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Team Chicago Winter Newsletter!

Posted by Team Chicago Soccer Club at Nov 27, 2019 10:07AM PST

The fall season has come to an end, temperatures have dropped and we have moved inside for the winter! The winter portion of the season brings a different focus as we emphasize technical training and also make sure practices are enjoyable and upbeat for all of the players. This is a period without competitive games where it is important that we encourage the players to work on their individual skills and risk-taking a well as their game understanding and competitiveness. We are holding Winter Indoor Play-Dates again this winter which allows the players both a different type of session to look forward to as we group teams and players together, but also allows them to play with and against different players within the club.

The fall season brought success on the field, with all five of our teams that participated in the Illinois Youth Soccer State Cup advancing to the Quarterfinals: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 Elite. Team Chicago is the only club in Illinois to have all of our teams in the State Cup Quarterfinals! The 2002, 2004 and 2005 teams advanced to the semi-finals and our 2002 Elite team advanced to the final where they unfortunately fell short in a hotly contested game.

In the Midwest Conference both the 2005 Elite and 2003 Elite teams won promotion (to Premier I and Premier II, respectively) and the 2007 Elite boys finished second in their Midwest Conference qualification group and will be playing in Premier II in the spring. The 2002 Elite girls won the Premier I division going undefeated with a 9-0 record scoring 27 goals and only taking 5. They secured a spot at the Region II Regional Championship in June in Indianapolis and will begin their National League season in early December for the 2nd consecutive year. The National League brings together the top teams from around the country to compete with an opportunity to qualify directly to the US Youth Soccer National Championships. Best of luck to them!

The 2005 Select girls won their IWSL division going undefeated and playing some quality soccer with many other teams having success on the field while playing quality soccer and improving throughout the course of the season with all of our teams enjoying league and tournament success. Regardless of the wins and losses we want all of our teams to play with skill and work to improve from game to game and week to week.

Our high school girls’ teams will be participating in different college showcases during the winter months before the players leave us for the spring to play for their high school teams. The winter period for these teams is very important in the recruiting process as we make sure they are seen by college coaches to help maximize their ability to find the best collegiate fit. We will also be hosting our MLK Day Girls College Showcase in January which attracts college coaches from across the region.

We have increased our use of technology across the club this season. For the younger players we have added MyPersonalFootballCoach in addition to the weekly technical training sessions they have participated in throughout the fall. For our older teams across the club we have begun using CollegeFitFinder to guide them through the college recruiting process. We are also using Zoom Reports to generate evaluations for every player in the club. After receiving your child’s evaluation feel free to schedule a meeting with your coach to discuss it should you have any questions about the evaluation or any other part of the program.

We are holding supplemental tryouts during December and January for girls and boys born between 2006-2012. Interested players should contact the Team Chicago office at office@teamchicagosoccer.org for more information, or visit https://www.teamchicagosoccer.org/Default.aspx?tabid=862922.

Finally, we have three social events coming up this winter.

This Friday is our 4th Annual Golf Fundraiser, the No Matter What! Golf Fundraiser at Tamarack Golf Club. Please come and join the Team Chicago Directors for a morning of walking golf and good cheer. This event takes place (as the name suggests) No Matter What the weather is, so be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at us! Registration is ongoing, register here: https://www.waasports.org/Default.aspx?tabid=323154

We are adding to our social event schedule this year with a new Parent Social Night on Saturday, January 25 from 7-11pm. This event will also be held at Tamarack and will include trivia, karaoke and a silent auction with some great prizes. Tickets include an open bar and food. Registration information will be sent out in the near future, but mark your calendars for a fun night.

Our final social event is our Bowling Night. This will take place on February 8 at the Fox Valley Bowl in Wheaton. All players, parents and family members are invited. This event has grown every year and tickets include free pizza and soft drinks and bowling. Ticket information will be available soon, but again make sure to add the date to your calendar.

We all look forward to a fun, productive winter season! Have a Happy Thanksgiving, we will see you on the field!

Sincerely,

Dave Lovercheck
Technical Director
Team Chicago

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Five Team Chicago teams advanced from the group play stage of the Illinois Youth Soccer Association State Cup to the Quarterfinals, held this weekend in Rockford, IL.

The 2002, 2004 and 2005 Elite teams each advanced as undefeated group winners while the 2001 and 2003 teams advanced as runners-up. Each of the teams will play to advance to the Semi-finals held on Sunday, October 27 with the Finals to be played on November 2. IYSA State Cup Winners advance to the US Youth Soccer Regionals in June, 2020 to compete for a place in the National Championship.

Team Chicago is the only club in Illinois to have all five teams advance to the quarterfinals. Good luck to all of our players, parents and coaches in the quarterfinals and beyond!

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Team Chicago High School Boys Tryouts (Ages 2005 to 2001) will take place on Sunday 10/6 at 7pm to 8.30pm at Gentile Fields, 2323 Liberty St. Bring Indoor shoes in case of inclement weather.

A supplemental tryout will also be held on Sunday 11/3 at 6pm to 7.30pm at Gentile Fields, 2323 Liberty St. Bring indoor shoes in case of inclement weather.

All players must register prior to tryouts.
Link to registration: https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=315222

Indoor practices are scheduled to start the week of 11/4.

Feel free to share the information with any players who are currently unattached and looking for a club.

Contact Boys director, Kevin Gowrie with any questions. Kevin@teamchicagosoccer.org

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Team Chicago 2010 Elite Boys went 4-0 to win the Midwest Super Cup at Stuarts Sports Complex on Sunday. Coach Martin was extremely happy with the Boys performances and progress in each game and looks forward to starting Fall league play this coming weekend.

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Team Chicago Academy-2002 Elite standout Mollie Valek has accepted a great scholarship offer to continue her academic and athletic careers at the University of Alabama in Hunstville. Mollie, who plays her prep soccer for Head Coach Julie Bergstrom at Waubonsie Valley High School, will be part of coach Jimmy Mitchell’s 2020 recruiting class.

The Chargers are a member of the NCAA Division II and compete in the Gulf South Conference.