HSC - News and Events

Cole Iverson - HSC '93 Striker earns top HONORS!

We have two major announcements for our '93 Striker - Cole, coached by Henry Mpagi. Cole has been named to the U15 Men's US National Team for the upcoming trip to Spain. Cole will be playing in Spain with the National Team from 5/9 - 5/19. This is an outstanding achievement and a honor for Huntsville Soccer Club to send its second player to the National Team. HSC continues to gain recognition for placing players at the elite levels.

As well - Cole has been invited to the Adidas ESP camp. The ESP camp is reserved for the absolute top players in the United States. It has been host to players such as Josmer Altidore, Jonathon Spector, and many other top professional and collegiate soccer players. This invitation only camp is recognized as the top developmental camp in the country. You can find more information at Adidas ESP.

Cole Iverson - '93 Striker

HSC Player receives Soccer Scholarship in Tran South Conference

'90 HSC Striker - Van Santos - was recently provided an opportunity to join the ranks of the Lambuth University Eagles

Van has been a part of HSC throughout his important development years participating in multiple State Championships while being coached by Marty Clark. Later in his career, Van joined HSC at the U18 level to be coached by John Tesema and ultimately being recruited to the Eagles. Lambuth is a NAIA school located in Jackson, TN. The Eagles are coached by Paul Conway. Van will pursue a degree in EMI (Entertainment Music Industry) while at Lambuth. Congratulations to Van and his proud parents - Leigh and Gia Santos.

96 HSC Samba Yellow secure TWO Championships

Congratulations to our HSC U12 Girls for securing the Championship title in the recent Vulcan Cup and Bob Jones Great Patriot Shootout. This talented young team is coached by Norbert Webley and will be soon representing the HSC in the upcoming State Championship series.

Samba 96 Yellow secured a championship title in the Vulcan Cup. This Platinum rated tournament is played in Birmingham, Alabama. The '96 girls had an excellent showing. Samba was in control of the games playing against teams from GA, TN,and LA . Samba went head to head against Hendersonville Fusion, TN in the finals. The team had a three shut outs and won their last game 2-1.

The U12 girls also secured the Championship title at the Bob Jones Indoor tournament by beating the Kicks in a tight final, resulting in penalties from the mark. The HSC team scored 8 goals and gave up only 1 on their path to the Championship title.

Success at the Southest Challenge 2008

HSC teams come up big at the best soccer facility in the Southeast. The recent Southeast Challenge, hosted by the Jack Allen Soccer Complex in Decatur - AL, was a hot spot for HSC success. Several teams performed well in their brackets and secured spots in the championships. Congratulations to the HSC teams! Championship groups are:

'94 Blue Strikers - U14 Boys Coached by Henry Mpagi - Champions beating Kicks 4-2 in the finals
'96 Yellow Samba - U12 girls Coached by Norbert Webley - are Champions beating our own U11 team
'97 Yellow Samba - U11 girls Coached by Henry Mpagi - are Finalists in the U12 bracket
'95 Yellow Samba - U14 girls Coached by James Ssemambo - are Finalists

Huntsville Soccer Club #1 in Division I Boys and 2nd overall in TOP ALABAMA PROGRAMS

HSC recently secured the U14, U15, and U16 boys State Championships for Division I in Alabama. With 3 Division I boys titles - that makes HSC NUMBER ONE in the boys division I programs for most championships during 2007! Overall, by securing 3 championship titles, HSC is the 2nd highest club in State Championships for both boys and girls programs combined. All 3 Striker teams will represent Alabama in the upcoming Southeast Regional Championships in Raleigh, NC.

The development program is one of the best around for the Huntsville Soccer Club. We have secured top spots in the Regional Leagues as well as State by adhering to a strict recipe of discipline, organization, and creative play for our young players. HSC is a fraction of the size of competing clubs but maintains an elite position by continuing to staff our teams with the absolute best coaches available and develop players in the HSC system for many years prior to achieving such an elite level of success.

HSC also captured a Finalist position with the U16 HSC Samba girls and Semi-Finalists spots with the U17 HSC Samba girls and the U14 HSC Samba girls.

CHAMPIONS:

'93 Blue Strikers, coached by Henry Mpagi

'94 Blue Strikers, coached by Eusebio Samuel

96 HSC Samba Girls Championship at Bob Jones

'96 HSC Samba Girls Championship at Vulcan Cup

'92 Blue Strikers, coached
by Marty Clark

FINALIST:

'92 Yellow Samba, coached by Marty Clark

SEMI-FINALISTS:

'94 Yellow Samba, coached by James Ssemambo

(not pictured) '91 Yellow Samba, coached by Eusebio Samuel

Christy Copeland's '99 Yellow Samba girls capture the Championship at the Division III Governor's Cup in Decatur, Al. This young group of girls had an outstanding tournament while on their road to victory.

The Huntsville Soccer Club hosted a charity collection event at Pete's Soccer Shop on Whitesburg Drive on December 15th, 2007. A representative from the Harris Home for Children was present to receive the donations for the "Home Team", while collections for the "Away Team", the international Ambassadors in Sports Charity based out of South Africa, will be mailed to them at the beginning of the new year. Numerous families and members of the Board of Directors were present to provide donations for this 1st Annual "Kick Back" event, but Pete's Soccer Shop owner, Pete Needham, went beyond the call of duty and provided the majority of the donations himself. Thanks to all who came out to help during this holiday season!

Cole Iverson selected for U15 US National team event at Disney

'93 HSC Blue Striker, Cole Iverson, was recently selected to participate with the US National Team representing the United States in international competition at the 2007 Nike Friendlies event in Orlando, Fl. Cole is coached by Henry Mpagi on his championship team at HSC. This is the second calling for Cole to the US National Team. Cole will also be joining our Heroes Spring College Team for additional exposure throughout early 2008. Visit HERE for photos of the Nike event.

Huntsville Soccer Club dominates Region III Premier League

The '93 Blue Strikers, coached by Henry Mpagi, take the CHAMPIONSHIP in the recent conclusion of the U15 boys R3PL. As well, the '92 Blue Strikers, coached by Marty Clark, take the FINALIST position in the U16 boys division. Both teams represented Alabama well by capturing these elite honors in the central division of Region III. Both teams will be representing Alabama in the upcoming Regional Championships as they both secured their respective State Championships. Both teams are ranked in the top 25 Nationally for goals allowed: '93 Boys (11th with 7 shut-outs and 3 goals allowed) and '92 Boys (24th with 6 shut-outs and 4 goals allowed).

The elite Region III Premier League, comprised of state champions and finalists, is the toughest league available for our state teams.

'92 Blue Strikers - Finalist

The HSC 93 Blue Strikers - FINALISTS in the 2007 Germantown College Showcase PLATINUM Division.

The HSC 93 Strikers won their very competitive bracket by beating 2 State Champions and a Regional Finalist, in the highest division in the tournament. Region II Ohio State Champions, COSA Express, and Reg II Kansas State Champions, KCFC Alliance Ranger, fell 1-0 and 3-0, consecutively, in their games that were clearly dominated by the Strikers. The 3rd game paired the Strikers with the Region II Finalist, Chicago Fire Juniors Premier Red, but they, too, could not push their way through the strong defense of the Strikers, who won 2-0. The Strikers met their match in the Championship game with the very tough Region II team, St Louise Scott Gallagher 1, ranked 15th in the nation, and fell 0-3 in the finals. In spite of that loss, it was a huge success for the HSC 93 Blue Strikers to have walked away Finalist in the highest division in one of the nations most competitive tournaments! Contratulations HSC 93 Blue Strikers!

College Spring Team offered in 2008

In an effort to help players realize their dreams of playing higher level soccer, HSC is working with the Heroes organization to provide high school aged players the opportunity to receive outstanding spring training and a compliment of games with select Colleges and Universities in the Southeast. The Heroes organization has a US Club soccer affiliation and is directed by Desmond Armstrong, former US National Team player. We have also merged players from Birmingham and North Alabama for this team which is coached by John Tesema, Director of Coaching for HSC.

Players will be exposed to college soccer and have an opportunity to play with Division I, II, III and NAIA programs. With each college game, the College coaches offer campus tours and an interview with the players so that players can get answers to their academic and sport related concerns.

92 Samba Yellow gets another Championship win at the SoccerElite Fall Championships in Memphis

The 92 Yellow Samba, Coached by Marty Clark, take another Fall Championship. They destroyed competition scoring 15 goals and allowing 2 on their way to the final victory. The finals were a 2-1 match with a strong Mississippi United Fire team in the U16 girls Gold Bracket.

96 Strikers Blue won the Superclubs tournament in Memphis

The 96 Strikers Blue, Coached by Fernando Pingatore, are the Fall 2007 Superclub U-12 Champs. They scored 15 goals and only gave up 1 one goal all weekend.

HSC Teams DOMINATE the HSC Summer Classic Tournament

It was a wonderful weekend of great weather and outstanding soccer as the HSC teams march to finals in 11 of 18 opportunities. With 6 Championship teams and 5 Finalists, HSC was the CLUB of the weekend!

