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U-15 Boys POTOMAC STING
Team Contact Information
Dave Butler - Head Coach
Gabor Szemzo - Assistant Coach
Alan Kelly - Assistant Coach
Robert Kelly - Manager
STING RISING U-16 TRY-OUTS
The Sting will hold a minimum of three try-out sessions before the end of the spring season to fill out our roster for our U-16 seasonal year beginning in August. The Sting will sit out league play in the fall in deference to the demands of high school soccer, but we will compete in a minimum of four fall tournaments beginning in late August. We also expect to participate in three or more tournaments over the winter and into March before we re-enter league play in the spring of 2010.
Try-outs will be held in conjunction with our regular practices on May 27, June 3 and June 10, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at the Maryland Soccerplex. To be eligible, players must have birth dates on or after August 1, 1993. For additional information, please contact Coach Butler or manager Bob Kelly.
Spring 2009 Sting Squad
The Sting experienced a number of player departures over the winter, but that was more than off-set by significant player recruitment successes, resulting in substantial overall improvment at almost every position. New to the squad are Nick DiFazio, Jordan Friedlander, David Geschwind, Marc Greenberg and Curtis Oberg. Our roster for this spring is:
Max Goldschein, #15, Co-Captain
Sebastian Romero, #8, Co-Captain
Jack Butler, #7
Brendan Carney, #12
Nick DiFazio, #6
Jordan Friedlander, #23
David Geschwind, #10
Marc Greenberg, #26
Elio Roberto Hernandez, #19
Braeden Kelly, #14
Curtis Oberg, #21
Daniel Perlis, #2
Jesse Pfeffer, #13
Nathan Shi, #11
Robert Strand, #9
Deniz Ulusan, #16
State Cuo Team Bench:
Alan Kelly Honored in Ireland as a "Legend" of the Game
At a friendly match in Ireland on February 6, 2008 between the Irish and Brazilian national teams, the Sting’s own Alan Kelly was recognized in a halftime ceremony as a "Legend" of the game.
Born in Dublin, Alan won an FAI Cup winners medal in 1957 with Drumcondra. From there, he moved to England to become the goalkeeper for Preston North End, where he played from 1961 until 1973, when a shoulder injury ended his playing career. He was Preston’s Player of the Year in 1967-68, and won a Third Division championship medal in 1970-71. He still holds the club record of 513 appearances over a 14 year period. When the Preston North End stadium, known as Deepdale, was reconstructed in 2001, three of the stadium’s four sections were named after famous Preston players; one of the three named sections is the "Alan Kelly Town End." He also played for Ireland, winning the first of his 47 caps against England in a 1958 World Cup qualifier. In 1980 he managed the Irish national team, and from 1983 to 1985 returned to Preston as its manager. After moving to the US, Alan was the goalkeeper coach for DC United for five seasons from 1996 until his retirement 2001.
Lured out of retirement to help coach the Sting, Alan brings a lifetime of experience at the highest levels of soccer to help our boys learn the game and develop their full potential as players. We all offer Alan our most sincere congratulations for his "legendary" achievements.
CONGRATULATIONS STING PLAYERS AND COACHES, SPRING 2007 DIVISION 2 CHAMPIONS!
Our spring season started on an unfortunate note. Both of the March tournaments we entered were rained out. The lack of competitive games just before the beginning of our season was in sharp contrast with last year, and we dropped the first game of the season to SYA Nova, on the short end of a 3 - 2 score. Still, we were missing several players, and the boys’ play was encouraging if rather rusty.
Following a long break, we returned to NCSL league play on April 28. Playing four games in eight days, the Sting made up for their lackluster start by winning three (against Azul Real, SAC United and ABGC United) and tying one (Bravehearts). The following weekend the Sting vaulted into first place by defeating TASC 93 White in a close contest. The Sting went on to tie Takoma Park, and was in second place when we reached Memorial Day weekend.
In the Potomac Memorial Day Tournament, the Sting participated in the Chesapeake Division of the U-13 Boys group. With a round robin record of 1 - 1 - 1 against excellent out of state competition, the Sting advanced to the semi-final match on a tie-breaker and lost a tough game to the eventual champion, Beachside.
Returning to NCSL play, the Sting beat McLean Speed and finished the season with a victory over FSC United. After losing their first game, the Sting went unbeaten for the remainder of the season and finished four points ahead of the second place finisher. Now bound for Division 1 in the fall, the Sting celebrates the culmination of a journey that commenced in Division 5 back in the fall season of 2004, their U-11 season.
