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U-18 Navorette getting College Nods
Gearing up for Fall Soccer

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Potomac Academy Program Demonstrates Continued Success
Combined Team Wins Championship of 2009 Disney Soccer Showcase

The Potomac U.S. Soccer Development Academy program enjoyed continued success at the 2009 Disney Soccer Showcase. The Potomac team, represented by members of the U-17/18 and U-15/16 Potomac Academy teams, won the U-18/19 Predator Group Championship at this prestigious tournament. 

In their 1st match of the tournament, Potomac played exceptionally well and posted a 3-1 win Commack SC Premier from New York.    The 2nd match of the tournament saw the Potomac team suffer their only defeat as they dropped a 5-2 decision to Hillsborough County United from Florida.  After the loss, Coach Matt Pilkington and Alex Yi addressed the team and got them refocused.   The team responded well, and played themselves into the Championship match with a solid 2-1 win over TLSC/AYSES SC from Texas. Jeff Rohrman added,  "Kamar St. Louis had a tremendous tournament, scoring 4 goals in all the matches, with 2 coming in the final." 

In the Championship match, Potomac faced fellow USSF Development Academy team Weston FC from Florida.   Potomac took a 2-1 lead into the second half, only to see the lead disappear on a late Weston goal, forcing the game into overtime.   After a scoreless overtime, the match went to penalty kicks, where Potomac prevailed after the 7th penalty kick.  
 
 
With the Disney Tournament Championship the Potomac Academy teams have started the year in outstanding fashion. Coming off a tremendous weekend at the first U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase in Phoenix just 3 weeks prior, the Potomac Academy program continued its outstanding play at the Disney Showcase. This marks the first time that a Potomac team has won the prestigious Disney Showcase. “It’s a real credit to the coaching staff, the players, and the program that we have here at Potomac,” stated Jeff Rohrman, Potomac’s Technical Director. “Matt Pilkington and Alex Yi did an outstanding job preparing this team on short notice, as well as blend them together in a short period of time. To take a combined group from our 16s and 18s, and bring home a Championship at Disney says a lot about the talent of our staff.”
 
The Potomac U.S. Soccer Academy program will kick off it winter season in the next couple of weeks, preparing for its opening matches in mid-February. For more information on the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, please visit ussoccer.org.
Potomac Academy Program Garners All-Met Honors
Development Program boasts numerous honorees

The Potomac Soccer Association is proud to announce a number of All-Met selections on the Potomac U.S. Soccer Development Academy Program teams.   With 5 First-Team, 2 Second-Team, and 4 Honorable Mentions honorees, the Academy Program is pleased to see their players receive these high accolades.    First year Academy Director, Jeff Rohrman, states, “For us to have this many players on these lists speaks volumes on the commitment that these players have to their soccer development.   They are being justly rewarded for their hard work, discipline, and commitment to the game.   As an Academy Program, we feel that we have assisted these players greatly in their soccer development.”   

The Potomac U.S. Soccer Development Academy is a 10-month program where only the most serious and competitive of players are selected to participate.   They compete regionally in the Mid-Atlantic division of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Program, as well as in the prestigious showcases where all 77 Academy programs are invited to compete.     Having teams in the U-16 and U-18 age divisions, it gives players a platform to develop their skills over 2 age groups while competing against some of the best clubs in the United States.  
 
The U-16 and U-18 teams just returned from a very successful trip to Phoenix for the first Academy Showcase of the 2009-2010 season, where they were undefeated in 6 matches.   The teams are taking their holiday break and will resume in Mid-January to prepare for the demanding and arduous league schedule that begins in February.    
 
