February Newsletter:

It was a fantastic month for us as a club. We featured many of our outstanding females that make this program one to be proud of during National Women and Girls Sports Day. It's time for every player in our club to recognize the impact they continue to have on young soccer players who are striving to achieve their soccer goals.  It's a special impact on our young players when they are on the field, inspiring one another and making all of us very proud.

-Sean Palacios

FC United Girls Director

Pre-Academy Red Teams Perform Well at National League PRO in Florida!

FCU is the only Illinois Club with National League PRO Representation at ages 2006-2003. Dating back to October, the FCU Girls showed that they are real contendering at the National League P.R.O. Level!! After seven games we are proud to announce that our 2003 PA Red girls finished with a perfect record and a bid to the USYS National Championships in July. Our 2005 PA Red team secured a big time win with a 2-0 victory over Kingdom from Michigan. The 2007s made their debut at the P.R.O. showcase and went 3-0 record while playing their best soccer of the season. The 2004s have one game left and are still alive in the hunt for a spot at Nationals. We are proud of our teams for their efforts, preparation and representation at these National League events. Let’s Gooooooo FCU!

President’s Cup Action: Select Teams Compete in AZ!

Four girls teams (07 Select Red, 05 Select Red, 04 PA White, & 03 PA White) got out of the Chicago winter cold and competed in the PDT Tournament in Arizona! We are proud of the efforts of all the teams and enjoyed some awesome team bonding moments throughout the weekend! Let’s keep grinding ladies - Spring Season is right around the corner!

FUTSAL ON THE HORIZON! GOOD LUCK AT THE PUMA FUTSAL WINTER CHALLENGE

A few girls teams will be playing in a unique FUTSAL-Style Event at the end of February! Good luck to all the girls in the Puma Winter Challenge!

GIRLS ACADEMY: THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM!

The Girls Academy teams are in the heart of their Winter Season, with preparations beginning for the Spring Season. The girls are focused and training hard - first GA Spring Games are less than a month away!

WINTER ON FIELD CONCENTRATION: 

Quality Repetition // Playing in Tight Spaces // Footwork & Technique!

Shifting to Spring Preparation as We Move Outdoors Starting February 28

As we continue to move forward with our Winter Training and curriculum, our overall sessions will transition from a fully technical focus, to preparing teams for success in the Spring Season.  Training Sessions will begin focusing more on small group development, overall tactical understanding of the game and team shape, while continuing to train with High Intensity in a competitive environment.  This will also include friendly games to help with each team’s individual preparation for the Spring Season. The inter club friendlies right around the corner, and all of our teams are training hard for what should be a fun filled Spring season. It is always a fun way to prepare for the spring to be able to play great matches as a club. We are fortunate to have so many teams that can compete together in a fun and competitive nature. Playing against classmates and friends while getting better as a team! GO ON FCU FRIENDLIES! 

GOOD LUCK AT TRYOUTS TO ALL HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS!

We want to Thank all of our seniors for their hard work and commitment over the years. FC United prides itself on its inclusivity and diversity in our players. FC United represents over 50 High Schools from the Chicagoland area, and we are so excited to see them hit the fields for their high schools this spring. Our players are leaving a great footprint in their FCU careers. The class of 2022 is filled with an outstanding array of girls on and off the field. Best of luck to you during your high school season and congratulations to the graduating class of 2022!

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: MORISSA LAMBERT

Morissa Lambert (2022): Glenbrook North High School and American University // We wanted to highlight a player in our program who is making an impact in more ways than just her playing ability. Mo, or “Coach Mo” has spent all year helping out as an assistant coach with our 2011 Pre Academy Girls Team. While we can't say enough about Mo as a player and teammate, the time she has offered up to be around our young players has been a part of the season the 2011s will always remember. The 2011s have been Mo`s biggest fans and oftentimes stop to observe Mo training with her own 2003 team. Morissa has such a passion for giving back and inspiring the future of our club. Morissa will be attending American University in the fall of 2022 and we can't wait to have her back as a guest coach for years to come.

IVYREHAB IN ACTION

As FCU’s official physical therapy and injury prevention partner, our goal is to ensure that our athletes receive educational information to help them compete and recover at their highest levels. Check out this month’s topic from Head Athletic Trainer Simon Jiries.

BLOG TOPIC: KNEE INJURIES

Stop by and meet Simon when he’s on site at Falcon Fields throughout the week. Any other injury needs? Reach out to sportsmedicine@ivyrehab.com. 

SAVE THE DATE: IvyRehab Winter Seminar is February 8th at 6:30pm, covering ACL Injuries & Ankle Sprains

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

FC United Girls College Showcase & Individual Clinic: February 26th/27th

FC United has officially announced our Girls College Showcase for the 2006-2003 Age Groups. This showcase draws in over 50 College Coaches every year and provides added exposure for players looking to continue their soccer careers at the Collegiate Level. Keep an eye out for more details soon!

