At the club level, the training and competition are far better than high school, and of course if you want to get to the next level, it is the best experience to prepare you.”

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select Introduces Class of 2014 on National Signing Day

Members of Eclipse Select's Class of 2014

CHICAGO (Feb. 6, 2014) – Eclipse Select Soccer Club is proud to introduce its 2014 Class following Wednesday’s National Signing Day, as 18 club players are currently committed to play for their respective collegiate programs starting this fall.

“I just want to congratulate the Eclipse Select Class of 2014 on this special occasion and important moment as student-athletes,” Eclipse Select President Rory Dames said. “Every year, this is a proud moment for me, the staff and everyone involved in the Eclipse family. The players’ dedication and commitment to the club and this sport is unwavering, and we have every reason to believe their success will continue at college and beyond.”

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

2013 Eclipse Select Yearbook

Check out the 2013 Eclipse Select Yearbook on EclipseSelect.org to review the club's progress over the past calendar year!

From the Eclipse Select U-15 team's memorable ECNL and USYSA national crowns to Zoe Redei's instantaneous showcase with the U.S. U-17 Women's National Team during World Cup qualifying, it was certainly a year to remember!

CLICK HERE to check it out!

Q&A with former U-20 MNT defender Eric Miller of Montreal Impact

Former U-20 MNT defender Eric Miller

I had a chance to catch up with former U.S. Men's National Team defender Eric Miller, who was picked No. 5 overall by the Montreal Impact in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. Here is a snippet of what he told us at ussoccer.com:

ussoccer.com: How do you feel your MLS Combine went, and did that solidfy your stock heading into Draft Day?
EM: "I think the Combine went pretty well for me, personally. I think I might have actually boosted my stock a little bit there. I don't think I was incredibly strongly rated after our college season at Creighton didn't go as well as we would have hoped, and I think after playing fairly well at the Combine, I may have moved up a little bit on some draft boards."

ussoccer.com: Even though you did not play in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and had an injury in qualifying, what was last year like playing with that particular group?
EM: "The U-20 experience was still phenomenal. I played in games in the Milk Cup and Toulon Tournament against some really great players, and we had so many great experiences. The CONCACAF final in front of 55,000 fans, making a lot of great friends, and getting a jersey with my name on the back are definitely some of my personal highlights, but there are too many to name. Tab Ramos and the whole staff were so professional. I learned more in that 18-month cycle than I did in the rest of my career, probably."

For the full interview, visit ussoccer.com.

Here is our sitdown from 2013, when the U-20s were competing in the Toulon Tournament in France in preparation for the U-20 World Cup: