Richmond Kickers News Release - www.richmondkickers.com
Friday, September 23, 2011
CHICAGO, Ill. – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce U15 Boys Elite player, Drew Romig, and U16 Girls Elite player, Katie Cousins, were recently named to the U14 Boys National Team and the U15 Girls National Team, respectively.
Romig, a true U14 player, who currently plays up an age group with the Kickers U15 Elite, is one of the initial players selected to the U.S. U14 Boys National Team roster for the upcoming 2011 Thanksgiving Interregional event in Chula Vista, California. Including travel days, the trip will take place from November 23 through November 28.
“Drew has been part of the Richmond Kickers since joining the club while still U8,” commented Ihor Dotsenko, Richmond Kickers Technical Director. “He is one of the most hard-working and focused players in the club and is always looking to improve his game. We are very proud of Drew’s selection to the initial roster for the U14 National Team and are confident that he will represent the club well.”
Cousins, a true U15 player, who currently plays up an age group with the Kickers U16 Girls Elite, has been selected to the roster for the upcoming U15 U.S. Girls National Team training camp in Carson, California. The camp will take place November 20 through November 27 and will play an important role in the evaluation of players as this age group continues to progress through the U15 Girls National Team cycle.
“We are thrilled with Katie’s selection into the U15 National training camp,” commented Rob Ukrop, Richmond Kickers U16 Girls Elite Coach. “This is a tremendous honor for a young player who has worked hard over the last several years to develop her game. Katie has a unique skill set that allows her to blend in with her teammates and make our team better in training and in games.”
The Home Depot Center in Carson, California will host the selected players for seven days of training and evaluation. The camp generally consists of training in the morning and matches in the afternoon. The evening includes programming designed to introduce the athletes to the National Team environment and how to prepare themselves for potential call-ups to national teams in the future. The players for the training camp are selected by U.S. Soccer’s Technical Advisors and the national scouting network, a select group of scouts from throughout the United States.
Additionally, talented Kickers Elite girls, Taylor Alvey, Madison Conyers, Payton Cook, and Seeley Yoo will join Cousins at the U.S. Soccer Training Center at the end of September. The Training Center will be conducted by Chris Brewer, United States Soccer Federation Regional Technical Advisor as well as April Heinrichs, USSF Technical Director for Women’s National teams, who will be in attendance to observe the players.
U.S. Soccer Training Centers are designed to replicate national team training camps. As the National Governing Body of soccer in the United States, and under the auspices of the United States Olympic Committee, they are empowered and charged with developing the teams that represent the United States in all international competitions such as the Olympics and World Cup. The Training Center Program is an integral part of this process.