They
are coached by Curtis Ward with
assistants Eric Pogue and Kevin
Callaway
Vardar U15
Boys won 4-0 over Waza East Kelly.
MVP is
Mike Leone
Most
Valuable Goalie is Matt Smolinski.
They
are coached by Morris Lupenec.
Vardar
West's 18 Boys lost to the Wolves 3-1.
Vardar U13
Girls lost in penalty kicks following a
1-1 tie after regulation time and two
ten minute overtime periods
CLUB NEWS
U9 Vardar-Michigan &
Vardar-East face off in Pacesetter
Final
June 1, 2010
-
Congratulations to the u-9 Vardar and Vardar
East girl’s teams that made it to the final
to face each other at the Pacesetter
tournament.
The game
was 1-1 at the end of regulation. In
overtime, Vardar scored and ended up winning
2-1. What a great weekend for both teams and
an exciting hard fought final.
CLUB NEWS
Zachary
Carroll training with the U.S. U17 National Team -
Vardar U15/16 Academy -
April 28, 2010 --
Zachary Carroll, a member of the Vardar
U15/16 Academy team, will be
spending the rest of his sophomore year
at the IGM Academy in Bradenton, FL,
training with the U.S. Men's U17
National Team.
Zach came
to the attention of the national
coaching squad during a US Development
Academy Training Session in early April
at the Columbus Crew Stadium. He was
noticed by Gerson Echeverry, U17
assistant coach, and was asked to play
with the U17 National Team the following
weekend in Chicago. From there Zach was
asked to attend an April 18-24 mini-camp
in Florida. At the camp's conclusion,
Zach was approached by Wilmer Caberra,
head coach of the U17s, and was offered
a spot in the residency program.
Zach is one of
40 U17 players who live on campus at the IMG
Academy in Bradenton, and train in the
morning under the guidance of Cabrera and
assistant coaches Paul Caffrey, Echeverry,
Keith Fulk and Paul Grafer. In the
afternoon, the players attend classes at
Bradenton Preparatory Academy. While in the
full-time residency program, the players not
only train daily under Cabrera, but also
have access to the IMG Academy’s spacious
facilities. The team regularly uses IMG’s
state-of-the-art strength-training
facilities, as well as some of the nation’s
best sports psychologists that work at the
Academy. The IMG Academy includes
top-of-the-line soccer equipment, three
Bermuda grass fields, an indoor dome with
artificial turf, two swimming pools, newly
renovated student housing and dining
facilities.
Zach is a
student at Grand Blanc High School and will
graduate in 2012.
CLUB NEWS
Carolynn
Ashley Cosan
Carolynn left
this life as we know it on
Friday, May 14, 2010, to
continue her mission with
God to give guidance and
support to all who know her
and all who she has ever
touched. She will be playing
and coaching soccer from
Heaven; whispering in each
striker’s ear when to shoot,
shouting at the defenders
when to clear the ball. Her
presence in our family, on
the team, in school, and in
the community will surely be
missed. Carolynn was born
May 01, 1992.
Carolynn was
a Senior at Mt. Pleasant
High School. She played
varsity soccer for all four
years, demonstrating her
leadership abilities as
Captain her senior year. She
had recently been accepted
at Northern Michigan
University to play varsity
soccer for the Wildcats and
is the first woman from MPHS
that had ever received a
soccer scholarship to play
at a Division I/II
university. Carolynn played
recreational and premier
soccer since she was 8 years
old. She was a member of the
Vardar Premier Soccer Club.
She refereed all ages of
soccer teams and coached
U-10 soccer for the City of
Mt. Pleasant, when she
wasn’t playing herself. In
the winter, however, her
true love was snowboarding.
Her love of snow and the
thrill of the ride was like
no other. Her friends and
family will always remember
their trips to Caberfae,
Boyne, Marquette Mountain,
Colorado, and Utah to enjoy
the thrill of downhill
sports. Carolynn also liked
to hunt turkeys, deer, ducks
and geese with her Mom and
Dad.
Carolynn
was a Girl Scout from
Kindergarten through high
school; she joined Youth
Services Cadets during
junior high; she ran track,
cross country, played
softball, and competed as an
AKC Junior dog handler in
the show ring and a member
of the National Wild Turkey
Federation.