Champions:

96 Samba Yellow coached by Norbert Webley

92 Samba Yellow coached by Marty Clark

99 Strikers Blue coached by Sean Cooper

96 Strikers Blue coached by Eusebio Samuel

95 Strikers Blue coached by Norbert Webley

92 Strikers Blue coached by Marty Clark

Finalists:

95 Samba Yellow coached by James Ssemambo

99 Samba Yellow coached by Christy Copeland

94 Strikers Blue coached by Eusebio Samuel

93 Strikers Blue coached Henry Mpagi

90 Strikers Blue coached by John Tesema

96 Samba Yellow 92 Samba Yellow

Zach Clark was the only player from a North Alabama Club to be named to the Southeast Regional Pool at the July Region III ODP camp at the University of Mississippi. The 1992 Alabama ODP team had a record 6 players engage in the pool this summer. This identification process is an honor and reserved for the top players in the southeast. Next on the calendar will be the potential for international competition with the Region III ODP team. The '92 Region team is coached by Trevor Adair from Clemson and Peter Fuller from the University of Mobile. This achievement comes on the backside of Zach forfeiting his high school playing opportunities while playing for the Heroes FC spring team which spent the recent spring season competing with various southeast Universities. The HSC has placed more players at the Regional and National levels than any other club in North Alabama. Great job!

Cole Iverson was recently scouted into the U15 Boys National Team camp in Carson, California. One of the U17 National team coaches was able to observe Cole during the Southern Regional Championships and immediately made arrangements for Cole to join the elite group of players in California. This special opportunity places Cole in an elite category of players now eligible to represent the United States in International competition. While at camp, he will be playing against the absolute best players in the nation and complimented with top professional coaches currently working with our regional and national programs. Cole has been coached by Henry Mpagi while being a member of the '93 Strikers. Cole is the second player in HSC history to join the National pool ranks. '88 Striker, Bill Dworsky, was the first player and now plays for the UNC Tarheels. Click Here for a recent article in the Huntsville Times newspaper!

2007 HSC '93 Strikers Blue advance to Quarter-Finals at Southern Regional Championships

HSC is opening a Youth Academy to serve our recreational base of players. We have named Coach Sean Cooper as the Youth Academy Director. Coach Cooper will conduct all club training and game supervision. This program is for the U8 player seeking a more structured and challenging environment. We will offer pool/combined training and players will be assigned to a single team for the season. Players will train once per week and a game night once per week with most all sessions at Merrimack Park. Please see our Academy page for more information and an application.

HSC Strikers represent Alabama and the U.S. with international competition in Mexico

HSC Coach Christy Copeland has been named the new Head Varsity Coach of the Huntsville High School Lady Panthers championship soccer program. Christy has been an Assistant Varsity and JV Coach for the Lady Panthers since 2004 and was unanimously selected to replace retiring head coach, Henry Mpagi, and HSC Coach James Ssemembo will assist her in this endeavor. Coach Christy is the head coach for the upcoming '99 HSC Samba (U9) Girls teams, and Coach James will coach both the '94 and '95 HSC Samba teams. Congratulations Coaches!

Congratulations to our State Cup Champions in May 2007. HSC was able to represent North Alabama well by capturing all available Championships in the recent tournament. We are the only club in North Alabama that can claim this level of success at the Championship Tournament. Our hat is off to the players and Coaches for a job well done!

'95 Strikers Blue - U12B Div. II Champion '94 Strikers Blue - U13 Division I Champion

The following top Alabama players are representing their state and clubs in the upcoming Premier Soccer Academy (PSA) camp sponsored by Brad Friedel. These players have been scouted in on a full scholarship and we are pleased to announce 3 players from the Huntsville Soccer Club. The PSA camps are the first stage in evaluation for the newly designed and one of a kind residency program in Ohio as well as the chance to travel with international teams. Top Professionals from Europe will be on hand to provide expert training during the camp experience. This is a first class program designed for the accelerated player.

Timothy Frazier ('94 Strikers Blue), Kathryn Allison ('92 Samba Yellow), and Mary Kate Groark ('92 Samba Yellow) will represent the HSC. Also named to the pool is Joel Nash from the '92 Alabama ODP team and respresents the '91 Briarwood Ambassadors.

This is our 3rd year of participation in the the PSA. Most of the players from our selections have ended up in college programs or traveled internationally with the select PSA teams. More stories on past success are further down this page and information on the academy can be found at (PSA). On staff for the PSA camps are returning Coach John Tesema and Administrator Christie Clark.

HSC, through our relationship with the Heroes Futbol Club and PSA Camps, have secured Desmond Armstrong for a special invitation only camp for U16 - U18 boys. This camp was limited to 25 players to maximize Professor Armstrong's time with the players with emphasis on 11 vs. 11 tactics and higher level strategy. Professor Armstrong is a former US National Team World Cup Player, the only American to play for Sao Paulo in Brazil, former College Coach and serves as a Coaching Director at the Premier Soccer Academy. It is a privilege and honor to have Professor Armstrong join us for a week long camp in June.

