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CREDITS PUBLISHED BY: Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer 4070 Butler Pike, Suite 100 Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 Phone: 610-238-9966 Fax: 610-238-9933 E-mail: info@EPYSA.org Website: EPYSA.org EXECUTIVE BOARD President - Jeff Sommer First Vice President Lennie Brown Second Vice President Bill Fuller Treasurer- Jim Brown Secretary Melissa Murphy Weber Registrar - Jim Christian State Youth Referee Administrator Jeff Tener District 1 Commissioner Becky Barlow District 2 Commissioner John DiGiuseppe District 3 Commissioner Bill Ross District 4 Commissioner Eric McKitish (incumbent) District 5 Commissioner Scott Merritt
ALL IN THE
SOCCER FAMILY 16
District 6 Commissioner Phil Frederick (incumbent) OFFICE STAFF Chief Executive Officer – Chris Branscome Chief Operating Officer – Kelly Connor Technical Director – Mike Barr Director of Soccer Development & Performance – Gary Stephenson
SOCCER THROUGH THE YEARS
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TAKING CHARGE
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PERSISTENCE ON THE PITCH
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2 Learn More About Your
28 Growing Local:
Coaching Department Administrator – Gabrielle (Bree) Benedict
10 McGuire Cup Coronation
30 2022 Annual Award
Grassroots Soccer Manager JT Dorsey
20 Celebrating the Coaching
Marketing & Events Manager – Kelsey Tepel Registration Specialist – Michele Brown
Outdoor Cups – David Jones Communications Coordinator – Crystal Fountain TOUCHLINE Editor-in-Chief – Chris Branscome
Local History
Career of Terry Underkoffler
24 Cynthia Field Reminisces on a Career Full of Memories
Chester Upland Youth Soccer
Banquet Winners
32 Touchline Trivia 34 A Tribute to Team Patches 36 Quarterly Calendar
Editor – Kelsey Russo Writer – Crystal Fountain Designed and printed by A.E. Engine, Inc. www.ae-engine.com
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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Learn More About Your Local History
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s we continue to celebrate our 50-year history, I want to encourage you all to learn more about your local history. As a state association, we are a collective of our membership. Many of our best stories and memories are shared with our members, as those stories emanated from the clubs and leagues. Many of the great individuals celebrated within our history started right here at the club or league level first. When a club wins a state cup or a player achieves success in ODP, it becomes our story after or simultaneously as its club’s story. Many of our clubs are 30 or so years old with a handful in their 40s. Of course, soccer in this part of the country pre-dates most of the modern-day clubs. Soccer was first played in the Philadelphia area in the 1880s. Youth soccer was certainly played long before our establishment. It wasn’t until 1972 when Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer was formally organized and recognized as a separate organization. We have a large number of very active coaches and administrators who were playing, coaching, or running clubs in and around 1972. There’s probably someone involved in your club right now who has given 50 years or more to our sport. My challenge to you is to seek out the first and second generations of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer members. Ask questions, listen to their stories, and learn from them. I’m sure there are some very unique stories about soccer in your area about how it developed and who built it. Who in your club has that history? Find out and write it down. Record it before it’s lost or forgotten. Someday your club may want to celebrate a milestone, and you’ll want to be the one telling the stories. Maybe you just need to honor those whose shoulders you’re standing on today. This organization started with people from the “greatest generation:” those born in the 1900s through the 1920s. They passed the game on to the baby boomers and on to Generation X (baby busters), Generation Y (millennials), and Generation Z (alpha). To anyone born after 1980, I encourage you to take the time to appreciate your days as a player or as a young coach and consider those who taught you about the game as well as how to play it. As a Gen Xer who remembers very well that soccer back then is nowhere near what it’s like today, I know I was taught by those who revered the game. That same admiration was instilled in me. For our current young generations, know that you are now or very soon will become the next stewards of the game, our clubs, and this association. I believe my generation built upon what we were handed, and I want the next generations to do the same. I’m looking forward to our 50th Anniversary Gala at the end of this month. It will be a night to celebrate and should certainly be a night to remember. Afterward, I’ll be ready to move on to the future. Our staff is multi-generational. We’re looking ahead and seeking to continue to grow the game. I believe we have built on top of the solid foundation left for us previously. So, to Generation Alpha, you will be in charge someday. It will be your responsibility to build the next floor and the next story of this institution. Be a sponge. Take in everything you can now, as it will serve you and the game later. I look forward to sending your invitation in 2047 to attend Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s 75th anniversary and celebrating the great things you’ve done for our game.
Chris Branscome
Chief Executive Officer, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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SOCCER THROUGH
EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER
THE LAST 25 YEARS... VS.
Former staffer Carol Urbach holding the World Cup.
FC Delco Arsenal wins boys U18 National Championship
World Cup in France FC Delco Dynamowins boys U17 National Championship
Women’s World Cup in the USA
FC Delco Dynamo wins McGuire Cup – Boys U19 National Championship
1998
1999
2000 2001
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FC Delco Black wins McGuire Cup Boys U19 National Championship
Philadelphia Charge women’s team plays inaugural season
Lincoln Financial Field opens in August with Manchester United vs. Barcelona as its first event and is the site of the opening game of the 2003 Women’s World Cup FC Delco Arsenal wins McGuire Cup to claim back-to-back USYS National Championships
Olympics -- ODP player Kristin Luckenbill wins Gold for the U.S.
World Cup (Germany) -Three EPA alums Bobby Convey, Chris Albright (Philly Soccer Coppa), and Ben Olsen (FC Delco) participate in the 2006 World Cup.
FC Bucks Vipers, led by Coach Ed Leigh, wins Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s first national championship for girls
2002 2003 2004 2006 2009
THE YEARS
MILESTONES: 1998 TO 2022
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer partners with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and Philadelphia Union to build 15 mini-pitches
Philadelphia Union plays its inaugural season Office moves from its longtime location in Horsham to Plymouth Meeting; unveils new logo
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer celebrates 40 years with gala celebration in Philadelphia
Philadelphia Independence play its inaugural season with ODP alums Nicole Barnhart and Sinead Farrelly
YMS Thunder wins Boys U18 National Championship
2010
2011
Copa America Centenario at Lincoln Financial Field
FC Pennsylvania Strikers win U18 Girls National Championship
CONCACAF Gold Cup Final is a sellout at Lincoln Financial Field
YMS Xplosion wins the U17 Girls National Championship
US, Mexico, Canada awarded the 2026 World Cup. Philadelphia named a Host City Candidate
2012
2015
2016
2018
USWNT wins World Cup
First mini-pitch is dedicated at FJ Myers playground in SW Philadelphia
49,504 fans attend USWNT friendly at the Linc, the largest crowd ever for a USWNT friendly. Lehigh Valley United wins its second McGuire Cup championship – the 10th McGuire Cup for Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
2019
A record number of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer teams reach the US Youth Soccer National Championships
2021
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer players Zack Steffen and Christian Pulisic qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar 50th Anniversary!
2022
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G N I K A T E G R A CH nsylvania n e P n r te s a E le Throughout ars, incredib e y 0 5 ’s r e c c Youth So ailblazers tr d n a , s r e e leaders, pion in growing d a le e th n e have tak cer women’s soc By Te rr y Jacoby
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t was in the early 1980s on a Thanksgiving Day when Betty D’Anjolell pulled into Linda Mazzoli’s family driveway in Lansdowne, PA. “I was in the eighth grade, and Betty pulled up to our house in her station wagon to take us to a WAGS (Washington Area Girls Soccer) Tournament, which I had never heard of. I remember my mom telling her beforehand that this was family time, and Thanksgiving is about family. Betty told my mom and the other parents to have an early dinner because we were leaving at 4 o’clock. Everybody changed their schedules so we could go. She pulled up to our house in her green with wood-paneling station wagon that didn’t have any seats. We just sat on our bags with legs everywhere, and off we went to this indoor soccer tournament we had never heard of in Washington, D.C. There were eight or nine of us piled in that thing,” she shared. “Betty wanted to show us how the game was played at this level and to play against the best. We got the chance to play, and it was the first time any of us had ever played indoor soccer. We didn’t even have the right sneakers, but who cares. It was about
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Charlotte Moran (kicking the ball) with USSF President Werner Fricker and U.S. captain April Heinrichs.
the experience. After that, we went to the WAGS Tournament in Arlington, Virginia, and at that tournament, we stayed with host families, which we didn’t know anything about at the time. Betty really wanted us to have these experiences. It was all about experiences with her. She always believed that anything boys got to experience, girls also should have that opportunity. She would fight to make that happen.” Today’s soccer has lived throughout numerous generations. Records trace soccer’s history back to ancient China more than 2,000 years ago. Greece, Rome, and parts of Central America also claim to have started the sport. However, England subsequently transitioned soccer (or what the British and many others internationally call “football”) into the game we know today. The first organized women’s soccer league in the U.S. was the Craig Club Girls Soccer League. The league consisted of four teams in St. Louis, Missouri, and they played 15 games during the initial 1950-1951 season. Until the 1970s, organized women’s soccer matches in the U.S. existed only on a limited basis. In Pennsylvania, records trace the history of youth soccer back more than 50 years when, in 1972, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer took charge. Throughout Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s 50 years of existence, incredible leaders, pioneers, and trailblazers have been tightly affiliated with the organization. Over the last half-century, many individuals have changed the game positively and progressively.