For more information on the Potomac Soccer Academy please feel free to contact the Academy Administrator, at PotomacAcademy@gmail.com
 
FIRST TEAM:
                Tomiwa Adewole
                Kevin Andino
                William Gbelee
                Ben Norton
                Hugh Roberts
 
SECOND TEAM: 
                Nick Breitsameter
                Quinn Meehan
 
HONORABLE MENTION:
                Zack Khalifa
                Cameron Kidwell
                Nat Eggleston
                Scott Gerfen
Nat Eggleston (U-17/18) Represents Potomac on Select Team to Play U-17 Men's National Team

Nat Eggleston, a member of the U-17/18 Potomac U.S. Soccer Development Academy, is one of 36 players who were selected by the U.S. Soccer National Team staff to play in a match against the U-17 Men's National Team at the May Showcase in Sarasota, Florida.  For the full article, please visit the U.S. Soccer website.  Congratulations, Nat!

Potomac Academy Teams Open 2009-2010 Season
Potomac Academy Teams Return from U.S. Soccer Development Academy Showcase Undefeated!

At the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase in Phoenix, Arizona this past weekend, the U-15/16 and U-17/18 Potomac Academy teams secured positions in the top of their divisions by posting 1 win and 5 ties.  Playing 3 matches over the course of 4 days at the Reach 11 Soccer Complex, each team was able to test themselves against some of the best competition in the country.  With just over a month of training, the teams were provided an opportunity to see where they are early in the Academy season.

The U-15/16 squad, coached by Matt Pilkington, went 1-0-2 on the weekend, and opened up the competition with a 1-0 win over the IMG Academy squad from Bradenton, FL with a goal from Daniel Akinkoye.  The team then tied an extremely talented Weston Academy side from Miami, FL with a late goal from midfielder Nick Breitsameter, who calmly placed a right-footed shot into the net from about 10 yards out from a nice through ball that split the Westin defense.  The Potomac team kept the pressure up for the last few minutes and nearly won the game on two great chances near the end of regulation.   In their last match of the weekend, the U-15/16s tied 0-0 against Classics SC from Texas, and were disappointed in not picking up 3 points after creating many quality chances throughout the game.  Overall, it was a tremendous start for the U-15/16s, allowing just 1 goal in their first 3 matches of the Academy season, and performing well against 3 quality opponents. 
The U17/18 group also had much to be proud of as well as they held all 3 opponents scoreless over the weekend.  With all 3 matches ending in 0-0 ties, the talented group coached by Zach Samol showed moments of great attacking play, and were unfortunate to not come away with a couple of wins.  The defense played extremely well and limited the opponents to very few chances.  All of the defenders performed well, and combined with solid goalkeeping in all 3 games, the team had 3 clean sheets.  Offensively, the team created a number of good chances that they could not convert on.  While disappointed in not picking up any wins, the team showed great signs of coming together early in the Academy season. 
Each match throughout the event was observed and evaluated by a U.S. Soccer National Scout with emphasis in identifying the best players in the country for inclusion into our U.S. Soccer National Team programs.  All statistics are taken and input into the Academy web site.  
In addition to the Academy matches there were select matches for the ‘93 and ‘94 age groups, as well as International games between the U-17 sides representing Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal, and the USA.   Brazil won the competition by going 2-0-1 over the 4 days, while the USA went 1-1-1.  The USA squad is comprised of the ’94 birth years and this was the first event for Coach Wilmer Cabrera’s young squad.   
Potomac player Nat Eggleston was selected to play in the ‘93 Select Matches and performed extremely well at central defense in his outing on Sunday.   The Potomac native has been in the U-18 National Team pool for the past year, and will take part in their next training camp this winter. 
In addition to observing and playing in a number of matches, the Potomac U-15/16 players were also able to take part in a Gatorade rehydration testing program for their match against Weston.   The players were weighed before and after the match to review and provide feedback about their individual hydration level. Gatorade provided complementary drinks to the players, as well as gave them a brief seminar on the importance of rehydration.
Nike and U.S. Soccer also provided interactive events and demonstrations for the teams in the player tent.  The tent was filled with informative products and soccer specific technical testing measures for each player.    
The Academy teams will take a break for the holidays and then begin training in Mid-January in preparation for the league matches in February.
For more information on the Potomac Academy, please email PotomacAcademy@gmail.com , or visit the Academy web site at Potomacsoccer.org