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Two Top Westchester Soccer Organizations Join Forces

Westchester Flames F.C. Pro Soccer News Release - www.westchesterflames.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Two Top Westchester Soccer Organizations Join Forces

NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- The Westchester Flames F.C. Pro Soccer team, part of United Soccer Leagues (USL), and FC Westchester Club announce an affiliation between the two entities to create a pyramidal development system, similar to what you find in Europe, that starts training soccer players when they are very young and point them up to the professional club level. Westchester Flames F.C. General Manager Gus Skoufis said, “This is an exciting time in the development of soccer in the Westchester County area. The Flames are thrilled to be the professional club these kids will be shooting for in their development.” Lonny Unger, FC Westchester President said, “We feel it’s a great opportunity for our kids to develop in an atmosphere similar to the great European clubs.”

Why the joining of forces?

FC Westchester, since 1984, has been the preeminent youth soccer club in the Westchester/ Putnam area, winning two national championships in recent years and numerous state titles over the past decade. The club has turned out dozens of players who have gone on to top Division 1 collegiate soccer programs and a few players who have gone onto the professional ranks.

The Westchester Flames, established in 1999, very quickly became a successful franchise within USL and in the Westchester area, winning the 2001 Premier Development League National Championship. In 2002 the team made the move to the professional ranks by joining the D3 league of USL. D3, now known as USL Pro Select League, provides some of the highest professional competition in the northeast US.

With two such prestigious organizations in the same vicinity, it only made sense to both groups to get together in some way. The player development journey starts with the Westchester Flames F.C. Academy, which provides a unique opportunity for young soccer players to experience the highest level of soccer instruction and coaching. A three-week summer camp program at the new Brewster Sports Center will be held in July and along with academy programs in the fall, winter and spring. Academy training programs begin at age 8 where players will go through skills training sessions. In these sessions they receive instruction by nationally-licensed coaches and trainers and current professional players in a challenging and rewarding learning environment.

At the Under 11 level, F.C. Westchester will have travel teams that train both outdoors and indoors year-round and play in the Westchester Youth Soccer League or Eastern NY Premier League. Once a player turns Under 14, they become eligible for Westchester Flames F.C. Youth teams competing in the Super Y League, which is considered the “Premiership” of youth soccer leagues in the U.S. The Super Y League is a North American league for elite level youth players that is part of the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. professional soccer leagues. Made up of the top 1% of youth soccer players in the U14-U19 age groups, the Super Y-League is designed to provide hard-core competition in a professional environment on a regional and national level. Westchester Flames F.C. Youth U14-19 teams play in the Super Y League’s Metro Region against other elite clubs, including the NY/NJ MetroStars youth club, the NY Freedoms, the Brooklyn Knights, the Long Island Roughriders, BW Gottschee, Match Fit Academy, Ironbound Sporting Club, the Tri-State Soccer Academy and PDA of New Jersey.

When players graduate from high school, they will have the foundation to move into collegiate programs and/or to USL's Pro Select League's Westchester Flames F.C. Currently, FC Westchester players are playing at prominent collegiate programs including Clemson, St. John’s, Pennsylvania, Princeton, George Washington, Georgetown, Iona, Marist, URI and Rochester, among others. Former Westchester Flames F.C. players Jeff Matteo, Dan Popik and Rodrigo Faria are on current MLS rosters.

For further information on the Flames or the youth summer camps, please contact the Flames office: 888-W-FLAMES (935-2637). You can also visit our website at: www.westchesterflames.com.


04/29/2003