Congratulations to all the HSC teams who participated in the Huntsville Spring Classic (http://www.huntsvillesoccerclub.org/tournament/). Congratulations to all our teams and special thanks to Andy Dye (Tournament Director) and a horde of volunteers including Randy Miller, Traci Dunn, John Clausen, Steve Stockbridge, Rachel Morris, and the Huntsville City Department of Parks and Recreation (Marvalene Crawford, Charlie Thornton and Jackie Moore), as well as our referee assignor � Mark Silver who helped make the Huntsville Spring Classic a success all around!

Here is a short summary of the achievements of some of our own Huntsville Soccer Club teams:

HSC Samba 96 (coached by Christy Copeland) rolled through a tough round robin in the U11 Gold Division (Germantown Fury 96 - Andre, Camp Forest FC 96 Girls, Vestavia Attack 96, and the Cleveland Lady Flames) and were crowned Champions after scoring 10 goals and only allowing one.
HSC Samba 95 (coached by James Ssemambo) also conquered their competition by winning all three of their preliminary matches scoring 10 goals and not allowing any, and went on to win their semi-final game against the Lady Kicks 95 Red, and then Tupelo FC United in the final.
A combined HSC Samba 93/94 (coached by Henry Mpagi) team ran a three way tie in the preliminary rounds going 1-1 against both Lady Kicks 93 and the Vestavia 94 Attack, but unfortunately lost out in a three-way shootout and did not advance.
HSC Strikers 93 Blue (coached by John Tesema) dominated the combined U13/U14 Boys division clearly coming up as Champion scoring 31 goals and allowing none.
HSC Strikers 95 Blue (coached by James Ssemambo) brought home the Championship title as well defeating the American Fire (3-2) in the semis and the Briarwood Ambassadors 95 Gold in the finals (3-2).
HSC Strikers 98 Blue (coached by Marty Clark) came out on top of a seven team bracket in the preliminaries and the Kicks 98 Boys team in the semi (2-1), but ultimately lost to the Valley Arsenal 98 boys in a tough game for the finals.

Great Job HSC!!!

For a complete listing of all the tournament results, click here: (http://www.gotsport.com/events/default.aspx?EventID=1294).

'96 HSC Samba - Champions '95 HSC Samba - Champions

'98 HSC Strikers - Finalist '95 HSC Strikers - Champions

'94 HSC Strikers - Champions

The HSC-Samba 94 girls u13 team coached by Henry Mpagi were the U13 girls Champions in the Southeast Challenge hosted in Decatur Mar 17-18. They scored 13 goals with 2 ties and 2 wins. Congratulations to the u13 girls and Coach Henry Mpagi.

Spring has sprung! Samba 96 (U11 Girls) won Southeast Challenge Invitational Tournament

The HSC Samba 96 (U11 Girls) coached by Christy Copeland won the U11/U12 Girls Division of the inaugural Southeast Challenge Invitational Tournament hosted by Decatur March 17-18, 2007. The girls went 3-0-1 for the tournament scoring 8 goals and only allowing 3. After dominating the first game against the Lady Kicks 96 they gave up 2 goals in the last couple minutes of the game and walked away with a tie. However, they went on to beat the VFC Lady Arsenal 96 (2-1), the VFC Lady Arsenal Red 95 (2-0) in the semi-finals, and went on to face the Lady Kicks 96 again in the finals and won with a decisive 2-0 victory! Rebecca Copeland assisted by Phoebe Thomas scored in the first two minutes of the game by driving up the middle and shooting across the goal. Beryl Newchurch, also assisted by Phoebe Thomas, thumped one in from outside the 18 in the second half. The midfield did a great job controlling the pace of the game, and the defense prevented even a single shot on goal. Congratulations to our 96 HSC Samba girls and Coach Copeland. What a great way to start the spring season!

Congratulations on an excellent season with these girls posting the finals in 3 of their 5 tournaments this season. They were defeated by an excellent Dayton, Ohio team in the finals of the GIT by a score of 1-0. The Samba team, Coached by Marty Clark, also made it to the Semi-Finals in the recent Alabama State Cup Championships.

