Barcelona USA Inc.

In 2005 during our inaugural trip to Barcelona, our Boys U16 team had the privilege to play a friendly match against Barca's Academy Cadet B team (91's).  

A 2003 photo of this Barca 91 team, including names of some of its players, was posted recently on www.sport.es that has brought to light who it was that our boys were actually playing against.  Many of these Barca Academy players that were on that team are currently playing on Barca's 1st team, Barca B, or other Pro Clubs around the world.  

The names of these players that played against our BU16 team and are pictured in the 2005 photo are:

Thiago Alcantara (Barca 1st Team)
Gai Assulin (Tottenham)
Marc Bartra (Barca B)
Carles Planas (Barca B)
Marti Riverola (Barca B)
Martin Montoya (Barca B)
Marc Muniesa (Barca B)
Christian Tello (Barca B)
Isaac Cuenca (Barca B)
Antonio Vela
Alex Sanchez

Pretty amazing now looking back as to how fortunate our boys were to have been playing against such quality. The friendly match ended with Barca's Cadets winning 3-0.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The No. 11 Santa Clara women's soccer team picked up its second win of the weekend, taking down Utah, 1-0, on the final day of the Santa Clara Classic.  For the second-consecutive game, a goal near the midway point of the game proved to be the game-winner.

The Broncos' goal was scored just under five minutes into the second half.  Sophomore Meleana Shim hooked up with senior Amanda Poach near the left sideline and Poach fired a perfect ball to Bridgett Miller, who was streaming in from the right side of the box.  Miller deftly headed the ball in for her first career goal.

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Jose Gomez ("Choco") 2008 FCB Alumnus, is enjoying a great start to the 2010 season.

The Creighton Bluejays enjoyed a successful week much thanks to the play of midfielder Jose Gomez. Gomez picked up an assist on all three Creighton goals scored this weekend.

The unselfish play of Gomez, and the rest of the Bluejays, sees them jump up 11 spots in this week's national rankings to #14.

The sophomore transfer from Cal State Fullerton has infused some juice into an offense that scored just 19 goals in 16 games last season. In their first three games this season, the Bluejays have scored seven goals while posting three shutouts heading into Saturday night’s 7 o’clock home game against DePaul.

Creighton coach Jamie Clark said Gomez has demonstrated the ability to impact games, even when he’s not at his best.

“He was subpar, for his standards, in our game against Santa Barbara,’’ Clark said. “It’s nice when you’re subpar, and you can still affect the game positively.

“If he were a basketball player, he might have been like 10 from 25 (from the field) but still ended up scoring 25 points. Great players can do that.’’

Gomez assisted on Creighton’s only goal in Tuesday’s 1-0 win at UC Santa Barbara. Overall, the 5-foot-9, 150-pound sophomore leads the Bluejays in scoring with five points on a goal and three assists.

Gomez scored seven points last season while starting 11 of the 15 games in which he appeared for Fullerton. Gomez decided to transfer at midsemester and wound up at Creighton after his former club coach, Bran Kleiban, who also coached Bluejay sophomore Dion Acoff, alerted the CU coaches to the player’s availability.

Clark, who took over the Creighton program in June, definitely likes what Gomez has brought to the Bluejays. “You can tell he’s played a lot of soccer growing up,’’ Clark said. “He has a savvy that’s beyond his years.’’

Gomez has primarily played as a central midfielder but has demonstrated the ability to push on offense. “He can do a lot of things,’’ Clark said. “He can take players on, he can pass the ball and play the final pass, and he can get himself on the end of things to pass the ball. He can play the difficult pass, the one that other players don’t or can’t.’’

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Jamie Clark, the Virginia B. and James O. Welch, Jr. ’52 Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Soccer, has announced that seven student-athletes will join the Crimson in the fall of 2010.

The program will gain three defenders and a pair of midfielders and forwards next season. The Crimson will sport a 27-man roster for the upcoming campaign. Last fall, Harvard posted a 14-4-1 overall mark and a 5-1-1 record in the Ivy League, en route to the program’s 13th Ancient Eight crown. The Crimson advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2009.