Carolynn
was a certified snowboard
instructor with Professional
Snowboarding Instructors of
America; she was also a
certified soccer referee
with Michigan Youth Soccer
Association and Michigan
High School Athletic
Association and a member of
St. John’s Episcopal Church.
Adam
Puvalowski
Adam Puvalowski, Beloved
son, brother and uncle
passed away Saturday, May 1,
2010 after sustaining
injuries in an automobile
accident. Age 18 years.
Adam was born on January 2,
1992 in DeKalb County,
Indiana.
He was a senior at Nouvel
Catholic Central High School
and would have graduated
June 6, 2010. Adam was
dedicated to soccer most of
his life and was an All
District and All State First
Team Soccer player. Adam
was also licensed to coach
soccer and referee at
various levels. He had the
unique opportunity to play
in Brazil at the age of 14.
Over the past couple of
years, he traveled
extensively across the
United States, playing on
several elite teams. As a
result of this dedication,
he was awarded a full ride
scholarship to Saginaw
Valley State University this
fall. Adam was an
extremely humble and
selfless person and most
often thought of others
before thinking of
himself. He took it upon
himself to train and mentor
young children and his
peers. He had a gift in
bringing out the very best
in others and was a role
model for so many.
April 12, 2010
-The Vardar U9
Boys team picked up some championship hardware at the 2010 Blue Chip
Hammer Cup in Cincinnati, OH this past weekend.
Using the first game to knock off
some winter rust, the boys tied a tough Warren County United team
3-3. Their next opponent was the host team, Hammer FC, which Vardar
won 6-0.
On Sunday morning the boys played
Knoxville FC team. The outcome was a 3-1 victory for Vardar.
Vardar won the championship game
3-1 in a rematch against Warren County United.
Congratulations to all the boys for
a well deserved championship!
March 31, 2010 – The U 17 Vardar Boys were the Champions of the
Men’s U 18 Division of the 2010 Nike Academy College Showcase. The boys won all
3 games, racking up 8 goals while giving up only 1.
Vardar beat the Eden Prairie SC Dynasty Eagles
from Minnesota 4 to 1 in the first game. In the second game,
Vardar faced the U 18 Chicago Sockers and won a 2 to 0 victory. In the third game, Vardar
beat
the St. Croix SC Celtics from Minnesota, 2-0.
March 31, 2010 –
Vardar U13 boys went to Virginia to play
Division 1 of the Alliance Cup where
they went undefeated the entire
weekend.
They won the championship game in
penalty kicks after double over time
against #6 ranked team in the nation,
The Baltimore Bays. The Vardar U13 boys
are currently ranked #1 in the State, #1
in the Region and #5 in the Nation by
Gotsoccer national rankings
March 3, 2010 – The
Vardar Soccer Club has been selected to participate in the
prestigious Elite Club National League (ECNL).
This is an
honor for the club as only two teams in
Michigan were invited to participate.
The
selection affirms Vardar's continued
growth and development of its girls team
and provides national recognition for
the girls program.
From nearly 60
clubs that applied for membership, the ECNL
Board of Directors recommended 12 new clubs
for membership in the Elite Clubs National
League (ECNL).
The ECNL member clubs
approved these recommendations, increasing
the number of member clubs to 52 for the
2010-11 season.
An
announcement relating to the 2010-11 ECNL
regular-season events will be made in late
March.
The clubs
granted membership for the 2010-11 season
are:
About the ECNL:
The ECNL is a non-profit national youth
soccer league founded in 2009 to provide the
best possible developmental environment for
American female youth soccer players through
the creation of the highest level of
national competition and an identification
and development program to provide an avenue
for players to participate in U.S. Soccer's
National Teams. The 2009-10 season is the
ECNL’s inaugural season. Each of the 40
member clubs in 2009-10 will have a team in
the U-15, U-16 and U-17 age groups, each
competing for the ECNL National
Championship, the ECNL National Club
Championship, and promotion and relegation
between flights. The ECNL is sanctioned by
US Club Soccer.
February
1, 2010 -- Anna Sieloff, a member
of the Vardar U-18 team, has been
selected to represent the United States
as part of the U-18 Women's National
Team at the 2010 Ten Nations Tournament
in La Manga, Spain, Feb. 26-Mar 6.