HSC was well represented at the recent Alabama State Tournaments for 2006! Nearly every team in competition for HSC found their way to the Semi-Finals and many on to the Championship round! Please see below for team highlights:

Zach Clark of the '92 Blue Strikers has been selected for the Premier Soccer Academy's South American tour! Last summer, several HSC players attended the PSA camp in California (see story below). Top players were then selected for a U15 PSA Bolivia team which will travel to Chile for one week of pre-tournament preparation and then on to Bolivia to participate in one of the largest youth tournaments in the world. The week long Mundialito tournament will be played in Bolivia, South America and is hosted by the world famous Tahuichi Academy. The international roster of players will be coached by Roy Tunks - Newcastle United Goal Keeper Coach, Scott Sellars - Sheffield United Youth Academy Coach, and Desmond Armstrong - former US National Team player. Congratulations Zach and Good Luck!

For the second year, HSC has been represented at Brad Friedel's PSA camp. HSC top players Jordan Layton, William Thomas, Zach Clark, Sam Whitt, and Patrick Huang were scouted into the camp over the past season and had a chance to train in California with some of the top players around the world as well as work with professional coaches and players from around the world. Top players and coaches such as Brad Friedel (US National Team and Blackburn Rovers), Andy Cole (Manchester City), Desmond Armstrong (US National Team), Joy Fawcett (US Women's National Team) and our very own John Tesema (Ethiopian National team) were present to provide first class training to our young players.

Jordan, Zach, Sam, William and PT. at their beach training session Desmond Armstrong with John Tesema

Ryan Clark, former '88 HSC Striker signs with Tusculum College in Greeneville, TN. Ryan has been with the HSC Strikers from our club's inception and has been a part of multiple State Championship teams, 2 visits to the South Eastern Regionals competition, International play in Ethiopia, Alabama ODP Regional Team, and represented the Heroes Futbol Club in matches with select South East College scouting games. Ryan worked as a Goal Keeper under the instruction of our Director - Coach Tesema. Congratulations Ryan!

2007 HSC Player Signs College Scholarship with Tusculum College in Tennessee

HSC is proud to announce the recent addition of Norbert Webley and James Ssemambo to our professional staff. These top coaches have served North Alabama for several years and represent a fine addition to our elite staff. We will be updating our Coach Profile page with their resumes as well as additional staff we are bringing on board to prepare for our expected growth this season.

We have already lined up a great season by offering games with Tusculum College, King College, Lambuth University, Covenant College, University of West Florida, and Union College. More teams are being added throughout the spring.

We are also able to offer these players a special scouting opportunity for the upcoming U17 Liverpool exhibition matches as Lambuth University will be helping to select players to play in the matches against Liverpool.

Starting the week of September 11th, HSC is now offering a Speed and Acceleration / Agility Training program in conjunction with Athletica, Division of Performance Enhancement of PRSM Sports & Fitness. This program is designed to specifically address the needs of our top athletes and improve their speed mechanics as well as reduce soccer "type" injuries.

HSC players are encouraged to mentor our young Academy players. This opportunity provides a chance for our youngest players to get first hand experience from our developed players and for our older players to develop leadership, teaching, and service skills. Share your talents and skills with our younger, HSC soccer players and earn mentor hours. Emails will be used to offer time slots to teams on a weekly basis. Or you can just communicate to your Coach and Team Manager of your availability and they will work with the Academy to place you on the schedule. We will contact you as the need arises and thank you in advance for taking the time to share your talents with our younger players.

What is a mentor?

The mentoring relationship consists of an experienced player providing guidance and advice to someone with less experience.

Why become a mentor?

Mentoring gives you the extraordinary opportunity to facilitate a player's growth by sharing knowledge you have learned through years of experience. While

the primary intent of your mentoring role is to challenge your prot�g� to think in new and different ways, mentoring allows you to strengthen your leadership

skills by working with individuals from different backgrounds and with different personality types, garner a fresh perspective on your own performance and

create a legacy that has a lasting impact on your prot�g�.

Benefits for the prot�g�:

Having a supportive relationship with an experienced, understanding person can make a huge difference in your life. Being a prot�g� can raise your level of

achievement through networking, building self-confidence, helping you find inspiration, learning new skills and aspiring to achieve goals you may have

previously thought were unreachable.

We will record your Mentor Hours and report these back to your Coach/Team Manager. HSC can provide you with that information if needed for your

Player Resume or for School/Church credits if accepted (check with your School or Church for details).

2007 HSC '93 Strikers Blue advance to Quarter-Finals at Southern Regional Championships

The HSC 93 Strikers Blue, coached by Henry Mpagi and Assisted by James Ssemambo, recently played in the Southern Regional Championship tournament in Oklahoma City. Faced with strong opposition and inclement weather, they were able to show the region that indeed soccer is played in Alabama. The Strikers� first game pitted them against the Premier League�s Region Three Central Champions, TNFC 93 Blue. After an aggressive, fast paced game, the Strikers were victorious scoring once in each half for a 2-0 win. The first goal was headed in off a beautiful cross in front of the net. The second goal was scored from just outside the eighteen as it was bent just out of the keepers reach into the right hand corner. Next, the Strikers faced CESA 92 Premier, South Carolina�s State Champions. This team brought size, speed, and an attitude that did not accept defeat to the pitch. CESA was able to score first, but before they were able to enjoy the elation the Strikers had evened things up with a goal of there on by bringing the ball down the left side and punching it in. For the remainder of the game both teams struggled for scoring opportunities. Striker defense prevented any further scoring, but unfortunately the CESA defense equaled that performance. The last game of pool play had the Strikers facing Dallas Texan�s 93 Red. Sloppy field conditions were the order of the day, but none the less, both teams came ready to play. The Texan�s drew first blood when an excellent cross was headed in from the far post. Both offenses continued to play hard but the defenses held shut outs for the remainder of the game giving the Strikers there first loss for the tournament. A very competitive bracket sent the Strikers to the quarterfinals with a record of 1-1-1 where they faced the Oklahoma State Champions, TSC 93 Red. This was not a game for the faint of heart. The Strikers seemed to be in control early in the game but just couldn�t find the back of the net. For the rest of the game the Striker offense worked hard for several scoring opportunities but good defense and an excellent keeper kept the Strikers from scoring. The Striker defense worked equally hard to prevent TSC from scoring. The final whistle found both teams pretty much exhausted and the score knotted at 0-0. Due to inclement weather, the game went straight to penalty kicks where the Strikers came up one short.

Congratulations Strikers for an excellent tournament. In four games the Strikers gave up only two goals. Typically this would at least put a team into the finals, but this wasn�t a typical tournament in any respect. The competition was excellent and the Strikers certainly proved they deserved to be there.

Samba '92 (U15) girls, coached by Marty Clark, are crowned Champions of the U17 division in the recent Kicks Invitational. The Samba clearly outmatched their competition scoring 23 goals and allowing 2 goals on their way to winning the finals. Congratulations girls!

Also with an outstanding showing in the Kicks Invitational was the '95 Samba, coached by Antonio John. Congratulations girls!

2006 HSC Samba '92 girls qualify for Nationals at the Super Clubs tournament in Memphis, Tn

Congratulations to the U15 girls, coached by Marty Clark, as they went 3-1 at the recent Super Clubs tournament. This finalist position qualifies them for the upcoming National event in Florida. On their way to success - they beat the Jets 2-1, resulting in a long awaited mental victory!

2006 Labor Day Tournament News! Congratulations to our Champions and Finalist!

The following teams represented HSC very well in the recent Labor Day Weekend tournaments.

Striker '93 Champions, coached by Henry Mpagi! Memphis Invitational - Memphis, Tn.

Samba 93, coached by Sean Cooper, were finalists in the U14 Girls Bracket at the North Atlanta Soccer Association Classic Tournament.

Henry Mpagi's U14 boys, the '93 Blue Strikers, clean house at the recent Elite Challenge hosted by the Vestavia Steamers. Coach Mpagi's boys scored 13 goals and allowed 2 during the tournament while on their quest for the championship.

Honorable mention goes to the U15 '92 Yellow Samba, coached by Marty Clark, for their achievements as well. The girls managed to go 1-0-2 but did not advance on goal differential.

Congratulations to all of the HSC teams in our recent competition. Here are a few highlighted teams for their outstanding achievement:

Congratulations to Patrick (PT) Huang (1990) and Eric Tift (1991) for being named to the ODP Region III pool. This is an outstanding accomplishment as this honor establishes these two players as top players in the Southeast Region of US Youth Soccer. Alabama as a whole struggles to place players in the pool and now TWO players from HSC have been accepted. The players will continue to represent HSC on the '90 Blue Strikers.

Andreas Collocho, of the '88 HSC Blue Strikers, recently signed with Coach Lee Johnson of Millsaps to play Men's soccer at the Jackson, Mississippi college. Andreas played with the Strikers under Coach John Tesema since the days of U14/15. Andreas also received offers from Methodist College (Fayetteville, NC) and Eckard College (Tampa FL). Congratulations to Andreas!

Jim Witherow, former '87 HSC Striker was recently awarded a soccer scholarship for the Men's Montevallo soccer team. Jim played with the Falcon's last season after being recruited from the HSC Spring College prep team. Jim was a starting sweeper has been with HSC since the beginning and was coached by John Tesema. Congratulations Jim!

Daniel Bond, former '88 HSC Striker recently signed with Belhaven College. Daniel was a strong midfielder under Coach Tesema's direction and was recruited off of the HSC Spring College Prep team. Congratulations to Daniel!