"We are excited about this recruiting class," Clark said.  "In order to be a top 20 team, we need talented players entering our team each year.  This class not only has the ability to keep Harvard amongst the top teams in the nation, but these players have the character to work toward setting new records and benchmarks for the program."

"This is very well rounded recruiting class," Clark continued.  "We are bringing in student-athletes that can cover all ten positions on the field.  After losing a very talented senior class, some of these young men will get a chance to make their mark on Harvard soccer very early in their careers."

Joseph Kearney, Defender/Midfielder, Pasadena, Calif.
A member of the U-18 Galaxy Youth Academy … Played multiple seasons with FC Barcelona L.A., winning a League Championship, League Cup, State Cup, Regional Championship and reached the finals of the Dallas Cup … Played in the Mediterranean International Cup in Spain, losing in the quarterfinals to Real Madrid … Played internationally in Costa Rica.

Victor Sanchez (90's) has recently been signed by Club Leon out of Mexico.  Victor signed a contract that will keep him there for a minimum of two years.

Victor began his tenure with FC Barcelona in 2004 and quickly became one of the most feared strikers in his age bracket.  His uncanny, natural ability was manifested through a fearce desire to compete and score goals.

Victor is now the fifth FCB player to sign a pro contract within the last 3 years.

Cesar Zamora (90's) has signed a two year contract with Chivas USA of the MLS.  Cesar began his career with FC Barcelona back in 2004 and immediately made an impact.  His midfield skills and vision were integral to the success of the team.

From his time at FCB, Cesar was then signed by Chivas USA's Academy Development squad in 2007.  He spent the next two seasons competing on their U18 team and after an impressive stint they decided to move him up to the first team.

Cesar is our fourth player to sign a pro contract in the last three years.

Head Coach Terry Davila has recruited one of the most experienced classes during his tenure at Cal State Northridge, a group of eight individuals who have received a number of honors and awards at both the high school and club levels. "This group has the most experience of any class that we have ever recruited and we expect them to contribute righht away," says coach Davila. 

Barca players of note:

Chris Smith - With three Surf Cups and Dallas Cups already in his possession, Chris Smith is hoping to add a Big West Championship title to his collection during his time at Northridge. The native from Palmdale competed for the FC Barcelona Soccer Club in Los Angeles.  The two-time State Cup finalist carries with him a dynamic skill set and foundation of experiences.  The U-20 coaching staff for the U.S. Men's National Team invited Smith to participate in their inaugural workouts this year to witness first-hand the potential the center-mid /outside back from Quartz Hill High School possesses.  "Smith is a very technical player who played for a great club in this area. He is a fantastic player who is multi-dimensional that constantly works to improve his game."

Jesus Landeros - Another member of the FC Barcelona Soccer Club in L.A., Landeros was recently invited to compete in the Adidas Elite Soccer Program, sanctioned from U.S. Youth Soccer and one of the most recognizable development programs in existence today.  He has also been a part of the US National Team Camp in 2007, Regional IV team in 2007 and 2008, and named to the Cal South State Team from 2005-'08.  "Landeros is a powerful player who is deadly on set pieces and constantly looks to impact the game on the offensive side of the ball."

COLUMBUS, Ohio – John Bluem, head coach of the Ohio State men’s soccer team, announced the signing of four high school seniors and one junior college transfer to National Letters of Intent to don the Scarlet and Gray for the 2009 season.

CARSON, Calif. -- The LA Galaxy have signed forward Tristan Bowen to a multi-year contract, the club announced Wednesday. Bowen, who is a native of Van Nuys, Calif., is the first player in Galaxy history to be signed from the Galaxy's youth development program. Bowen is also the first player in MLS history to be signed by a club through the league's Youth Development Initiative that was unveiled in November 2006.

