Storage Shed at Preston Park

Storage shed at Preston Park

Drawing:  Emily Buchwalter, Medici Architects

You may have noticed our little tan-colored jobbox on the north side of the fields.  We store our corner flags, net repair materials, and tools in it.  It's stuffed fuller than the 20 lb Thanksgiving turkey we had for dinner last night and inadequate to the task.  We need storage space to properly house the gear necessary to keep our fields and equipment in tip top shape.

Thankfully, a few good folks have stepped up to advance the creation of a storage shed that will be used by King County and EFC.

Our plan is to build the shed Amish-style, with volunteer help under the supervision of men who know what they're doing.

So, in no particular order, thanks to...

• Brad Bastian.  BNBuilders.  Brad and his team will do the supervising.

• Derek Cowart.  Pinnacle Lumber & Plywood.  Derek has agreed to donate much of the materials.

• Emily Buchwalter.  Medici Architects.  Emily spearheaded the drafting of construction drawings and engineering, with able assistance from Michelle Leszcynski and engineering from Brian Lampe of BTL Engineering.

• TJ Davis and King County Parks.  Permits and gap funding.

Pics of the Week

Here are five new images from photographer David Pang.  These were taken at the recent US Club Soccer Washington Cup.  The team is the G98R (U11) girls, coached by Michelle French, playing against FC Crush.

David's shots are consistently high in quality.  I've talked with him about his camera, it's setup, where he tends to shoot from, and what part of the field he concentrates on.  Despite duplicating all those factors, my images come up short in comparison. 

Which goes to show image quality comes from the mind and the eye of the photographer - not necessarily the equipment.

Enjoy.

Eastside FC keeper Sophie Butterfield fights through the crowd to block a corner kick.

Photo: David Pang

Maud Van der Kooi clears a ball before an on-rushing Crush player.

Photo: David Pang

Alexa Kirton (Eastside FC) fights off a determined Lauren Hudson (Crush) for a header.

Photo: David Pang

Sophie Butterfield passes the ball to start an attack.
Photo: David Pang

Catie Buck advances the ball up the field to continue another Eastside attack on Crush.

Photo: David Pang

Overview of Our Adidas Partnership

As you've heard, we have a new partnership with adidas for player uniforms.  We recently finalized the agreement and I wanted to share with you some of the highlights...

• The Uniforms Themselves.  First and foremost our players will wear the best quality uniforms available in the market.  We will be starting with the Condivo line next spring.  The kit is engineered with ClimaCool fabric which conducts heat and sweat away from the body through a combination of heat and moisture-dissipating materials, ventilation channels and three-dimensional fabrics that allow air to circulate close to the skin.  The kit also features ForMotion technology, engineered to fit an athlete’s body in motion through 3-dimensional design and by flattening the seams to reduce irritation.  Our players will enjoy increased comfort and performance from this outstanding uniform.  Stay tuned for pics of the kit.

• Coaches Kit.  Each coach will receive a complete kit for coaching.

• Scholarship Uniforms.  The club will receive 45 player uniform kits in support of our scholarship program.

• Marketing Support.  EFC will be considered a priority club for purposes of adidas marketing initiatives and campaigns and competition events.

• Bonus Program.  Additional jerseys and polo shirts will go to teams who win state and regional championships.

• International Training Program.  EFC will have access to the adidas International Training Program which offers travel to educational/developmental experiences with top adidas partner clubs including Real Madrid, Chelsea FC, Liverpool FC, Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Riverplate, and Fluminense.

• adidas-Sounders FC Partnership.  adidas and Sounders FC offer us access to Sounders coaches clinics, chalk talks, private clinics, and practice visits.

We look forward to this exciting new partnership.

B94R team finishes #2 in Far West Regional League

EFC's B94R team (U15).  Coach Dan Strom.

Saturday and Sunday, Nov 21-22, our B94R (U15) team finished up competition in the Far West Regional League.  This league is comprised of some of the best teams in the western United States from Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Washington.  Overall, the boys finished second in the league against top notch competition.  Teams in this year's BU15 league included:

Final Four Standings

LAFC Chelsea
Eastside FC B94R
Albion White
Aztecs FC Premier

Plus

Sereno South 95 White
TSA Red B95
Real So Cal White
San Diego Surf Boys 94-95 Academy
South Bay Force Black
Sereno 95 Boys White
SC delSol 95 Boys
Striker FC VI
DMCV Sharks B94 White

Here are Coach Dan Strom's observations about the final 4 round of competition and what it takes to compete at this level....

