Ottawa Fury FC defender Drew Beckie is a special player, someone who cares deeply about both soccer and the community. 

He recently started the WINGS program, which stands for Walking IN Grief’s Shadow, in conjunction with the Fury and Admiral Sports. It was designed to help children who have dealt with the grief and trauma of losing a parent.

The Rochester Rhinos are off to a hot start in the 2015 USL season.

One of the reasons has to be the play and leadership of former University of Wisconsin-Green Bay standout Tony Walls.  To call him versatile is a bit of an understatement as the Wauwatosa, Wisconsin native has literally played a half dozen positions during his time in Rochester.

“As you can see, last year with the Rhinos I was asked to play central defender, left defender, right defender, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, and at times up top,” Walls commented.  “I would recommend to any up-and-coming player to not only focus on their ‘main’ position, but to take the time to observe and experiment with different positions as well.”

The Sonoma County Sol FC serves as a model of both consistency and success.  Year after year the Sol have been one of the NPSL’s top clubs, making the postseason on a regular basis and sending a large number of players to the pros.  

The Sol last won the league title in 2009. They have been runners-up twice, most recently in 2013. They have been Golden Gate Conference champs four times.

Admiral Sports is proud to announce that they have agreed to a strategic partnership with Davie United Soccer Club (Davie, FL). 

“We’re excited to expand our presence in the soccer hotbed of Florida,” Admiral Sports CEO Paul Hamburger stated.  “We are looking forward to working with Davie United, one of the premier programs in the entire state.  Like Admiral, they are leaders in the beautiful game.”

Recently, a coach in the English Premier League confided in me that a major reason his team’s performances were so poor came down to lack of leadership out on the field. In actual fact many of his dominant personalities had long term injuries. The fact of the matter is that what happens out on the field is, frequently, out of the hands of the coaching staff and is, directly, attributed to the motivation and skill level of the players.

In the past the American coaching model is that of a highly activated coaching staff out on the sidelines directing players, sending in plays, constantly rotating players and calling time outs. That is not the soccer coaching model at all. 

You can’t argue with the fact that Pinellas County United SC is a leader in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL). It’s amazing since they are entering just their third season in the league. You would never know that from the way they approach and play the game. 

Excellence starts at the top when you talk about Pinellas County. Don Tobin doubles as the club’s Director of Coaching and head coach of the WPSL squad. Joshua Morris focuses on strength and conditioning while Kai Velmer leads the front office as General Manager.