1. Why did you decide to sign with Citrus College?

Because the coaching staff is excellent and the program has a bright future ahead of it.

2. Describe the excitement you feel about becoming a college student-athlete?

Becoming a student athlete was both exciting and nerve wrecking, just because of the fact that I knew I would have to be 110% committed to this program and the school. But for the most part I was excited; being on a new team with a whole bunch of different people was exciting. I was ready to get to the next level.

3. What advice would you give to other athletes looking to get recruited?

I would tell other athletes to be focused on their studies and athletic career. Make the right choices in school. Don’t follow the crowd; be yourself, it’ll lead you to being successful. Make everything count, both in school and in your sport. You never know when someone important is watching you.

4. Who has been the biggest influence in your sports career and why?

My biggest influence has been my father and my high school coaching staff. My dad has been very supportive; he was there for me when I needed it. As for my coaching staff, they told me it was possible when I thought it wasn’t. They helped me through every obstacle and prepared me to get to the next level. I can not thank them enough for believing in me.

5. What would you like to accomplish during college sports career?

I would like to be the best I can be, win a conference championship, and make it far in state. I want to hopefully get noticed by a school and get a scholarship.

Over the last five years SportsForce Recruiting has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $50,000 in college expenses.

Learn How We Help Families

Ever wonder what the reflection of perfection looked like? With his performance against Bayer Leverkusen, Lionel Messi has proven why he stands alone as the best pound for pound soccer player in the world. “Leo,” as he is known all over Barcelona, is the kind of player you have nightmares about trying to defend. No matter how good you are, he is going to dismantle you, and that’s on a bad day when he has a calf strain…and he’s partially blind in one eye. Messi’s recent masterpiece came during a UEFA Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen in which the Messiah humiliated opposing defenders with 5 goals. The most impressive part of the highlight was that he wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

In this day of age where every sport adopts the mantra, “bigger, stronger, faster,” Messi tortures defenders who at times may be a clear foot taller than him, while he stands a diminutive 5’6”, weighing around 150 lbs. Being this size doesn’t bother Messi, as a child he was always the smallest kid, so he focused on control and agility as he believed he was built for that style of play. He may not look like the typical athlete but watching him is like poetry in motion when it comes to controlling and scoring with a soccer ball. With a focus on technique and speed, his brilliance is seen with his disregard towards a defense’s game plan to stop him. Clearly it’s working. He has help won multiple championships with Barcelona over the years, and he looks to add another UEFA Championship to the mantle this season.

Even with all of his success, some doubt Messi will ever reach ‘Legend’ status. Former Brazil striker Ronaldo agrees that Messi is an excellent player, but will only become a legend once he can claim a FIFA World Cup, a la Zidane and Maradona. What may be the most impressive stat for Messi is at 24 years old he has only just begun his campaign to be the best there ever was. So for the moment he is simply the best there is with milestone after milestone of achievements; ranging from the Ballon d’Or to FIFA World Player of the Year. And in this moment, when you’re the greatest soccer player in the world today your name transcends the sport. You become synonymous with greatness. So now, when an up and coming player has a great game. They don’t call you great, they call you “Lionel Messi.”

USA! USA! USA! Sound familiar? During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, you couldn’t go anywhere without shouts of patriotism being screamed from city streets all across the country. However, let’s face it; soccer is definitely not on most people’s radars at the moment. Except maybe after a thrilling 1-0 win against Italy, for the first time. The United States is finally building some confidence and momentum after Wednesday night’s win. It was a rare victory over a major soccer power; in fact, it was unprecedented. With Clint Dempsey’s goal in the 55th minute, the Americans’ beat the Azzurri for the first time EVER. That’s 82 years of trying to beat one of the world’s best. Make no mistake about it, this was a huge achievement for the USMNT.

But what does this win really mean? It will probably garner attention for a few days…maybe even a week. That’s the norm for American soccer fans. It was just a friendly match, and even though this win will give the team a much-needed confidence boost going into world cup qualifying this summer, the big question still remains: Why is there not a huge soccer following in the U.S?

Sure, there are scores of die-hard soccer fans scattered throughout the country, but it’s always football or baseball or basketball that seem to come first for Americans. Soccer seems to be more of a foreign, European/South American sport we don’t know much about and frankly don’t care much about. What are the rules? Why is the game so slow? For true soccer fans, every game is exciting, whether the score is a 5-4 shootout, or a 0-0 tie. Every game has a story and every game is a beautiful display of athleticism at its finest. Soccer players are incredibly talented athletes. Stamina, agility, quick footwork, these are just some of the things that soccer players excel at that sets them apart from all other athletes; imagine watching a football player try to play a full 90-minute soccer game.

So, I’m sure as the 2014 World Cup in Brazil approaches, more people will begin following soccer, but until then, the reality is most Americans are nothing more than fair-weather fans when it comes to the sport. Will soccer ever catch on in the U.S.? Does the win against Italy mean anything, or will nothing matter until the World Cup gets here?

Sport: Soccer Position: Midfielder Class: 2011 School: San Marcos High School San Marcos, CA

The Knights’ Brian Paleo helped his team to a win against Fallbrook with a goal and an assist in the 3-0 victory. Captain of his squad, Paleo continued his success with two assists in his team’s 6-5 win over Escondido. Paleo is also a high points leader in the San Diego section.

To view Brian’s complete SportsForce profile click here – http://www.sportsforceonline.com/athletes/brian-paleo-soccer-2011

Scouting report courtesy of SportsForce – Home for College Sports Recruiting Videos, Tips, Tools and Premium Services – www.sportsforceonline.com

Women Talk Sports recently shared an article from the Patriot News in Pennsylvania about the lack of sports icons for young girls. The article highlighted how many of us are hard-pressed to name a top female athlete outside of maybe a tennis star. It’s no surprise that women’s sports receive less attention than their male counterparts, but according to the article, the media is also fond of separating out certain players from their equally as talented teammates to make a media star. SportsForce not only supports the importance of the team mentality, but also ensuring our female sports are getting just as much exposure as our male sports, so needless to say, I was very interested in this articles topic.

For an example of this media treatment of female athletes, one must look no further than Mia Hamm of the 2000 US Women’s Soccer team. The article explains,

Hamm was the media darling from the beginning, and not by choice.

“The media wanted Mia, and that’s all they wanted,” said Jaime Pagliarulo, a Hershey native and former U.S. national team goalkeeper, who played for the Trojans in high school, and then played college soccer at George Mason University. She was in the national team player pool in 1996, and made the team again in 2001.

According to Pagliarulo, Hamm tried to share the spotlight with her teammates.

“She would say, ‘I’ll do interviews, but I’m bringing so-and-so with me’,” Pagliarulo said. “She recognized that it would take more than just her to carry the women’s soccer movement across the country.

“You’ve got a team of 24 players than the fans adore and love, but she was forced into the spotlight, and she did her part to try to distribute the press and the spotlight. That went for Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain too.”

After the Olympics, the team’s stars were separated out to different teams within the fleeting Women’s United Soccer Association, which lasted only three years before folding.

The lack of women’s sports icon does a great injustice to young female athletes. Though many may have their favorites, the media does not present them as ubiquitously as they do male athletes. Sports Force works hard to empower female athletes to take control of their future. We hope to help all of our young female athletes make it to the college level and beyond to help change the face of sports to include a few more females in the spotlight.

–article content courtesy Women Talk Sports and Patriot News

Nolan Mera is a center fielder for the University City High School baseball team. Nolan also plays for the SoCal Blast. