SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes U-14 Juniors recently returned to the Bay Area after finishing 1-1-1 at the 2011 Surf Cup. The Quakes defeated Crossfire Premier B97A 2-1, tied SCC Breakers 97B White 1-1 and lost 5-2 against Pateadores.
During the road trip the boys toured The Home Depot Center, home to the US Soccer Federation, LA Galaxy, and Chivas USA. The players were given inside access to the soccer stadium and toured the training facilities for both MLS teams. For many of the boys, this was the first time they had a behind-the-scenes look at an MLS stadium.
"This experience has been priceless for our young team," said head coach Jeff Jenkins. "The boys were able to not only compete against some of the best teams in the nation, but were also able to experience soccer on various levels.”
To top it off, former CZ Elite, current UCLA starter and U-20 USMNT player Eder Arreola gave the boys a tour of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) campus. The boys were given a taste of campus life as an athlete by checking out athletic, academic and living facilities utilized by UCLA soccer players. The players were able to spend time talking to Arreola regarding his path to college and to the US National Team.
“All in all, we were able to do what we set out to accomplish,” Jenkins said. “We wanted to give players a full soccer experience. The players were able to experience soccer not only at the youth level, but collegiate and professional levels as well. Hopefully this has allowed our players to expand their soccer minds.”
The next stop for the U-14's is USYSA Far West Regional League in August.