The U10 Samba girls, coached by Christy Copeland took home the finalist medal at the end of the Tennessee based tournament. Congratulations on a great showing! This strong group of young ladies have been in the finals in the last three tournaments.

Congratulations to the U12 '94 Strikers! These players, coached by John Tesema, recently competed in the Hoover Soccer Tournament and captured the 3rd place title while playing in the U13/14 boys age bracket. HSC regularly plays up an age to challenge our players to use their skill and brain to play with the older, stronger, and faster players.

Eric Tift ('91 Strikers), Zach Clark ('92 Strikers), and Paul Willoughby ('90 Strikers) were recently selected to participate in an elite Mexican youth program. The Tigres club of Monterrey has entered into the beginning of a partnership with Alabama's ODP program which will engage Alabama's elite players with the opportunity to train with top youth players in Mexico. These players will be provided the opportunity to "become" a Mexican player for a week within a professional club's academy. As this program matures, the state hopes to engage in player exchanges and opportunities for teams to train and compete in Mexico.

Coach John Tesema has been assigned to the Premier Soccer Academy's coaching staff for the summer of 2006. Coach Tesema will work with some of the top players in the US and abroad during the Ohio and California PSA camps. In addition to the players, Coach Tesema will work along side great professional players such as Brad Friedel of Blackburn and Mikael Sylvestre of Man United. Christie Clark will also be returning to PSA as a two time camp administrator. Christie has also served as the Co-Director of the Boys Regional ODP camp for the past two years.

Former HSC player selections include Colby Childress ('91 Blue), Paul Turner ('88 Blue), and Bill Dworsky (former '88 Blue). The PSA camp is sponsored by Brad Friedel, US National Team Goalkeeper and International Star. Players from around the world (to include South Africa, Uganda, Trinidad, and Europe) participated in the PSA camp. HSC players were sponsored into the elite camp due to our newly formed relationship with Desmond Armstrong's Heroes FC through US Club Soccer. Desmond (former US National Player), Andy Cole (English Premier Player) and many other professional players and coaches were on site for training and game evaluation during the campers visit. HSC has a reputation for creating elite players that posses the ability to compete at the highest levels and this invitation to compete with the best is an illustration of how far we have come in such a short time. Visit http://premiersocceracademies.com/index.asp for camp information. Pictured Below: (left to right) Bill Dworsky, Colby Childress, Andy Cole (Premier league star - Manchester City, England and camp instructor), Paul Tuner.

2006 HSC Teams do well in HSC Spring Classic

Congratulations to all HSC teams for an outstanding result in the recent HSC Spring Classic. We have several teams to mention with honors. In addition, we had many teams that determined it was more important to play out of their age bracket in search of better competition and development opportunities.

U13 Strikers '93 Blue, coached by Henry Mpagi - Champions

U11 Strikers '95 Blue, coached by Antonio John - Finalist

U10 Samba '96 Yellow, coached by Christy Copeland - Finalist

U13/14 Samba and Striker mixed team, coached by Marty Clark - 3rd place

The following teams all played up an age and competed very well in most games. This type of strategy in the spring is a necessary step in our developmental process. These teams are able to gauge what competition will be like next season and in many cases - start to understand the "bigger" game as many teams went from small sided games to a larger sided game.

U9 Samba '97 playing up to U10

U12 Samba '94 playing up to U13

U9 Strikers '97 playing up to U10

U10 Strikers '96 playing up to U11

U12 Strikers '94 playing up to U13

Clayton Caldwell, HSC '88 Strikers, signed with Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis. Clayton, while living in Muscle Shoals - AL, played with HSC during his last two years of club soccer. During his time - the '88 Strikers were finalist and semi-finalist in Alabama's Division I State Cup. Visit http://www.iupuijags.com/Soccer/Mens/ for more information on IUPUI and the men's soccer program. Here is an article from IUPUI's player announcement web page:

Clayton Caldwell (Muscle Shoals, Ala./Muscle Shoals) is a 5-foot-8, 130-pound defender who brings impressive high school credentials to the table. He is a four-year letterwinner, while serving as team captain as a junior and senior. As a sophomore, he was named the team's Top Offensive Player after netting 19 goals. His junior year, he moved to the defensive midfield and was picked as the team's Best Defensive Player. He is a three-time All-Star at the Indiana University Soccer Camp, including being named the Defensive MVP in 2003.

"Clayton was an All-Star discovery at the Indiana Soccer Camp last year," Franklin said. "He's as feisty a competitor as I've ever seen. He has good individual principles in his defending and a tremendous work ethic."