Club Scrimmages: Weekends of March 12-13 & March 19-20 (Check Your PlayerFirst for Game Schedules)

Spring Break Striker/GK Pop Up Clinics: Wednesday, March 23 & 30th!  Click Here to Register

Winter Virtual Seminar Series - Thank You to All of Our Speakers!

Justin Serpone’s (Amherst College Men’s Head Coach) talk on leadership, gets rave reviews from players, coaches, and parents! Big THANK YOU to Justin! It was a great message for the players and we hope everyone had a chance to listen! Missed it?

Click here for all Virtual Seminar Series topics, recordings, zoom links & information. 

As we return from our Winter break and gear up for a great 2022 season, I wanted to take a moment to thank each family for the special year we had in 2021! We have all been very adaptable, encouraging and supportive during a difficult year! With 2022 a few weeks in, we are kicking off the New Year with a return to monthly newsletters that we will use to highlight what’s going on with the club in general, highlights of each season and what to look forward to in the upcoming months. 

-Sean Palacios // FC United Girls Director

EVENTS: PRE-ACADEMY TAKES ON FLORIDA & WI // SELECT TEAMS PREP TO COMPETE

Pre-Academy Teams: National League & Wave SC Indoor Challenge

Prior to the New Year, our club was a proud participant in the first National League P.R.O. event in Orlando, Florida. FCU was the only club from Illinois with representation at the 2003-2006 age groups. A great accomplishment by our Pre-Academy Red teams, who continue to compete against the Nation’s top teams. With each team playing their first 3-4 matches of a seven game season, our 2003 PA Red team sits atop of their division with a 4-0 record. Our 2004 PA Red team is 2-1 and still remains in the running for a spot in the USYS National Championships. The PA  Red teams will travel to Tampa, Florida in early February for their final three games of the season. 

 Our 2006 PA White, 2003 PA White and 2004 PA White took a visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to play some 11v11 matches at the Wave SC Indoor Challenge. We are excited to see our HS teams continue on in tournament play ahead of their high school seasons.

Select Teams Prep For Competition
Our Select teams are training hard and looking forward to the Spring seasons! Good luck to all the select teams that are preparing for the Puma Winter Challenge (Feb 26) where they will be playing in a small-sided futsal competition. 

GIRLS ACADEMY: WINTER GOALS & FUTURE PLANNING

The Girls Academy teams come off a successful GA Winter Showcase are back on the fields gearing up for the start of their Spring season! The Winter season allows us to shift our training to focus more on the individual within a team environment. Looking forward to sunnier days ahead!

BREAKING IT DOWN: WINTER TECHNICAL TRAINING FOCUS 

We are very excited to be back on the fields with our teammates and coaches. The focus of the Winter sessions, to develop our players in a fun and competitive environment, is in full swing! We pride ourselves on having our players leave their training sessions having improved in a technically based session with their teammates. 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: TOPSOCCER BUDDIES

Something we were very excited to participate in as a Girls Program in 2021 was the TopSoccer Program. 

This past Fall season, we had a record number of players out at Willow Park, where each FC United Girls team participated as “Buddies” to the TopSoccer participants. This program brings a tremendous amount of joy to young kids' weekly schedules and our players were incredible role models as they spent time each Friday working on soccer-specific skills with young players. 

RECRUITING CORNER

Achieve Your Incredible! Congrats to the most recent college commitments! Way to go girls!

Spotlight on 2022 Kendall Sierens!

Kendall has been part of the 2003 Pre-Academy Red team and has captured 2 State Championships as a group. Kendall has also been a member of our club (TSC and FCU) for 12 seasons while also being a member of the New Trier High girls varsity team. To say Kenny is a fighter would be an understatement. Her toughness and commitment to excellence have been on full display throughout her time with the club. We are extremely proud to call Kenny one of our own, and excited for her growth as a student-athlete at Denison University. Congratulations to Kendall and the Sierens family!

Check out @chicagofcunited on Instagram for all official commitment announcements! 

IVYREHAB IN ACTION

As FCU’s official physical therapy and injury prevention partner, our goal is to ensure that our athletes receive educational information to help them compete and recover at their highest levels. Check out this month’s topic from Head Athletic Trainer Simon Jiries.

BLOG TOPIC: ACL TEARS

Stop by and meet Simon when he’s on site at Falcon Fields throughout the week. Any other injury needs? Reach out to sportsmedicine@ivyrehab.com. 

SAVE THE DATE: IvyRehab Winter Seminar is February 8th at 6:30pm, covering ACL Injuries & Ankle Sprains

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

FC United College Showcase & Individual Clinic - February 26th/27th

FC United has officially announced our Girls College Showcase for the 2006-2003 Age Groups. This showcase draws in over 50 College Coaches every year and provides added exposure for players looking to continue their soccer careers at the Collegiate Level. Keep an eye out for more details soon!

Winter Virtual Seminar Series

Winter Seminar Series kicked off last night with Notre Dame Long Snapper M