Sieloff has
been attending national team training camps
for the past year and most recently attended
a January training camp at the Home Depot
Center in Carson, CA, where 24 players were
vying for a spot on the team heading to
Spain. "I thought I had played pretty well
in California," Sieloff said, "but the
quality of players competing for spots is so
high you just never know what the coaches
are expecting or looking for. I'm thrilled
at the opportunity and I'm very
grateful that I've been given this chance."
Sieloff has
been a member of Vardar since 2002. With
her team she has won six State Cup
Championships in which she was selected as
the Tournament Most Valuable Goalie all six
times. A senior at Country Day High School,
Sieloff will continue her soccer career and
goalkeeping at the University of North
Carolina. As a Tarheel, Sieloff expects to
pursue a major in physical therapy
Vardar
U12 Boys win 2009 Fishers Halloween Classic U13 Division
October 25,
2009 -- Fishers, Indiana --
Congratulations to the U12 Boys and Coach
John Phillips on winning the 2009 Fishers
Halloween Classic U13 Boys Division
Championship.
The U12 Boys
went 3-0-1 in tournament play.
GREAT
JOB BOYS!!!
CLUB NEWS
Vardar
U14 & U18 Girls crowned 2010 State Cup Champions
October
30, 2009 --
Two Vardar girls teams have been crowned
Michigan State Cup Champions after
winning in the final game of the 2010
tournament. The U14 and U18 teams will
now represent Vardar and Michigan at the
June 2010 Region II Championships in
Dayton , OH .
Coached by Demir Muftari, both the U14s
and U18s won 1-0 in their Championship
games. This is the first State Cup
victory for the U14s who went into
overtime against the Grand Rapids Crew
Jrs. before Bella Habuda scored the
winning goal. Center midfielder Mary
LeAnnais was named Most Valuable
Player of the tournament. In the U14s
shutout, Victoria Maniaci was selected
as the tournament's Most Valuable
Goalie.
The U18s win was their sixth State Cup
title in seven attempts. Kyla Cross
scored the winning goal against the
Michigan Hawks and was recognized as the
tournament's Most Valuable Player while
Anna Sieloff recorded the shutout in net
and was selected as Most Valuable
Goalie.
The U16 girls team coached by Todd Heugh
fell short in their bid for the State
Cup crown. They lost 1-0 against the
Michigan Hawks.
"Vardar was happy to have had three
teams in the State Cup Finals and we are
extremely proud of our girls who
performed so well on the soccer field,"
said Morris Lupenec, Vardar director of
coaching. "The U14s are ready to start
their own winning tradition and the
U18s finished their State Cup streak in
typical fashion - a thrilling 1-0
victory against a team they've beaten
now six out of seven tries in the State
Cup Final. Six State Cup wins is a
Vardar girls record."
CLUB NEWS
MYSL U9
Boys Premier Division Champions
October,
2009 -- With one game left in the fall
season, the U9 Boys team wrapped up the MYSL
U9 Boys Premier Division Championship.
Their current record is 8 wins and 1 tie,
with 1 game left on 10/31. They also went
undefeated during the Traverse City Autumn Classic Tournament,
winning 4 games with 1 tie in route to the
championship. They also won the U9 Boys
Green-West Division this past spring with 10
wins, 1 loss and 1 tie.
Their overall
outdoor record so far in 2009 is 22 wins, 1
loss and 3 ties. Great Job Boys!
CLUB NEWS
Vardar
Girls Advance to the State Cup Finals
October,
2009 -- Three Vardar girls teams are
competing for the championship title in the
2010 Michigan State Cup Tournament. The
U14s, U16s and U18s will take the field on
Saturday, Oct. 17, in pursuit of the crown.
The Vardar
U14s will play at 2 p.m. on Field #1 at
Ultimate Soccer Arenas while the U16s and
U18s both square off in 9 a.m. games at
Ultimate, Fields #3 and #1 respectively.
The U18s are seeking their sixth State Cup
title having lost only once since the team's
first attempt as U12s.
Come cheer
on the Vardar girls!
CLUB NEWS
Vardar
Girls Advance to the State Cup Quarterfinals
September 23,
2009 -- Vardar Soccer Club will be
represented in all five age groups at the
Michigan State Cup quarterfinals to be held
October 3 at the Saginaw Township Soccer
Complex.
The
schedule is as follows:
U18s
10 a.m. Field #1
U17s
12:30 p.m. Field #6
U16s
10 a.m. Field #8
U15s
12:30 p.m. Field #9
U14s 3
p.m. Field #10
Come support
your club and cheer on the Vardar Girls!