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Among the many incredible leaders involved in Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s early days were Betty D’Anjolell and Charlotte Moran. These two extraordinary, brave, relentless, and strong leaders were truly pioneers in the women’s game of soccer. They are among the founding mothers of today’s hugely popular sport, especially on the world stage. Thom Meredith, a longtime and highly successful administrator at many different levels and with many different sports, worked for U.S. Soccer back in the early days. “There were people like Betty D’Anjolell and Charlotte Moran around in those days, and they were
the pioneers,” says Meredith, the Philadelphia venue director for Copa America 2016. “There is no question in my mind that these two, along with a few others, were responsible for the growth and success of women’s soccer.” “There isn’t any doubt that you can safely say that the eastern seaboard, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, and U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 played a major role in the development of women’s soccer. They provided a place to play and compete for women’s soccer,” he said. The U.S. is now regarded as one of the top countries
globally for women’s soccer. FIFA ranked the U.S. National Team No. 1 in the world after its back-to-back Women’s World Cup victory in 2015 and 2019. Before athletes like Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Michelle Akers, Kristine Lilly, Carli Lloyd, and Megan Rapinoe became today’s household names, there was Betty D’Anjolell and Charlotte Moran. Both Betty and Charlotte were pioneers in promoting and establishing the game of soccer for women at the local, state, and national levels.
organization as well. D’Anjolell, along with several partners, helped create the Tri-County Girls Soccer League to provide a higher level of competition for girls soccer in eastern Pennsylvania. A graduate of Lansdowne-Aldan High School, D’Anjolell was part of a trio of women who would spearhead an initiative to help women’s soccer fight to gain recognition as a legitimate national sport. Along with eventual U.S. Olympic Committee president Marty Mankamyer and U.S. Youth Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Mavis Derflinger, D’Anjolell helped women’s soccer jostle for relevancy in the male-dominated sports landscape of the early 1980s. D’Anjolell went on to serve as the national chairperson of the U.S. Youth Soccer Association’s Girls Olympic Development Program from 1985-1989. The program’s success helped form a full-fledged U.S. Women’s National Team, which would lead to the inda Mazzoli, who would become a very successful team’s appearance and victory in the first Women’s World Cup in coach at different levels of amateur soccer, including China in 1991. ODP teams, was one of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth SocD’Anjolell served as vice president of operations for cer’s original ODP players from 1979 to 1982. She D.C. United from 1995 to 1998: the first female vice rode through unchartered territory in the same station president in the league. Betty and her husband wagon alongside Betty D’Anjolell and her husband. devoted much of their extra time and effort Betty was my soccer coach starting in sixth to help grow the soccer game at a grassroots grade,” Mazzoli says. “I grew up in Lansdowne, and level in Pennsylvania. Both were inducted into they had a very big boys’ soccer club in Lansdowne. the Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Betty came along and asked, ‘why isn’t there a girl’s Fame in 2000. club?’ They quickly put together a girl’s club and let “You didn’t mess with Betty,” says Meredith. us play softball. Again, Betty stepped in and said, ‘we “She was a take-charge person who didn’t take any want a soccer club and a basketball club, too.’ There were some others who were part of this, but Betty was grief from anyone. We had a meeting one time on the West Coast with a very rich man who became a really involved in getting these programs started. My promoter on the men’s side. We really needed this mom was very progressive, and she liked what Betty meeting with him, and before it even began, he was was saying. She told me to just stick with her. My mom rude to her and disrespected her. She stood up and was very quiet; Betty was not. Betty was determined to said, Thom, let’s go. We are out of here. She never give us girls an opportunity to become female athletes. We started playing intramurals when I was in the sixth spoke to the guy again because of the way she was treated. I would follow her anywhere. She was a very grade. Betty started asking more questions, and before tough lady but very fair. You knew where you stood I knew it, we were traveling to games. Then she started BETTY D’ANJOLELL CUP with her, and I respected that,” Meredith shared. asking why the girls didn’t have All-Star teams while Mazzoli, who still contributes to Eastern Pennsylvania Youth the boys did. So, we put together a team and started going to Soccer as a health and fitness advisor, is currently the Jefferson tournaments.” A native of suburban Philadelphia, D’Anjolell became heavily Comprehensive Concussion Center director as an employee for Rothman Institute - a multi-tiered collaborative initiative involved in soccer beginning in the early 1970s as a girls soccer with many healthcare providers helping those who have been coach and eventual president of the Lansdowne Girls Club. concussed. She is also the executive director for the Pennsylvania She served a large role in Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s
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Athletic Trainer’s Society and is a 2018 Pennsylvania Athletic Training Hall of Fame inductee. Mazzoli has many fond memories and magical moments playing for D’Anjolell, who she describes as a guiding light in her life. “There was a tournament where it was snowing outside,” Mazzoli recalls. “Betty comes up to us and tells us to take off our sweats and get ready. We were like, ‘it’s freezing out. We don’t want to take off our sweats.’ She says, ‘if you score three goals, you can put
your sweats back on.’ You have never seen a team score three goals faster than we did on that day. After our third goal, we didn’t celebrate. We sprinted to the sidelines to put our sweats on.” Mazzoli, who went on to play at West Chester University, does have one regret. “I never got to thank her,” she says. “She did a lot for me, and I learned so much from her. When I was a coach at ODP, Betty helped me coach at that level. She was a very black
and white person. She would tell you something, and it was up to you how to handle it. She was very honest and didn’t pull any punches. I might be a little more understanding, but I also feel it’s important to be direct with people and to be honest with people. I learned that from Betty. She had a great understanding of what she wanted to do and how to do it. It takes courage to do that. She was way ahead of her time.”
