Alliance
Academy Attracts Regional Talent
Michigan side fields first-year teams in seven USL divisions
Alliance Academy Press Release -
www.soccergrandrapids.com
Thursday, June 12
GRAND RAPIDS, MI- The Alliance Academy
prepares to kick-off it’s 2008 Super Y-League campaign with a roster
of talented players coming from across the region. The Grand Rapids
based club enters the league after receiving acceptance from the
United Soccer Leagues in November of 2007. It wasn’t long before
interest in the teams began to spread.
"While our initial try-outs sought local talent, we soon found out
that there was a much broader range of interest. We currently have
players registered from Detroit, Lansing, Chicago, Kalamazoo,
Indiana, and Northern Michigan," club administrator Tara Fitzsimmons
verified on Monday.
Read the entire article here.
The Alliance Academy Super 20s
Score Three in Opener!
May 29th, 2008
The 20s scored three goals in the first
match ever played in the United Soccer Leagues by an Alliance
Academy team but, it wasn't enough for the three points. The
visiting Lions from St. Louis equalized in the added time of both
halves to steal the away point. Next up is a June 15th home
match against the Windsor Spartans.
Page Navigation Update
To view pending changes and/or updates on schedules go to
our admin page. The admin page will also be the location where
you will find important information about hotels, maps, transportation,
and registration.
Super Y League Welcome and
Team Pages
May 9th, 2008
Welcome to the Alliance Academy Super Y
League site! In the next month, we will be updating this page
to include training schedules, uniform, registration, travel,
roster, coaching, and other important information.
Follow team page links for schedules
and rosters.
u13
Girls
Abrahm Shearer
email
u14 Girls
Andy Blasco
email
u17
Girls Ryan Fitzsimmons
email
u13 Boys Abrahm Shearer
email
u15 Boys Abrahm Shearer
email
u17 Boys Lewis Robinson
email
Super
20 Men Gordon Dean
email
Note on Team Page Rosters
If you are a registered US Club player: your information
has been updated in the US Club system to show what Super Y
League team you are on for the summer. From the US Club
registered player list, USL will update the rosters you see
online once a week. So if you don't see your name on the roster
it is just because USL still has to update you in their
systems.
For players not in the US Club system: you need to turn
in your US Club registration form, picture, and birth
certificate. Once I have turned them in to US Club soccer, you
will be registered for your USL team. Your name will appear on
the roster of your team page once USL has updated you in their
system.
Thanks for being patient! We want to make sure everyone is
registered correctly and are working hard on our end to ensure
that. Please realize that the quicker we get your information
the faster we can move along the process.
For specific information on rosters please contact your coach.
Alliance Academy Super Y Facts
Tuesday
01-15-08
The Alliance FC has
officially joined the Super Y League for play that begins in the
summer of 2008! The Super Y League is North America’s largest
and most progressive league. It offers a tiered system that
includes professional and amateur players competing on a regional
then national level. The Alliance FC is proud to be the only
club in Grand Rapids to sponsor teams into this league.
The Alliance FC
has made tremendous
steps forward in the past few years. We have improved our
coaching staff and continue to offer the best training opportunities
for our committed athletes. The results have been obvious to
our parents, the opposition, and casual observers looking at league
tables.
 By
adding the Super Y League, we are committing ourselves to the highest levels of soccer.
More importantly, we are providing our players with the opportunity
to advance on a national stage either through the Super Y ODP or as
a team at the Super Y National Tournament.
Below you will find
questions and answers with our Director of Coaches, Abrahm Shearer.
If you are completely new to the league, we recommend that you visit
our main Super Y League page
here
or go the
www.uslsoccer.com for more information.
What is the Super Y League ODP?
The Super Y League ODP
system was created to help identify players for National Team Play.
The program was groundbreaking because the Y League was the first
non-USYSA sanctioned program to gain Olympic Development Status.
This means that their selections would be considered by members of
the National team staff for inclusion within youth National Teams.