CLUB NEWS
Vardar U9 &
U10 Girls win TBAYS Autumn Classic
September 21,
2009 -- Traverse City, MI -- Congratulations to the girls
and Coach Josh Back on
winning the TBAYS Autumn Classic U9 & U10
Girls Division championships.
The U9 & U10 girls were
4-0 in tournament play. Great
Job Girls!
CLUB NEWS
Vardar
Ann Arbor U13 boys win the Mead Cup
September 9,
2009 --
Congratulations to the Vardar Ann Arbor U13
boys for winning the Gold Division at the
Mead Cup! Great
Job Boys!
CLUB NEWS
2009
Vardar-Elite Cup Champions - U12 and U14 Girls
August 22,
2009 -- Congratulations to the girls
and Coach Demir Muftari and Mike Lupenec on
winning the Vardar Cup U14 & U12 Girls
Divisions!
The U14 were
4-0 in tournament play. The U12 Girls
won the championship game in a OT
Vardar-Michigan - U17 Boys - State Cup Champions 2009
(June, 2009) --
For the third year in a row, the Vardar Boys U 16 team won the
Michigan State Cup. Vardar defeated TNT Dynamite by a score of 2 to
1. The most valuable player medal was awarded to D. J. Evans and
Michael Mendola took home the medal for the most valuable goal
keeper. Congratulations on a great State Cup Tournament.
U16 Vardar Boys -
Region 2 Championships in Sioux Falls
(June, 2009) -- The U 16 Vardar Boys
had the honor of representing Michigan at the U.S. Soccer Region 2
Championships in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, June 20-22. They won 2
games and lost 1 game, tying for 1st place in their
bracket but not advancing to the semi-finals because of the head to
head tie breaker. Good luck next year!
2009 Adidas
Bluechip College Showcase Co-Champions
(June 2009) -- The U 16 Vardar Boys
were Co-Champions of the 2009 Adidas Bluechip College Showcase in
Miami, Ohio. The boys won 2 games and tied the third, racking up 21
points and a share of 1st place. A 1st
place tournament at a highly ranked College Showcase. Good Job!
More....
Written by
ESNN (Elite Soccer News Network) -- July 22,
2009 -- The U.S.F.C. SuperElite®
Discover Europe™ International Showcase,
which comes via the Orange County Blue Star,
begins tomorrow.
Eighteen of
the top players in the country set off on a
voyage that will include tours through
Austria, Germany and Belgium.
And as
eye-opening as the tour will be for some
players, for others it won’t be their first
brush with playing internationally.
Soony Saad, one of the final two
players that we’ll spotlight for the event,
has had much of the world opened up to him
through his enormous talent. Having competed
in the likes of England and Italy, Saad has
the rare combination of veteran experience
and newcomer enthusiasm.
“I’m very
excited,” Saad said. “I’ve never played in
any of the countries where we’ll be but I
know that playing overseas is a lot
different than playing here at home. I
always try to watch a lot of soccer from the
countries I visit so that I pick up a couple
tendencies and styles of the way they play.”
To even the
playing field a little, it might be wise for
a few of the international teams to brush up
on some of Saad’s moves as well.
Saad has
been a standout talent since the first day
he touched a soccer ball. A natural, Saad is
one of the top young strikers in the world,
is dynamic with the ball and has a nose for
scoring. He seemingly always puts himself in
good position to convert chances.
He’s
received great experience through the U.S.
Soccer U17 Residency Program, and was the
2008 U.S. Soccer Development Academy U16
Player of the Year during his time with
Vardar Soccer Club.
CONTINUED...............
Soony Saad
and Jose Perez Are Among Many Youth National
Team Players to Benefit from Academy System
CHICAGO (Feb.
4, 2009) – The U.S. Soccer Development
Academy has to look no further than the
Under-17 Men’s National Team to find stories
of successful player development and
scouting. Members of U.S. Soccer’s Residency
Program, former Vardar standout Soony Saad
and FC Dallas’ Jose Perez both credit their
time in the Academy in providing
opportunities with the U-17 MNT. Both are
part of a 22-player roster that is currently
participating in the La Serena Cup in Chile.
January 2009 - Orlando, Fla. –
The Vardar U17 boys team won
their division at the
prestigious Disney's Soccer
Showcase presented by the
Chelsea Football Club on Dec. 30
at the beautiful Disney's Wide
World of Sports Complex.