involved and to support the bigger picture for the women’s game of soccer. She is the one who got me involved in ODP and she would encourage me to take teams to Europe every summer because she wanted the kids to have that experience. She really made a lot of things happen for women’s soccer, especially in eastern Pennsylvania.” “One thing that always stood out about the people involved in soccer in eastern Pennsylvania was that it was like a family with a real sense of community. Even when the games were over, we would all hang out together and form some nice friendships. They were not only great soccer coaches and soccer people but just good people who had the ability to guide these kids on this journey.” Moran acted as Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer president for nearly eight years and the vice president of travel for two years. She was also the U.S. or three decades, Charlotte Moran’s Youth Soccer ODP girl’s eastern Pennsylvania work off the field helped grow the administrator for 17 years. She rounded sport on the field and in popularity and respectability. Her work out her involvement by serving as a vice and dedication to youth soccer in eastern president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer adult association and was an Pennsylvania were as big as her personalactive member of the U.S. Soccer’s women’s ity. She was the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth development committee. Soccer president in the early 1990s before In January 2009, the National Soccer Coaches becoming an executive director. Later, she Association of America presented Moran became the National Girls ODP chair and a with the Youth Long Term Service Award. The Local Organizing Committee member for the award was renamed the Charlotte Moran Youth 2003 Women’s World Cup’s Philadelphia venue. Long-Term Service Award by the National Soccer The U.S. women played in the area on multiple Coaches Association of America to honor occasions, including the first-ever international her memory. In 2020, Eastern Pennsylvania tournament played in the U.S.: the Chiquita Cup. Moran, who passed away in 2009, was also Youth Soccer’s Mike Barr was named the the director of team operations for the Women’s recipient of the award. Moran was honored and acknowledged for her service to youth soccer by United Soccer Associtation, Philadelphia Charge, from 2001 to 2003 and worked to bring MLS and being inducted into the U.S. Youth Soccer Hall of CHARLOTTE MORAN CUP Fame in 2014. WPS expansion teams to Philadelphia. One of the many people Moran influenced, Meredith says Moran was the “nuts and bolts” guided, and befriended was Betty Ann Kempf Townsley. person behind the scenes helping to put everything together. “She could write a book on how to start a soccer program; “She knew how to be respectful to teams, players, and to the event,” he says. “She would never do crazy stuff, and she and three chapters would be on how she started three different the team would have all the details handled. She really knew programs, including two at the collegiate level.” A true the business part of the sport and was just a super person to pioneer in her own right, Townsley says Moran had the personality and passion that could move mountains. be around. There are men and women even today who would “She was so fun-loving and caring and was very get teary-eyed if you brought up her name.” “Charlotte really brought a [community-like] feel to the instrumental in getting me involved and many others involved in jump-starting the game of soccer in games and events she was a part of. She was always Pennsylvania,” she said. “Charlotte had a gift and supported positive, dedicated and supportive, and she did it for all the right reasons. She was doing it for the kids.” you in such a caring way. She knew how to get people
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S G N KI E H T F O CUP er ia Youth Socc n a lv y s n n e P Eastern Illustrious e th d te is o H Clubs Have Cup 10 times e ir u G c M . P James By Brian M cL au
ghlin
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ince its inception in 1935, three Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer clubs -- Lighthouse, FC Delco, and Lehigh Valley United -- have combined for 10 McGuire Cup titles. The Greater Philadelphia area is one of the most talent-rich soccer regions in the nation. With its diverse ethnic history, the world’s game has thrived for more than a century – and not surprisingly, youth programs flourished and great coaching and soccer infrastructure grew. The US Soccer Federation National Junior Challenge was created in 1935 as the championship for the under 19 boys age group. In 1975, it was renamed the James P. McGuire Cup. McGuire, a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, served two terms as president of US Soccer. The McGuire Cup is the oldest youth sports championship in America. During the 87-year history of the competition, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer teams have had an impressive track record. Three clubs (Lighthouse, FC Delco, and Lehigh Valley United) have combined for 10 McGuire Cup titles, spanning from 1936 to the most recent victory in 2019. Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer teams have won the second most McGuire Cups out of the 55 state youth soccer associations.
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E S U O H T LIGH E S U O H T LIGH E S U O H T H G LI N
obody will ever be able to take the label “National Champion” away from Greater Philadelphia native Seamus McWilliams. He and his Lighthouse 49ers teammates earned the outfit’s fifth all-time McGuire Cup title in 1967, and the 72-year-old still beams with pride when discussing it in 2022 – and rightfully so. Although much of the United States was in love with Babe Ruth and baseball 100 years ago, soccer was quite popular, especially in eastern cities. Soccer, or football, futbal, fussball, had emigrated to America from Europe in the late 1800s. In Philadelphia, the Irish, Polish, Scottish, German, Hungarian, Ukrainians, and everyone brought their love for the game with them. McWilliams grew up in that atmosphere. “Right off the top because of the immigrants, they would develop their own Sunday leagues,” McWilliams said. “It wouldn’t be just a game, it would be a whole weekend. It would be an event.” McWilliams said that the competitions were so fierce that certain ethnic groups like the Polish would actually recruit in the old country and get former professional players to come across the Atlantic Ocean – enticing them with well-paying construction jobs. They would become the “ringers” in the cutthroat leagues of Philadelphia. McWilliams had an Irish background. Lighthouse – the most successful club of its era with five national championship McGuire Cups from the beginning in 1935 until McWilliams’ team’s win in 1967 – mowed down the competition with just the talent from its own neighborhood. While clubs today attract talent from all over, and players routinely from many towns away – Lighthouse’s 49ers (named because the 18 and 19-year-old based team has mostly young men born in 1949) did what they could with neighborhood talent. “We were just street kids from the same area code,” McWilliams said. “We would play on the streets anywhere where there was a spot. We were just a bunch of knuckleheads who loved the game.”
Seamus McWilliams poses with the McGuire Cup.
Their coach in 1967 was Phil Miller. He never had to raise his voice, even with a bunch of knuckleheads. They revered him. He showed them how to glue together a cohesive powerhouse, and a massive trophy came as a result. McWilliams said the first plane ride of his life was to go to Pittsburgh – another soccer-rich area – to play in the title game. The specialness of the 49ers championship team has been evident for the last 50 years. Several of those players, like Hugh McInaw (Cardinal Dougherty, Temple and Upper Dublin SC), Tom Smith (North Catholic, Phila. Textile), Bobby Ludwig (Philadelphia Spartans & Atoms) and McWilliams, continued their soccer careers in Philadelphia. They played in the men’s amateur leagues and some professionally. McWilliams, who spent time with the Philadelphia Spartans of the National Professional Soccer League, continued into coaching. Serving as a coach for many youth clubs, La Salle College High School, and later, Temple University’s women’s program. McWilliams and McInaw spent many years as Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer ODP coaches. Today, McWilliams’ legacy is evident. His grandson, Kyle, plays the beautiful game, as did his son, Kevin. The elder McWilliams didn’t sign some massive contract or even go to college to play soccer. He entered the United States Marine Corps after high school, serving in Vietnam. Grandpa McWilliams doesn’t have a ton of specific memories about winning the big trophy back in 1967, but recently he did get a chance to see the trophy again after 50 years. The team celebrated its 50-year reunion at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame banquet, and Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer CEO Chris Branscome (who played for McWilliams’) arranged for the McGuire Cup to be flown in from US Youth soccer headquarters in Texas. “We didn’t feel the pressure,” McWilliams said. I don’t know if we were cocky, but we were very confident. You just put your boots on, the referee would blow the whistle, and you played …When I first got to look at the cup again, I thought holy mackerel, this is what we did.” Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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O C L E D FC JEFF LARENTOWICZ (HOLDING TROPHY) WON TWO MCGUIRE CUPS WHILE PLAYING WITH FC DELCO. HE WENT ON TO WIN TWO MLS CUPS AS WELL (COLORADO, ATLANTA).
O C L E D C F T
he soccer tradition in eastern Pennsylvania runs deep. Great players and teams have been developed here long before Lighthouse won its last McGuire Cup in 1967. That tradition was carried into the 70s, 80s and 90s. A number of excellent teams represented Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer on national level, but none quite as good as the FC Delco teams that won three out of four McGuire Cups from 2000 to 2003. When Delco won those three championships, Coach Alan Mezger – a former Villanova University player – was teaching high school at his alma mater, Radnor, and considered himself a regular guy. Mezger himself was coached by two local icons, Sam Holt (Radnor) and Larry Sullivan (Villanova). One of his former players, recently retired MLS star and former USMNT player, Jeff Laurentowicz, said his youth mentor is far from a regular guy. “He was the opposite of intense as a coach – he didn’t need to be,” Laurentowicz said. “He knew to focus on the things we needed to focus on and he treated us like professionals. He was so evenkeeled that he did that fairly easily. “He was huge for me fundamentally. In fact, he’s the one that changed me to the position (midfield) that I played in college (at Brown University) and professionally for the rest of my soccer career. He knew I was aggressive, and I could shoot.” Laurentowicz was part of the 2000 and 2001 teams that won back-to-back national championships. His team is still so tight that recently they got together again during a teammate’s wedding, and Mezger said the wives got so tired of all the old stories that they walked
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away. But the team hardly cared – it was a reunion of players and mentor. “It’s a tradition in Northeast Philly,” Mezger said. “I think there was a nice foundation laid with Lighthouse winning so much. For us, we drew from the Lower Merion, Radnor, and Great Valley areas. It started out as a neighborhood rivalry where we all just wanted to kick each others’ butts, but that group all decided to come together. “We figured we’re killing each other in state cup every year, and we can’t get into the big tournaments because we don’t have a strong enough resume – so we decided to work together. Those early groups (20 years ago) eventually were the first group to come together and we started qualifying for those tournaments and got out of our neighborhoods, and we began playing teams from California and Texas.” FC Delco cemented a national reputation through these McGuire cup teams. Many of the players continued their careers on the national stage and some returned home to develop the next generation. Several players featured in MLS and like Laurentowicz, Jeff Parke, and Chris Wingert. Several other players from these teams had professional careers, then turned to coaching after retirement. Jeremiah White has coached high school and youth teams in the Philadelphia area, as has, Kevin Coleman (Union Academy) and Ashley Kozicki (Lehigh Valley United). Coach Mezger and these players are forever linked by the McGuire Cup championships. They’re also linked to by tradition to Lighthouse. Better yet, as they continue to serve the game, they have become a link to the next generation.