"In the first game the boys were beaten by a team of fantastic players from LAFC Chelsea. We did not play our best game and they played flawlessly.  The score [5-1] indicates they punished us for every mistake we made.

The last two games were good performances, especially beating the # 3 team in the region, Albion, who, in their third game, tied the Chelsea team.

The lesson was not lost on our players:  the next time they play Chelsea they will be ready to compete against the best team in Southern California and one of the best in the nation. WCFC from Southern California was the U14 national champion and came in 2nd to Chelsea in the fall Coast League.

I guess the lesson from the 9 games (7-2) of the Far West Regional League this fall was that when competing with the top teams in the region, a bad or average game performance will result in a loss.

Our previous regional tournament experience, Surf Cup, and out-of-state tournament play provided the necessary foundation for later success. What’s more, team speed and athleticism is a must and technical proficiency is critical and needs to be trained constantly in the U10 - U15 years.

This weekend, there was no substitute for a fine first touch under pressure and the ability to play fast.

Just a couple of observations...."

Tom Bunnell Named KingCo 4A and NSCAA Washington State Coach of the Year

Tom Bunnell, the head coach of the varsity girl's soccer team at Issaquah High School, and one of EFC's coaches, was named the KingCo 4A Coach of the Year and NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Washington State Coach of the year. These are Tom's 11th and 12th Coach of the Year awards since he has been with the Issaquah girl's program for the last six years.



Tom and the IHS girls varsity soccer team just finished the high school season, with a trip to the championship game against Skyline. The game ended in penalty kicks for a final score of 2-1.  The game showcased many EFC players.

Tom is the our goalie coach. In addition to being the head coach for IHS, Tom also coaches Skyline’s goalies Tina Vargas and Jill Stika, who are EFC players as well.  Tina and Jill made a couple of key saves during the game and the penalty kick tiebreaker to clinch the win for Skyline.

Tom's connection between Issaquah, Skyline and EFC teams is indicative of the nature of the game – we compete fiercely, but in the end, we’re one interconnected community of people.  It IS a beautiful game and we love it.

This season's championship game marks his 5th trip to the big game in girl's high school soccer. His teams have tallied three State championships and two Runner-ups.

Congratulations Tom!  We're lucky to have you in the family.

US Club Soccer Washington Cup Tournament Successes

Three Eastside FC teams were crowned champions at the 2009 US Club Soccer Washington Cup at Starfire last weekend.

Congratulations to our girls GU11R, GU12R and GU13R teams for taking home the championship trophy. Each team dominated in their bracket.

Coach Michelle French hands out pennies for the warmup to the GU11R championship game.

Photo:  Mike Racine

GU12R Champs.  Coach Kelly Smith

Photo:  Jeff Sullivan

GU13R Champs.  Coach Chance Fry.

Photo:  Mike Racine

GU13W, coached by Emily Cole, earned a semi-final finish.

Coach Emily Cole debriefs her team after a very strong showing against WPFC.

Photo:  Mike Racine

Check out this video from Phil Emory of a key goal for GU13W...

This was the third match for our GU13W team.  They need a 3-0 victory to advance. So with the score 2-0 in the 54th minute, EFC's Wolfie Pendelton intercepts a pass, sends it up to Kellcy Emory for the assist to Julia Meade and the game winner.
Video:  Phil Emory

For those receiving our blog posts via email, you can view the clip here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL2YWrt3W2A

Hillary Zevenbergen Cascade Conference Player of the Year

Hillary Zevenbergen

Cascade Conference Offensive Player of the Year

U18 Red Team Player, Hillary Zevenbergen was named the Cascade Conference Offensive Player of the Year.  Hillary is a 4 year varsity player at King's High School in Shoreline in Division 1A where she excels athletically and academically.

She has been recognized with All League First Team honors for three years and her freshman year she was recognized as Second Team All League.

"Hillary has a great combination of athleticism and soccer sense. She is capable of putting the ball in the back of the net and also getting her teammates the ball in scoring situations." said EFC Coach Tom Bialek.

Hillary has played on the G91R team for the past 2 years and will be playing for the University of Washington women's soccer team next fall on scholarship.  Although she's "nervous and excited", the presence of her cousin Louise Albin on the team should smooth the transition.

I asked Hillary about her time here at Eastside FC.   "It's been good.  I really liked the girls.  We've been successful and had a ton of fun.  I've learned about playing at a higher level and working hard for your teammates.  I felt a strong bond with my teammates that I hadn't felt before on my prior teams.  I learned how to push myself to be better."

She still mulling over her future areas of academic focus:  maybe English, perhaps orthodontics, perhaps business.   No doubt there are great things ahead in her future.

Congratulations, Hillary