The showcase is the ultimate
place for top clubs to be seen
by hundreds of college coaches
looking for great soccer talent.
It is rated the top youth soccer
tournament in the United States
in a Soccer America survey. It
gives athletes a chance to shine
on one of the biggest stages set
for youth soccer in this
country.
(July 18, 2008) – The U.S.
Soccer Development Academy
announced the 2007-08 Academy
Player of the Year for the Under
15/16 age group at the
Development Academy Finals Week
at The Home Depot Center in
Carson, Calif.
The U-15/16 Player of the Year
is Soony Saad from Vardar. Soony
has parlayed his impressive
performance into call-ups to the
U.S. U-17 Men's National Team.
The recipients of the honors
were voted upon by U.S. Soccer's
Development Academy coaches and
National Team scouts. Already,
13 of the 22 players on the
Starting XI have been in camp
with a U.S. Youth National Team,
and the 10 players from the
Starting XI have one more chance
to impress the National Team
scouts.
CLUB NEWS
U16 Girls advance to
USYSA National Championship
(July 14, 2008) –
The Vardar U16 Girls, coached by Demir
Muftari, are on their way to the USYSA
National Championship Series to be held July
22-27 in Little Rock, AR.
The team was selected
by the Region II Championship committee to attend Nationals.
To get to the Regional
Final, Vardar girls advanced through their
bracket by beating Nebraska (Gladiator Rio)
4-0, tying Iowa (Des Moines Heat) 1-1, and
winning 4-0 over Minnesota (Woodbury
Inferno). The Semi-Final was against Ohio
North's Cleveland Internationals with Vardar
winning 2-0.
Showing the passion to claim the regional title,
Eclipse and Vardar met to determine the champion and a spirited
contest followed as both opponents sought victory. After a
scoreless game in regulation, Eclipse opened up the scoring and
claimed the regional crown.
Congratulations to the both teams for a
tremendous performance. Good luck at nationals!!
(June 12, 2008) –
Soony Saad, a
member of the U-16 Vardar Academy League,
has been selected among the nation's top
players to join the U.S National Residency
Roster for the Fall of 2008 in Bradenton
Florida.
Soony & his older brother Hamoody
Saad recently joined Vardar Soccer Club this past year and since
have helped bring the team to many victories. The U-16 Academy
record is 16-2-3. The Saad brothers' goal is to win their league and
represent their new club at the National Championship in July, which
will be held in California.
Soony attributes their recent
success to the great coaching staff: Jason Davis, Morris and Mike
Lupenec as well as their fellow teammates.
Soony will miss his team and coaches as he bids farewell this
fall. "It will be sad to say goodbye, but I'm excited for my
team-mates who look to have an awesome finish this year and a
bright fresh team next year in the U-18 Academy. Thanks to all!!
CLUB NEWS
Vardar Player to attend National Team
Training Camp
(April
25, 2008) –
Niki Read, a member of the Vardar U16
team, has been selected to attend the U18
Women's National Team training camp to
be held May 3-10 in Sunrise, FL.
Niki has been a Vardar player since U-9. She
has been a Regional Team ODP player for
three years and has attended three national
team training events as well as an Adidas
ESP camp which highlights the top 92 high
school sophomores.
With her Vardar team, Niki has been part of
four State Cup Championships and one
Regional Championship. Her team will next
represent Michigan at the June Region II
Championships in Rockford, IL. She is
currently coached by Demir Muftari. Niki is
also verbally committed to the University of
Illinois. She is a 16-year-old junior at
Lake Orion High School.
64 clubs from
24 States and the District of Columbia
Represented in Program's Inaugural Year with
Clubs Focused on Improving Development
Environment
The 64 teams will be
divided into eight conferences, each
comprised of eight teams based largely on
geographic proximity. Each team will play
approximately 30 matches during an
eight-month season, with the winner of each
conference playing in the Academy Finals at
The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Additional Development Academy program
elements such as a Technical Workshop and
Best Practices seminars are being finalized.
“The clubs participating
in the inaugural Academy season represent a
shared vision of player development and the
desire to change the current landscape,”
said U.S. Soccer’s Director of Coaching
Education Bob Jenkins. “These clubs were
selected because of their ability to
implement the best development environment
for our elite youth players.”