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L L A V LEHIGH D E T I N U Y E L L A V H G I H LE D E T I N U Y E L L A V H G I H E L D E T I N U Y E L L A V H G LEHI I ts first national title, LVU knocked off Baltimore Celtic in 2019 for its second U-19 McGuire Cup. The father-son duo of Lou Ramos (father) and current LVU executive director Greg Ramos (son) was the key instrumental parties involved with the club primarily centralized in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. They came up with the idea of building this club with the thought that it would be nice to build a local club into a state cup contender. Little did they know, it would become way more than that. “I played in a small town in the Lehigh Valley; my father and I wondered what if we collected them [the local players competing in smaller clubs] and gave the players there a better platform,” Greg Ramos said. “We really just wanted to compete with clubs like FC Delco and maybe win a state cup one day. We’ve done a lot more than that, and to see what we’ve done since is remarkable.” The soccer pedigree in this area is rich in its history. Near the turn of last century in 1907, the Bethlehem Football club was formed. After US Soccer was founded in 1913, it created what is now called, the U.S. Open Cup. Bethlehem Steel, as the club is now known, dominated the U.S. Open Cup winning five times from 1914-1925. The Open Cup is still the premier tournament in America, with the Philadelphia Union reaching the finals three times in recent years. The Open Cup became the model for the McGuire Cup as the junior championship. “There’s a rich cultural history of the sport here,” said Greg Ramos, whose father passed away more than 10 years ago. “We figured that if we were able to unite the area’s counties and townships – if we could chip away at that, we could do some things in this area. We are pretty proud to push that mindset that we’re viewed as a very reputable club.” Ramos coached with the 2013 McGuire Cup team and said both championships have been won – in a coincidence – in Kansas City. Head Coach Mike Gorni, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer’s all-time winningest state cup coach and OPD national champion coach, was instrumental in the success of both LVU’s championship teams.
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“What I remember [from the first McGuire Cup-winning team] was it was a long task just to get out of the state,” Ramos said. “We had to go through FC Delco (Ramos’ club as a youth player), and we went to PKs to win, and then we had to go to PKs again in the regionals. Our goalkeeper actually got two yellow cards in regionals and we had to pull up the younger brother of one of our players to fill in during the one-game suspension and we won. LVU’s Thomas Shiiba was named Golden Boot winner, while goalkeeper Logan Keys, now Ramos’ stepson, was named Golden Glove winner as the McGuire cup returned to Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer for the first time in a decade. In the 2019 campaign, LVU matched up multiple times against Lower Merion SC. Lower Merion took home the state cup title vs. LVU. The two teams met again at the USYS National Championships semi-finals with LVU winning the rematch and advancing to the McGuire Cup final. Euan Forrest and Dominic Flowers were named to the USYS “Best Eleven” for the tournament. Soccer is second nature throughout eastern Pennsylvania. The region’s competitiveness and drive for success continuously showcase why participating Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer teams frequently maintain impressive track records. From Chester to Susquehanna County, soccer’s cultural and historical significance remind communities that the need and want for the sport exist right in our backyards. With club teams and athletes scattered across eastern Pennsylvania counties, it’s easy to see how some of the sport’s greatest athletes share one common denominator: involvement in Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer club programs and its affiliates. Local Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer clubs like Lighthouse, FC Delco, and Lehigh Valley United have made frequent appearances throughout McGuire Cup’s history, further solidifying soccer’s presence in the area. As constant competitors in the region, in the game, and at the cup, only time will tell who can claim to be eastern Pennsylvania’s best club team.
#TheBidIsOn #TheBidIsOn 4.2022
4.2022
y l i m a F R E C C O S E H T N I ALL
We recognize two families that have made monumental impacts throughout the 50-year history of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. For each family, multiple generations of players developed at the youth and ODP levels. The majority of players went on to play college soccer, and many even coached the next generation of family members.
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Stackhouse Family A HALF-CENTURY TRADITION OF STELLAR SOCCER By Dan Guttenplan
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ndy Stackhouse Sr. grew up thinking that playing collegiate soccer was an inevitable outcome in his family. Why wouldn’t he? In a family of eight children, all seven of the Stackhouse boys went on to play soccer in college. Now 59-years-old, Andy Sr. realizes how his family trajectory was unique. “We all had a chance to play college ball,” Stackhouse said. “Those opportunities have been great for the Stackhouse family across multiple generations. It’s been invaluable for so many of us to get our education taken care of.” Stackhouse now has four children who have embraced the game and played beyond high school. He estimates that at least half of his 45 nieces and nephews are currently playing high-level soccer. One set of cousins, the Blaneys, have traditionally locked horns with the Stackhouse’s in what has become one of the fiercest Catholic high school rivalries in the Philadelphia area: a rivalry between Archbishop Ryan and North Catholic. “It’s a big Irish Catholic family, so sport and family have been a tradition for us,” said Andy Sr. “When we see each other, we definitely talk about soccer. There’s good camaraderie. There’s always some bantering and needling.” Andy Sr. played college soccer at Spring Garden College before continuing at semi-pro club teams well into his 40s. He coached all four of his boys at some point and held a spot on the sideline for almost 25 years before retiring as a coach two years ago. His oldest son, also named Andy Sr., played collegiate soccer at Holy Family University and Temple University before transitioning as a marketing and training specialist for Youth to Pro Soccer. His second child, Will, played at Holy Family for four years. His third son, Tom, did not play in college while at St. Joseph’s University. However, he is still entrenched in the sport as a player for Vereinigung Erzgebirge. Andy Sr.’s youngest, Sean, will begin his college career at Farleigh Dickinson University in the fall. “All four of my boys played ODP, so they got to hear different voices,” Andy Sr.
said. “I coached them all for many years. I actually started coaching the day I left college. I loved it; I kind of miss it. I wanted my youngest son to hear different voices. Thankfully, in the Philly area, there are a lot of good coaches.” With his time as a player and coach now in the rearview mirror, Andy Sr. can certainly appreciate the sport’s impact on his family. In retrospect, he also recognized soccer to be a bit of an unexpected passion for his family. After all, his father was more of a baseball and football player. When Andy Sr. and his brothers started to embrace soccer, his father showed support in the way many new soccer parents do. “My dad wanted to support us, so he was an assistant for one of my teams,” Andy Sr. said. “Back then, parents just cheered us on. A lot them didn’t know the game, so they weren’t giving a lot of instruction. They just let us play.” Andy Sr.’s direct involvement in soccer has followed him for more than 50 years. Although he has accepted that his future involvement will be enjoyed as a supportive spectator for his family, he is thrilled so many family members are still enjoying the game beyond college. “It’s a game for life, it really is,” Andy Sr. said. “I’ve had a good run as a player and coach. I’m looking forward to enjoying the game as a fan.” THE STACKHOUSES
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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The Sullivans
HAVE MADE A LASTING IMPACT AT EVERY LEVEL OF SOCCER By Dan Guttenplan
I
f it seems like every youth soccer team in the Philadelphia area has a Sullivan on the roster, it’s because it’s true. Pretty close to it, anyway. For the last 50 years, that has been the case as multiple generations of the Sullivan family have been entrenched in Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer as coaches and players. There are currently 50 Sullivan cousins blitzing soccer fields around the Philadelphia area. The family soccer tradition dates back to the start of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer 50 years ago when legendary former Villanova University Men’s Soccer Coach Larry Sullivan coached at the ODP level. Sullivan continued to remain involved with Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer while serving as head coach at St. Joseph’s University (1988-89) and Villanova (1991 to 2007). While coaching at Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, he mentored players like current Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtin and Washington Spirit President Benny Olsen, along with his nephew, FC Cincinnati General Manager Chris Albright. Larry also coached his sons, Brendan and Bryan. “My father played with my uncles and family friends in the majors division,” said Brendan Sullivan, son of Larry. “They played for the legendary coach, George Montague. George’s son, Georgie; my brother, Bryan; sister, Megan; and cousins, Dennis and Kevin; spent every Friday night at our dad’s practices. Their training sessions would last hours at Lawncrest Recreation Center. We played for hours. On special occasions, we would be invited to join in.” The latest Sullivan soccer star to come up through Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer is Philadelphia Union midfielder Quinn Sullivan, Brendan’s son. Over the last 50-plus years, the Sullivan family has established a reputation for its disciplined, tactical approach to the sport. That approach may stem from Larry’s experience serving in the United States Army. He served in Vietnam, earning a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars of Medal, and the Army Accommodation Award of Valor. After returning home, Larry played at Temple University from 1970 to 1972. He made a name for himself as a coach at Father Judge High School from 1983 to 1991.