Bill Dworsky, former '88 Blue HSC Striker, has been called up to the Men's National Team Camp. Bill made tremendous strides as a youth player under the direction of HSC's Director of Coaching, John Tesema. Bill, through the HSC, was able to be identified by the Dallas Texans and eventually play full time for the Dallas team while residing in Alabama. Many opportunities soon became available to include the PSA camp noted below, ODP Region Team, Nike Friendly tournament where Bill was named Captain and was the leading scorer for the Region team, as well as the most recent appearance in the National Camp.

HSC has proven its ability to produce top players with its "Total Soccer Development" program. HSC maintains the reputation, connections, and coaching to propel the elite athletes to the highest levels of soccer available.

Paul Turner of the '88 Blue Strikers recently signed with Union University in Jackson, TN. Paul has been with HSC since his days of U9 soccer. He was identified by Union last spring while playing for HSC's US Soccer team. This team was specifically assembled as an alternative to their high school programs. Players on this team were able to play with some of the top programs in the southeast: Clemson, Union, University of Memphis, Martin Methodist, Montevallo, and Sewanee to name a few. All of these players gave up their eligibility with their high schools in order to be seen by college coaches. This team was also sponsored by the Heroes Futbol Club - established by Desmond Armstrong (former US National Team player). Paul and the '88 Blue team were two time Alabama State Champions as well as Premier League Champions. Click Here for more information.

The U13 Strikers, coached by Henry Mpagi, recently took the gold at the Great Patriot Shootout indoor tournament. The indoor game consists of quick combination play and individual skill. The undefeated record and outstanding goal differential (13 goals scored with 3 allowed) left no doubt the Strikers were unmatched in the tournament. Congratulations! Other details: Kicks Red 3-1, VFC Arsenal 3-0, and Kicks Xtreme 4-1. They met the Kicks Red again in the finals and again beat them 3-1.

If you are an Under 8 player (6 or 7 yrs old as of 8/1/06) and would like to be involved in the top recreational soccer program in North Alabama - come join us! We are currently having open registration until August 22nd.

Congratulations to the U13 Strikers - '93 Blue for destroying their competition on their rampage to the Championship title. The Strikers, Coached by Henry Mpagi, scored a total of 20 goals and only allowed five during the state tournament. The championship game was a 2-0 victory over the Jets.

As well - congratulations are due our U14 Strikers - '92 Blue for earning the State Finalist spot. The U14 Strikers, Coached by Marty Clark, fought their way to the State Championship game and were eventually defeated by the Jets in a game that rarely saw each others goal.

HSC earns top honors again by sending multiple teams to the Final Four of the 2005 State Championships:

All the results are in and many HSC teams participated in the Semi-Finals. All of the following teams had the good fortune to run up against the eventual champion during the semi-final matches. With tight scores and high action, these semi-final matches proved to provide excellent entertainment.

Governor's cup is a Division III State Championship series. HSC had many teams participate and show well. Here are a few teams earning top honors! The U10 Samba ruled their final match but the best team does not always come out on top. Soccer can be a cruel sport.... The U9 Strikers also played very hard in a tight match before allowing their competition to go on and win the finals.

Congratulations to all teams! These young players are just beginning to understand competition and the balance of Alabama should beware over the next several years......

Huntsville Soccer Club brings home the "hardware" at the 2005 Kicks Invitational Tournament

Both the Samba and Striker programs showed well in the recent Kicks Invitational bringing home trophies in several age groups.

Some outstanding notes: The '93 Striker Blue team scored 22 goals and allowed only 2. As well, the '92 Samba Yellow team scored 14 goals and allowed 2. Some great soccer was played over the weekend and HSC has once again illustrated the overall strength and depth of its program.

Congratulations to the U13 boys as they pounded their competition scoring 22 goals while giving up only three! Clearly - the Strikers earned their Championship!

All competitive HSC Striker teams from U11 - U18 recently competed in the SuperClubs Regional Tournament in Memphis, TN. Congratulations to all teams for providing great competition to our south east regional rivals and a special announcement for those teams advancing to the semi-finals. The '90 Strikers Blue, coached by Timo Sandritter, and the '92 Strikers Blue, coached by Marty Clark, were both semi-finalist. Congratulations on an outstanding performance! Both teams qualified for the National event to be held in Orlando, FL.

Exclusive for HSC members - Have your child's game professionally preserved on DVD. This is an outstanding chance to actually watch your child play instead of fooling with a camera and always missing the action. Click here for pricing and scheduling.

PSA camp (http://premiersocceracademies.com/index.asp) invites players from all over the United States as well as the world. Our own players from HSC have been and will be invited as well. The camp takes place in Ohio during the month of June. This year we have been asked to help players who are very very poor with some basic needs. There will be 9 players from Zambia and 6 players from South America. Their age range is 13 to 16. When most of these players come to camp, they bring a very small duf