How it relates to Alliance
FC might best be answered through an outlook and philosophy borrowed
from one of the top youth coaches in the country, John Hannan.
John recently made the move from the Chicago Magic to Crossfire
Premier in Washington. Both clubs are among the best in the
United States both participate in the Super Y League. I have
gotten to know John fairly well over the years and had the
opportunity to work with him as a coach on the US Club Soccer ID2
staff. Currently he is the Super Y League ODP director and I
had a number of conversations with him about the league and the ODP
system. His philosophy has been to utilize every avenue
possible to bring his players to the next level. If this was
the Super Y ODP, his players participated. If this was the
State ODP, his players participated. If this was the US Club
ID2, his players took part. I agree 100% with this approach
and intend to pursue every avenue for our players.
The director of the Mequon
Soccer Club (WI) wrote an article on ODP vs. Super Y ODP that you
might also find interesting.
http://www.mequonsoccerclub.com
Every player participating
on an Alliance FC Super Y League team will be considered for the
Super Y League ODP and US Club Soccer ID2. Both ask for
players to be evaluated and scouted within their playing
environment. There are no try-outs for these teams.
Super Y League Coaches recommend kids to the Super Y ODP program and
regional scouts send evaluations to the US Club Soccer directors for
consideration. As an ID2 regional scout, I have recommended
players for participation from within Alliance and from other clubs.
Over the past two years these players have had the honor of
attending regional camp in Illinois, New Jersey, and Missouri and
each has returned having a positive experience.
We are excited that we
will now be able to promote our players throught all three ODP
identification systems; Super Y ODP, MSYSA ODP, and US Club Soccer
ID2.
I have been told that the
competition level in the Super Y League is not very good. Is
that true?
I completely disagree. The
competition will be more than enough to provide any team in Michigan
an excellent competitive experience. To my knowledge no
Michigan Club has won a Super Y League National Championship.
From another perspective,
I would argue that every
league has it's share of mismatches. Take a look at the
English Premier League and you will find 4-0, 5-0, and even 6-0
score lines this year. These are professionals teams and
players in arguably the most competitive league in the world and, as
some say, the wheels fall off the bus at times.
The fact is that many of the top
teams in the country compete in the Super Y League. The
Chicago Magic, Cleveland Internationals, and the Ohio Elite have all
won National Championships and represent some of the strongest
players from large metropolitan areas. Having coached within
the league, I can tell you that some teams are more prepared than
others and in some games, as in any league including the EPL, the
wheels of the proverbial bus do fall off. In the end, this is a tremendous
opportunity for top athletes to train and compete at a high level
during an otherwise down time.
Isn't time off in the Summer
important?
Yes and No. A
recovery period at some point in the year is important but, it
certainly doesn't have to be in the summer. Most high school
boys end their season in mid-October giving the players weeks before
indoor leagues and training begins. On the girls side, the
summer is a long stretch between late May (high school season ends)
and mid-August club kick-off.
The Super Y League can
fill in the gaps by providing a perfect spring board for the
following season be it club or high school. My advice is to
take advantage of the ability to play outdoors and take the time off
in the winter if necessary.
Can any club enter the MRL?
The MRL or Midwest
Regional League is not exclusive to any particular club. While
the Super Y League determines which clubs can enter, the MRL has
agreements with State Associations, including Michigan, which agree
to grant entrance into the league based upon performance in the
state cup. Any team that finishes in the top four in Michigan
has the options to play in the MRL starting at u14.
I play for another club.
Can I try-out?
Yes!
If I am a u11 or u12, can I
participate?
Yes, if you are good
enough. With enough interest, we will create a u11 and or u12
Super Y League Prep team that will compete in US Club Soccer
Nationals and at least 1 other event over the summer months.
If you are a u11 and u12 and are interested in participating on a
Super Y League team, register as a u13 player. If you are also
interested in being considered for a Super Y League Prep team
register within that age group. Register for both or either
here.
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