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“That was the first time I really remember him coaching and understanding the instruction,” said son Brendan. “He utilized a drill sergeant’s approach in those days. I remember the priests would close the windows when my father’s training sessions began.” With few exceptions, every member of the Sullivan family – in every generation – has come up through Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. While many have helped advance the family name in the sport, Brendan says he never felt any pressure to excel on the pitch. “My dad never pushed the game on me,” Brendan said. “In fact, he was very hands-off, unless I initiated an interaction. In my early days, he would just allow me to play and experiment technically. He refused to coach my actual organized teams until I begged him at age 12 or 13.” Brendan followed in his father’s footsteps, starring as a player in the Philadelphia area at St. Joseph’s Prep and Penn. He went on to play for five clubs in the A-League over a sixyear professional career. Brendan’s brother, Bryan, was a D1 goalkeeper at Philadelphia Textile and later coached at Villanova. “My father, mother, aunts, and uncles all grew up in Kensington and Juniata Park neighborhoods of Philly,” Brendan said. “They’ve all lived successful and meaningful lives. Most of this occurred outside of soccer. Soccer is secondary and what some of us did for fun.” Fun has been the name of the game for the Sullivan family in 50 years of participation in Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. That being said, as long as we’re keeping score, the Sullivans want to win. “My generation plays less these days, but we love watching our kids play and enjoy the game,” Brendan said. “My group of cousins has produced a bumper crop of new Sullivans with 50 and counting. Plenty of advice is dished out at family parties whether you ask for it or not. Thick skin is mandatory.” “It’s also about overcoming adversity. You have to learn how to overcome an obstacle whether it’s an injury or beating a really good team. Same with life. There are always obstacles. Sports help set you up for life and the lessons you learn you take with you for the rest of your life.”
CELEBRATING THE
TERRY UNDERKOFFLER
SOCCER COACHING CAREER OF
By Mike Barr
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hen thinking about what coaches may have had the biggest impact on youth goalkeepers in Region One my first thoughts directly go Terry Underkoffler. Underkoffler’s career as a coach, though remarkable, sometimes may be overlooked because his success with keepers has been on-going for close to forty years. Underkoffler, now living in Southern Delaware, was kind to come to our office and discuss his career and the significant impact he had on players he has coached. Underkoffler did not begin playing until age 14 at Souderton High School. He played as a forward because he had some speed and was left footed. Since his family did not have the finances for a fouryear college, Underkoffler attended Montgomery County Community College. He tried out at Montco under legendary coach Shelly Chamberlain. Chamberlain was a member of the first A-License Coaching course by legendary German instructor and coach Dettmar Cramer. Chamberlain’s influence on soccer in eastern Pennsylvania still resonates with hundreds of coaches. Arriving at the first try-out, Underkoffler was faced with 16 other players looking for the chance to play forward. After a few days of try-outs, Coach Chamberlain asked, “Terry did you happen to play basketball or baseball because we are in need of a keeper?” Underkoffler, faced with the prospect of limited time or worse – being cut – jumped at the chance and ended up playing two years at Montco as the keeper. When asked to describe Coach Chamberlain as a coach; Underkoffler responded fondly, “Shelly brought out a love for the game. Practice never felt like a chore. He initiated indoor soccer and intramural soccer at Montco, so I was playing constantly. He was a true inspiration to me and brough about an urge for me to be a soccer coach.” While at Montco, Underkoffler worked at the Philadelphia Atoms Soccer Camp directed by Atom’s coach Al Miller and Chamberlain. Underkoffler had the opportunity to work with Bob Rigby, the Atom’s goalkeeper who later played with the Cosmos and Team America. Rigby played soccer at Ridley High School and East Stroudsburg University. He was the first draft pick in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the first soccer player to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. During his tenure in the NASL, he played with many of the greatest soccer legends in the world. Underkoffler credits Rigby with introducing him to the technical and tactical components goalkeepers should display in both practice and games. In addition to Rigby, Underkoffler
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Mike Barr
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felt Tony DiCicco’s influence and instructions had the biggest impact on his coaching career. Underkoffler played his junior and senior years at Kutztown University under Coach Lee Hill and noticed a striking difference in coaching styles. “Lee had a strict German type coaching style and demanded a certain style of play in practice and games. It was quite a change from Coach Chamberlain.” Upon graduation, his first coaching position was at Methacton High School as an assistant coach. He also coached at Audubon and Inter-County Select. His coaching of keepers was recognized as strong and thoughtful as he carried the characteristics of Coach Chamberlain into coaching keepers. Over the next few years, he became involved with State Select (ODP) and the Regional Team program. Seeing a need, Underkoffler began to focus on coaching the keepers on the girls’ side. “In the early 80s, you were kind of looked down upon if you were a male coach training and coaching girls, but I saw it as an opportunity,” Underkoffler recalled. “Later in the 90s, as clubs, high schools and colleges began to focus on women’s soccer, male coaches took advantage of new opportunities and many moved to women’s programs.” In 1982, Underkoffler worked at Middle States Soccer Camp with Bruce Arena, who was the then head coach at the University of Virginia. Underkoffler revealed, “we immediately became friends. I admired his coaching and his dry sense of humor. I found out about how special his career was as a player. He had National Team experience as a keeper and was an All-American in lacrosse. That friendship led me to be invited to the University of Virginia Soccer Camp whose staff included Bob Bradley, Dave Sarachan, and Bob Jenkins. That first year at camp I noticed one of the goalkeepers attending camp and told Bruce to not let this kid get away. His name was Tony Meola.” The following year, Underkoffler was furloughed from his teaching position. He returned to the Virginia Camp in the summer and stayed to train the keepers through Virginia’s preseason. Coach Arena asked Underkoffler to join the Virginia staff, but a few days later he was told he had
a teaching job at Methacton. He decided to tell Arena he in the states? Kelly and her parents agreed to pursue the was going back to Pennsylvania to teach. possibility. Upon returning to the states, Underkoffler In the late 80s, Underkoffler began working at the provided the numerous college coaches he worked with Region One Camp at Franklin and Marshall College. through the years information about this English phenom. The Region One administrator at that time was Betty Most showed minimal interest, but there was no sincere D’Anjolell. Betty’s husband, Ron, was president of Eastern desire to pursue or even contact the Smith family. Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. Betty was a trial-blazer in U.S. One coach trusted Underkoffler’s knowledge in Soccer and would later become the first general manager identifying top players and left for England to meet Kelly for D.C. United. People often ignore this trailblazing event. and her family. The Smith family loved this coach from She was the first woman to be named general manager of Seton Hall University. They trusted her expertise, attention, a professional sports team. and guidance they knew she would provide. The coach Other pillars of women’s soccer at that time in eastern was Betty Ann Kempf Townsley who, in 1994, became the Pennsylvania were Pete Kennedy, Warner Fricker, Bob first head coach of this Big East program. Betty Ann also Urban, and Charlotte Moran. Underkoffler was quick to started the La Salle University women’s program and is point out, “There were so many volunteers in the 1990s now the head women’s coach at West Chester University. who made the girls’ side so strong in both Region One and Her coaching success has become the benchmark for all eastern Pennsylvania.” soccer coaches. Kelly turned out to be one of the greatest In 1991 Terry attended his first players in collegiate soccer, as she US Women’s National Team Game scored 76 goals in just 51 matches in against Australia at Upper Dublin and 1998 and 1999. She had an illustrious saw Kristine Lilly make her debut as career in WUSA. She played in two a 14-year-old. The final exhibition world cups for England’s National match before the flight to China took Team and is also England’s all-time place at UGH. Terry worked with and leading scorer. trained the starting keeper that day: Underkoffler has studied keeper Kim Maslin from Swarthmore, PA. techniques since his introduction He later coached the following US to the goalkeeper position at Women’s National Team keepers: Montco. He still observes and Jamie Paglilarulo, Kristen Luckenbill, critiques keeper performances from Nicole Barnhart, and Jodi Clugston. young club players to professional Underkoffler tole me, “These keepers in Europe during free time keepers were gifted athletes who in his schedule. He took pleasure in did not focus just on soccer nor only describing how diving techniques goalkeeping. They were confident, have changed dramatically and is “Be creative. Be successful athletes in other sports, now more of a gymnastic maneuver excited. If you as well as being strong field players. when landing. Underkoffler explained, maintain that They were a pleasure to train and to “Flexibility, strength, confidence, foot excitement for each later follow their success.’” skills like a field player, playing with player and the team it One day, Underkoffler found a sense of fearlessness makes for a himself in an elevator with former strong keeper.” carries through.” National Team Coach Anson In addition to his role as TERRY Dorrance. Dorrance looked at goalkeeping coach, Underkoffler was UNDERKOFFLER Underkoffler and said, “I think we the head soccer coach at Methacton both are responsible for a few High School, Upper Perkiomen High National Team players, aren’t we?” School, and Souderton High School. Underkoffler was surprised to hear Upon retiring in 2009, Underkoffler Anson bring up his success because they had only met a moved to southern Delaware and took a job as a few times. technology developer at Worcester Prep located along the In the late 1990s and early 2000s, ODP training was Delmarva Peninsula in Maryland. held two days a week in Phoenixville, PA. He marveled at After working at Worcester for a year, there was an the commitment and skills of the ODP players he trained, opening for a new head soccer coach. Underkoffler both girls and boys. He spent two weeks every summer at applied for the position. The administration had no idea the University of Massachusetts as the head goalkeeping of the success and reputation Underkoffler had in soccer coach from early in his career to 2019. communities and was thrilled he took the position. In In 1996, he went to Watford, England as the head coach seven years, Underkoffler turned the program around of select teams from Upper Bucks County. In an Under 17 and led Worcester Prep to five league titles against game, he marveled at the performance of a forward on mostly larger schools. Underkoffler also achieved a the Watford Club. He walked toward her after the game huge milestone at Worcester. He recorded his 500th high and asked if she has plans to play in the future and she school win. mentioned, “sure, but just local games.” Turns out this When asked the recipe for his success, Underkoffler standout player Underkoffler identified was Kelly Smith. replied, “Be creative. Be excited. If you maintain that After meeting her parents, Underkoffler further inquired excitement for each player and the team it carries through. if she would have an interest in playing soccer at a college Always remain calm and be prepared.”
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Registration for 2022 Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Camp is now open! WHAT: Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Resident Camp for players aged 9-15. Two weeks of camp (July 10-14, July 17-21) and three options (resident single occupancy, resident double occupancy, and commuter) are offered. Players U10-U15.
Players will work daily with U.S. Soccer Federation licensed coaches and members of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Technical Staff on:
Training habits to build confidence • Improved technical & tactical ability • Injury prevention techniques Attendees will also enjoy yoga sessions, arts & crafts, recreational sports, game viewings, movie night, electronic competition, Combine speed & agility component, classroom sessions with motivational speakers, soccer players & coaches, and more!
WHERE: Bryn Athyn College
WHEN: July 10-14, 17-21
COST: $650 (double room), $775 (single room), $400 (commuter)
A PIONEER ON THE PITCH
CYNTHIA FIELD
REMINISCES ON AN OFFICIATING CAREER FULL OF MEMORIES By Terry Jacoby
CYNTHIA FIELDS
CYNTHIA F IE WITH SON C LDS ODY
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n less than two years, Cynthia Field went from “helping out” at her son’s soccer games because officials weren’t showing up to standing on the sideline as the fourth official in an international match featuring some of the best female soccer players in the world. Talk about a swift kick to the top. Field was the fourth official for the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccersponsored U.S. Women’s Cup ’97 soccer game between the USA and Australia at Upper Dublin High School in Ambler, Pa., on June 5, 1997. That USA team featured Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, and Julie Foudy, among other talented U.S. soccer players. “When I was told I was going to be the fourth official, I didn’t even know what that was,” says Field, looking back on one of several seminal moments in her 26 years of refereeing. “I had no clue. I knew there were three officials on the field. I had no idea what the fourth official even did.” She would soon find out. She would soon be on her way to navigating a profession she loved and becoming a pioneer for female officials at the highest level of the sport. Field says that moment in 1997 in Upper Dublin was her “baptism by fire.” “You had coaches on both sides of you yelling at you and you had to be neutral and try to explain things the best you could,” she says. “I knew that this was going to be the make-or-break moment. If I could handle this, I could handle pretty much anything else going forward.” What that moment did give her going forward was instant credibility and long-lasting respect, not from just the players on the field that day but the players watching in the stands. “What turned out to be the best thing for me that day was there were girls at that game that I had refereed back home who saw me on the field and they were like, ‘hey, that’s our referee out there.’ They noticed me out there and it mattered to them.”
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FIELDS EW CYNTHIA E RE E CR F E R WITH
Another noteworthy occurrence that day at Upper Dublin High School was that three of the four officials were women. That was a pretty big deal back in the early days of women’s soccer, and Field’s contributions to the game both on and off the field are a pretty big deal today. Field remembers going to a women’s soccer game at Central Bucks High School West one afternoon when she noticed a group of people watching from the back with some clipboards in their hands. “I went and asked what they were doing and they were assessing the officials for this women’s game,” she says. “I went up and introduced myself and one of them was Frank Giancroce (who was synonymous with refereeing in Eastern Pennsylvania for more than 30 years). I told him that I just took my test and I had just started refereeing. I didn’t know he was the head of the whole refereeing program and he was very enthusiastic and encouraging.