FALL 2006 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
In its first game of the 2006 Fall season, the Sting made a successful debut into Division 2 competition with a hard-fought 2 - 1 win over the Olney Flames.
On Saturday September 16 the Sting fell behind the Loudoun Strikers on their home field, but came back to forge a 2 - 2 tie. The next day, we saw a 1 - 0 halftime lead evaporate in the second half, but scored with only seconds left in the game for another 2 - 2 tie with the MSC Wildcats.
Sunday September 24 saw the Sting defeat Annandale’s ABGC United by a score of 1 - 0.
The Sting won again on October 1, by the same 1 - 0 score over the FASA Hotspur.
Resuming play after the Columbus Day break, Sting tied Takoma AC United with a score of 0 - 0.
We tied MCSA Jr. Royals on their home field, 1 - 1.
Regretably we ended the season with losses in two close games, losing to Azul Real 1 - 0, and to FSC United, 2 - 1.
The Sting finished respectably with a 3 - 2 - 4 record in its first season in Division 2. Every game was close, either a tie or decided one way or the other by one goal.
STING IS UNDEFEATED IN SPRING 2006 SEASON
TO MOVE UP TO DIVISION 2 IN THE FALL
With a 1 - 0 win over DCST Blue Lightning, the Potomac Sting ends its Spring 2006 season undefeated in Division 3 with a 7 - 0 - 2 record. With five shutouts (most in Division 3) and only 5 goals against (least in Division 3) the Sting’s defense kept us in every game, and the offense (21 goals) finished the job throughout the season. The Sting is officially the undisputed Champion of Division 3 and will move to Division 2 for the Fall 2006 season.
CONGRATULATIONS STING - PLAYERS, COACHES AND PARENTS !!!!
Sting Reaches State Cup Final Four
This is the Potomac Sting's first year to be eligible for Maryland State Cup competition. We had a first-round bye (just luck of the draw) then played Bethesda Real, generally acknowledged one of the best U-12 boys team in Maryland. We have played them many times and never won - until this spring. In our game on April 22, the Sting went down 2 - 0 in the first half, cut it to 2 - 1 at the half, tied it up in the second half and went through two 10 minute overtimes with the score still 2 - 2. We made three of our first four penalty kicks and they made only 1, so the game ended at that point and we won, 3 - 2.
The next day, the Sting played a second game against another NCSL Division 1 team, Freedom United. Our guys showed a lot of character in fighting through their fatigue from the Bethesda game, and won, 2 - 0.
Having advanced to the Final Four of the Maryland State Cup in their first year of eligibility was a tremendous accomplishment, not diminished by being eliminated by a very strong Baltimore Bays team on May 6 by a score of 2 - 0.
POTOMAC STING SPRING 2006 TOURNAMENT RESULTS
This winter and early spring the Sting participated in two friendlies tournaments and two formal tournaments. At the Triangle FC Friendlies in Fayetteville, NC on February 4-5 (yes, it was Super Bowl weekend) we won one game and lost two against extremely good opposition. At the Frederick Play-Day on March 12, in Frederick Maryland, the team won two games and tied a third, even though we were a player or two short for some of the games. All in all the boys got in plenty of good work at these friendly matches.
On March 18-19 we competed in the Stafford St. Patrick's Day tourmament. In our three games at Quantico, Virginia, we won the first two and tied the third in regulation, only to lose that semi-final elimination game on penalty kicks. The following weekend, that of March 25-26, we competed in the PWSI Icebreaker tournament, again in northern Virginia. Against excellent competition, the Sting won all three of its divisional games but lost the championship to FC United from Worchester, Massachusetts, with a score of 1-0. All in all a 5-2-0 record against NCSL Division 2 and 3 teams, as well as equally tough out of state teams.
Do you recognize any of these boys from prior Sting teams?
Top Photo: 2003 Inaugural August Cup Champions, U-10; Front row, left to right: Conor Jordan, Jaime Merriam, Jack Butler, Robert Strand; Second row, Assistant Coach Erik Muise, Braeden Kelly, Mitchell Muise, Dan Shorts, Coach Dave Butler.
Lower Photo: Front row, Jabiri Hawkins, Conor Jordan, Robert Strand, Michael Beliveau, Sachem Wilson; Middle row, Connor Maio, Jack Butler, Mitchell Muise, Dan Shorts, Jaime Merriam, Braeden Kelly; Back row, Assistant Coach Erik Muise, Coach Dave Butler, Assitant Coach Theo Wilson.
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