The 17-year old Van Nuys, Calif. native will occupy a spot on the Galaxy's Developmental Roster after being selected as a member of Major League Soccer's Generation adidas program, meaning that his salary will not count toward the club's salary budget. Per team and league policy, details of the contract were not released.

As a member of the United States Under-18 and Under-20 National Teams, Bowen became the inaugural member of the Galaxy's youth development program in 2007 after he was identified by the club during the annual Open Tryout in February. Bowen was a member of the U-17 teams that represented the Galaxy at the 2007 and 2008 SUM Under-17 Cup in Colorado, as well as one of the top scorers for the Galaxy U-20 team that won the USL Super-20 League title this season.

U.S. Under-20 Women Will Travel to Chile for
Three Matches   




CHICAGO (February 1, 2008) - The U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team, led by new head coach Tony DiCicco, will travel to La Serena, Chile, from Feb. 7-17, as part of continuing preparations for CONCACAF Qualifying for the 2008 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup, to be held in Chile from Nov. 20-Dec. 7.

The USA will play three matches against other U-20 teams, taking on England on Feb. 11, Norway on Feb. 13 and host Chile on Feb. 15.

The tour will provide some valuable acclimatization for the U-20s and give DiCicco his first look at the player pool under international game conditions. All three opponents have already qualified for the U-20
Women’s World Cup, meaning the Americans will get three excellent matches as a preview to possible matches in the WWC.

Dates and venues for CONCACAF qualifying have yet to be set, but the eight-team tournament, which will send three teams to Chile, will feature Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua and the USA.

DiCicco will bring 18 players to Chile, including two who represented the USA at the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship in Russia, in forwards Kelley O’Hara and Casey Nogueira. Of the 18 players, 16 are in college with the two high school-age players being 2007 Gatorade National Player of the Year Melissa Henderson and 2007 Parade Girl’s Soccer Player of the Year Teresa Noyola, both seniors.

The 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will feature 16 teams. Eight countries have already qualified:

Asia: China, Japan, North Korea
Africa: Two berths TBD
Europe: England, France, Germany, Norway
CONCACAF: Three berths TBD
Oceania: One berth TBD
South America: Two berths TBD
Host: Chile

U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team Roster Feb. 7-17 – La Serena, Chile
GOALKEEPERS (2): Alyssa Naeher (Penn State), Kristin Olsen (USC);
DEFENDERS (4): Lauren Barnes (UCLA), Lauren Fowlkes (Notre Dame), Nikki Marshall (Colorado), Ella Stephan (Florida State);
MIDFIELDERS (8): Amanda DaCosta (Florida State), Becky Edwards (Florida State), Kasey Johnson (USC), Teresa Noyola (MVLA Mercury), Elli Reed (Portland), Nikki Washington (UNC), Keelin Winters (Portland), Kylie Wright (UCLA);
FORWARDS (4): Michelle Enyeart (Portland), Melissa Henderson Dallas Texans), Casey Nogueira (UNC), Kelley O’Hara (Stanford).

U.S. U-20 WNT Schedule
Date          Match-
Up                                      Venue
Feb. 11     USA U-20 vs. England U-20    La Serena, Chile
Feb. 13     USA U-20 vs. Norway U-20      La Serena, Chile
Feb. 15     USA U-20 vs. Chile U-20          La Serena, Chile

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - The USC women's soccer team capped off its history-making season with one last huge feat - the NCAA Championship. The second-seeded Women of Troy tacked up their fifth shutout of the NCAA Tournament - an accomplishment never before achieved - with a 2-0 decision over third-seeded Florida State in the NCAA title match on Sunday afternoon at Aggie Soccer Complex in College Station, Texas.

The 2007 National Champs end their powerful year with a 20-3-2 overall record after breaking yet another program record with the Trojans' 15th shutout of the season. The defense is anchored by former BARCA standout, Kasey Johnson, who is only a freshman. Head coach becomes the first coach in NCAA history to lead his team to the NCAA championship in his first season with his program.