That’s how it all really started for me.” tournaments, Regional tournaments, and other games Fast forward some 26 years and Field takes great pride and tournaments across the state. “I was the voice of in knowing that she was a trailblazer for women soccer the referee program for the youth program,” says Field, officials and helped pave the way for the many female who retired in 2017. “I mentored a lot of young officials referees who have followed in her footsteps. “Yeah, I and I loved it. I was so proud of these young people who sure do take pride in what I and others did,” she says. worked so hard at being good referees. There is great “There were a lot of firsts because when I started out, the pride in that.” women’s game was really just starting out. They gave Two of her former officials are now officiating in the me the opportunity to go to the Olympic Developmental MLS. Field saw first-hand the ever-changing women’s Program as a referee, to go to a Regional finals and even game and is proud to be a part of its growth. to a Youth National Finals where that is just 40 officials “It’s changed so much over the years,” she says. “It’s from across the country.” gotten so more athletic with more skilled players and When it came to pay scale, Field says it’s always been a it’s such a bigger, faster game now. And it’s really, really level playing field. exciting to see.” “As a referee I was always paid the same as the men,” Field graduated from William Tennent High School in she says. “You were paid for officiating a game and it Warminster in 1976. She has lived in Quakertown since didn’t matter your gender. And that was a great thing. Not 1982 with her husband and son. Back when she was a every profession can say that.” player of the great game, there wasn’t an organized team Field admits that refereeing a men’s game was always a outside of club soccer. bit of a challenge “until the whistle “There were no high school or blew.” travel soccer at that time,” she “You know, that first good says. “We didn’t know anything off-sides call or the first good foul different so it was just great to be call, they see you know what you’re outside and getting a chance to “As a referee I was doing and you are no longer looked play. I’m one of eight kids and I always paid the at as a female referee, you are just have five brothers, so we were just same as the men,” the referee,” she said. “You did have grateful to get a chance to play. to earn it a little bit and I think that We didn’t feel like we were being she says. “You were happens in any sport with officials. deprived because we didn’t know paid for officiating You have to earn your stripes any different.” a game and it didn’t before you starting getting that Field, who played softball in matter your gender. respect and that’s only fair.” college, didn’t get back into the Field certainly earned that soccer until her son started playing And that was a respect over the years, both on travel. She gave refereeing a kick great thing. Not and off the pitch from players, because “referees weren’t showing every profession coaches, administrators and fellow up at [her] son’s games, and they referees. In 2005, she received the were always short officials.” can say that.” David Spencer/Frank Pisch award “I just felt like this was a way I CYNTHIA from the Suburban One Soccer could help and get back into the FIELD Officials - it’s their Referee of the game I always have had a passion Year award. In 2018, she received for,” she says. “I didn’t grow up the Harry Rogers Award, another wanting to be a referee.” Referee of the Year honor. Her referee career began Field, who refereed four where everyone’s begins – at the Pennsylvania High School State Finals and also officiated bottom (or at the beginning). “I started refereeing at the at the collegiate level, including conference finals, took intramural level like everyone else does,” she said. “My refereeing seriously. She trained and kept herself in shape son was about 5-years-old, so it was nothing too serious. so she could always be in the right position to help make I just started helping out and refereeing games, and I just the right call. But there were certainly challenges. loved it right from the start. I loved the game and I loved “Parents can be really hard on you sometimes, and I being around the kids.” will admit it was a little nerve-racking at times especially Soccer officials must pass certain tests/qualifications when they would follow you out to your car,” she says. “If before refereeing at different levels. Grade eight is the you have to have security escort you out of the stadium beginner’s level and the lower you go, the higher level of and to your car, something is wrong. Having a man, or games you can officiate. even a woman, get right up on you and scream at you is “I became interested in refereeing more and getting just not right.” higher level games, so I went to a grade seven. The more “The worst part is that these parents and coaches who that I got into it, the more I loved it,” she says. “I was a scream at you are seen by the young players. If you act state referee for almost 15 years. I just loved it.” that way, they are going to act that way. They should be Despite retiring in 2017, Field keeps very active. She setting good examples.” runs almost daily and has completed seven marathons, After stepping off the pitch, Field was the State one ultra-marathon and more than 50 half-marathons. Youth Referee Administrator (SYRA) for 15 years She continues to watch the growth of women’s soccer where she helped select officials to work the ODP – with great pride! Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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Persistence On the Pitch:
ISABELLA STANKUNAS ON TRACK TO REPRESENT UNITED STATES BY DAN GUTTENPLAN
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ella Stankunas really shouldn’t be playing soccer at this level. After all, doctors predicted early in Bella’s life that she would never walk or talk. To this day, scans of the 14-year-old’s brain matter indicate that routine daily physical activity should be dramatically impacted, if not impossible, for her. Yet, here she is – a Perkiomen Valley High School freshman and up-and-coming star for the newly formed U.S. Women’s National Para Team made up of athletes with ambulatory cerebral palsy, stroke, or traumatic brain injury. In January, Bella attended her first national team camp in Lakewood Ranch, FL. Still, a year shy of being eligible to compete for the National Para Team, Bella was the youngest participant in the camp by three years. Although she impressed attendees with her play and work ethic, she will likely serve as a spectator for the first-ever Para Women’s World Cup in Spain this coming May, as the minimum age requirement is 15. “She’s good enough to play now, but I suspect she will probably not be selected based on age – not ability,” said Ashley Hammond, U.S. Soccer Disability Committee Chairperson and CP Soccer Founder. “Her technical footwork is excellent. She’s just a good player with an exceptional attitude toward training.” The fact Bella is able to train at all is a medical miracle. She was born healthy in the summer of 2007. However, a few days after birth, she contracted a rare virus. The virus attacked her central nervous system and, ultimately, the white matter in her brain. She was placed on a ventilator and in a coma at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
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Doctors believed Bella suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting from the experience. As a result, she was diagnosed with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which can often result in a further diagnosis of cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. “Bella defies medical science,” said her father, Jake Stankunas, a coach at FC Montco and Athletes Arbor. “We were told she would never walk or talk – let alone play soccer.” Years of therapy followed Bella’s HIE diagnosis. Her daily sessions of physical therapy, vision therapy, and occupational therapy would help bridge the developmental gap between Bella and her peers. After her therapy sessions, Bella often joined her father and older sister on the soccer field. “I am a professional soccer coach, so it was natural for Bella and her older sister to be on the sidelines as I coached,” said her father. “I remember carrying her in my backpack while running sessions. The soccer community rallied around Bella and has always been there cheering her on.” Bella started playing soccer formally at the age of five and – surprisingly – rarely presented symptoms of TBI unless fatigued. Over the next near-decade, she emerged as a prospect against players of all abilities. Bella’s development has yet to level off. She grew up playing for several local clubs, including West-Mont United, FC Delco, and now FC Montco. At the start of the pandemic, she began attending a daily Zoom training session that Hammond started for CP Soccer participants. He recognized her talent immediately and
recommended her for the U.S. Para National Team camp this past January. Bella admits there was an adjustment period during her first Para National Team camp. One major difference is that the Women’s Para Team plays 5v5 on a smaller field rather than the standard 11v11 match. “It was so much different; the speed was really fast compared to what I’m used to,” Bella said. “I used a lot of energy going back and forth.” Bella showcased enough talent that Para National Team coaches now expect her to become a roster regular for the next decade after she turns 15 in July. “IT WAS SO MUCH Bella plans to attend the Women’s DIFFERENT; THE SPEED Para Team’s week-long camp in April. To prepare, Bella completes WAS REALLY FAST daily workouts she received from the COMPARED TO WHAT U.S. National Para Team’s strength I’M USED TO,” BELLA and conditioning coach. She also SAID. “I USED A LOT OF started training with Penn Fusion’s ENERGY GOING BACK Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) AND FORTH.” where her older sister plays. Penn
Fusion provides a training platform that allows Bella to work on all areas of gameplay at a high level. “I still love playing with FC Montco because all of my friends are on that team,” Bella said. “I like Penn Fusion because it has a more intense level of training.” Bella and her father will also take leadership roles in bringing CP Soccer to Eastern Pennsylvania. Jake is working with Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer leaders to create a local chapter within the national CP Soccer organization. Once established, Bella plans to help coach the Eastern Pennsylvania CP Soccer team. “I want to be an example,” Bella said. Bella’s soccer story is only just beginning. The U.S. Women’s Para National Team appears to be in her future. If she continues excelling in school, so too might a scholarship to Clemson University. The American Athletic Conference program grants partial scholarships to any athlete who makes a Para National Team. Clemson is also the only American university offering trainers and coaches to hopeful Para athletes training to represent their country. “Bella was a player who found us,” said Hammonds, CP Soccer founder. “We saw a special talent. She has a bright future in this sport.” If you have an interest in Para soccer, please contact Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer at info@epysa.org for more information.
A STAR ENCOUNTER
Bella’s talent emerged early, and a larger soccer community opened for her. In 2016, when Copa América came to Philadelphia, Bella was selected to walk United States Men’s National Team with Clint Dempsey onto the pitch. Dempsey would later score the game’s only goal in the opening minute against Paraguay. “He had no idea that he was walking with a miracle,” said Bella’s father.
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THE KEY COMPONENT IN CHESTER UPLAND YOUTH SOCCER’S DECADE-LONG GROWTH IS ITS DEDICATION TO ITS MISSION: STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES BY MENTORING YOUTH, ENGAGING FAMILIES, AND PROMOTING HEALTHY LIVING.
GROWING LOCAL CHESTER UPLAND YOUTH SOCCER CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN
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here was a puzzle piece missing within Chester, Pennsylvania. Despite being a suburb of Philadelphia, the city of Chester appears far from it. Though already lacking resources and funding, the underprivileged city found another need that hadn’t really existed in the early 2000s: a need for organized soccer and safe spaces for kids. Chester Upland Youth Soccer found the missing piece. Since then, youth involvement has increased – so too has community engagement. Each year, more than 500 kids enjoy the activities and opportunities Chester Upland Youth Soccer has to offer. Whether it’s through after-school programs, mentorship, or social-emotional learning, Chester’s youth have access to opportunities that its neighboring communities have had all along. The key component in Chester Upland Youth Soccer’s decade-long growth is its dedication to its mission: strengthening the communities it serves by mentoring youth, engaging families, and promoting healthy living. Since its inception in 2012, Chester Upland Youth Soccer has engaged more than 30% of Chester’s 5 to 18-year-old population. The community has embraced Chester Upland Youth Soccer, but its growth has had its fair share of bumps and bruises along the way. “Throughout the organization’s history, we have suffered inconsistent funding, and that has posed many challenges in both program execution and future planning,” shared Jeannine Fallon Anckaitis, executive director of Youth Development United and Chester Upland Youth Soccer. It’s no coincidence that a community plagued with inequities and lacking resources is also the same community where underrepresented populations reside. Other circumstances also interfered with Chester Upland Youth Soccer’s ability to serve its kids effectively. That is until the organization successfully identified other opportunities to be a community resource outside of the sport itself. “COVID also presented a lot of uncertainty, but we actually managed to expand services as a result of the pandemic. We of course canceled our
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Spring 2020 season but instead distributed 1,000 Active Summer Fun Kits in an unprecedented program. During the 2020-21 school year, we responded to Stetser Elementary School’s request to provide midday soccer sessions once a week for over 100 additional students in grades 1 through 3. We offered art classes and STEM experiment demonstrations via Zoom during school holidays, and have now built ‘School Holiday Zoom Camp’ into our ongoing offerings,” Fallon Anckaitis shared. Akin to its partners like Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer, Chester Upland Youth Soccer places the priority of the kids first. It’s about being a reliable resource in the community for kids to feel safe and grow. This aspect is particularly important in Chester, where inequities, poverty, and crime are frequently higher than in other U.S. cities. Acknowledging barriers or inequities are aspects Chester Upland Youth Soccer frequently identifies
while ensuring its kids have an equal opportunity to be involved. Some initiatives, like Soccer Saturdays, offer weekend events for kids to look forward to. What’s unique is that kids have an opportunity to participate regardless of the event’s location. Many of its Soccer Saturdays events are held at different locations throughout the city to ensure transportation issues – or a lack thereof – don’t prevent a kid from being involved. The organization’s social awareness doesn’t stop there. The special event programs even offer benefits like free lunch or other postsoccer activities like movie night. These initiatives are successful because the community and its volunteers want participating young athletes to succeed. “For spring 2022, we have welcomed to our staff members of the Delaware County Community College men’s [soccer] team, we always work with students from Widener University, and some of our program alumni have come back to volunteer with our organization,” said Fallon Anckaitis. It’s apparent many of Chester Upland Youth Soccer’s staff are genuine in wanting to do right within their communities. Even Fallon Anckaitis mentioned that Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer clubs like FC Delco,
Springfield FC, Aston Soccer Club, and Nether United Soccer Club have provided meaningful support to the children in the Chester Upland Youth Soccer program. Many of these partnerships willingly come in the form of fundraising initiatives. One fundraising initiative, the Crossbar Challenge (spearheaded by Delco FC), engaged about 150 families and raised more than $6,000 for Chester Upland Youth Soccer. The funds raised will extend Chester Upland Youth Soccer’s reach in ensuring access is presented to under-served communities within the area. The organization is hopeful that other local clubs under Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer and beyond are interested in establishing partnerships to ensure equitable access is provided to all athletes. Inequities shouldn’t prevent kids from participating in sports and being involved in their communities. Working with organizations like Chester Upland Youth Soccer acknowledges the need that soccer is a positive outlet in the community. So long as the need for soccer and the lack of safe open green spaces exist, Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer will continue advocating for the success of organizations like Chester Upland Youth Soccer to ensure communities throughout eastern Pennsylvania are served.
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2022
ANNUAL AWARD BANQUET
WINNERS Service to the Community Award Philadelphia 2026
Team of the Year Award Penn FC 2004 Lightning (girls) and Villanova SA 2007 CENTURIONS (boys)
Coach of the Year Award Bill Becher, Penn FC (girls coach) and Bill James, PA Dominion (boys coach)
2022 Service to Youth Award Dan Kennedy, Penn Fusion-WCUSC and Kathy Helm, former board member and ODP manager
2022 D’Anjolell Award Ridley United Soccer Club
Young Referees of the Year Award Luca Bracalenti and Hope Barrist
Union League of Philadelphia Good Citizen Award Alison Harvey, Andre Carlson, Andie Salmon, Andrew Keddie, Anna Cleary, Ben Sparling, Caroline Oswald, Devon Runk, Edith Mackenzie, Erin Somerville, Julia Thompson, Maria Vyzaniaris, Maximillian Farma, Maya Johnson, Mia Zebley, Rachel Enache, Ryan Kuegler, Serena Harris, Sydney Snyder, Waseem Jawawdeh
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JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE
PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE
OF EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER
50 Anniversary Gala th
Saturday, April 30, 2022 5:00 – 6:30PM RECEPTION, 7:00PM DINNER
LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD
The 50th Anniversary Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Gala will be a one-of-a-kind event to honor and celebrate everyone who has positively impacted our community for the last half-century. The night’s event will include dinner, special guest appearances, presentations, and entertainment. To Purchase Tickets or Learn More, Please Scan the Code or Visit
epysa.org/news/50th-anniversary-gala-
E N I L H C U TO TRIVIA FIFTY YEARS IS A LONG TIME, AND WE’RE EXCITED YOU’VE JOINED US ALONG THE WAY! LET’S CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY TOGETHER! HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT OUR SOCCER HISTORY OVER THE LAST HALF-CENTURY? TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE TO FIND OUT.
1. WHAT YEAR WAS EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER FOUNDED? 2. PHILADELPHIA IS A 2026 HOST CITY CANDIDATE FOR WHAT EVENT? 3. WHAT YEAR DID THE USWNT WIN ITS FIRST WORLD CUP? 4. HOW MANY EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER REGISTERED TEAMS WON THE MCGUIRE CUP? 5. WHAT EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER REGISTERED TEAM WON BACKTO-BACK USYS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2003?
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6. WHAT CITY SET THE RECORD FOR THE MOST USWNT SINGLE-GAME ATTENDANCE? 7. WHAT WAS THE FIRSTEVER INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT PLAYED IN THE U.S.? 8. WHAT WAS RENAMED IN 1975 AND IS THE OLDEST YOUTH SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP IN AMERICA? 9. WHEN IS EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER’S 2022 RESIDENT CAMP? 10. EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH SOCCER HOSTED WHICH REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2011?
ANSWERS: 1: 1972
7: The Chiquita Cup
2: The 2026 World Cup
8: The James P. McGuire Cup
3: 1991 4: 10 5: FC Delco Arsenal 6: Philadelphia
9: July 10-14 and July 17-21 10: The US Youth Soccer East Region Championships
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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S E H C T A CLUB P YEARS
E H T H G U O R TH
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Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
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QUARTERLY CALENDAR er
s v ary Ga i th Ann l 0 a 5
APRIL 2022
JUNE 2022
3
ODP Training
5
ODP Training
24
ODP Training
11-12 East Region South ODP Event
30
ODP Northeast Sub Regional
11-12 Challenge Cup and NCS 18/19 Finals – West Mont.
30
50th Anniversary Gala
17-21 Presidents Cup Regionals - Charleston & Barboursville West Virginia 24-30 NCS Regionals - Charleston and Barboursville West Virginia
MAY 2022 21
NCS & Presidents Cup Finals – United Sports
22
Eastern PA ODP Friendlies
JULY 2022 9-10 East Region ODP Camp (Invite ONLY) 7-10 President Cups Nationals – Greensboro North Carolina 10-24 NCS National Championships – Orlando Florida
at Linc o
d l 50TH ANNIVERSARY e l Fi
Ln Financia
GALA
5:00 – 6:30pm Reception, 7:00PM Dinner
Saturday, April 30, 2022 Lincoln Financial Field
TO PURCHASE TICKETS OR LEARN MORE, PLEASE SCAN THE CODE OR VISIT
April 30 • scan here to learn more
th epysa.org/news/50th-anniversary-gala36
Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer
epysa.org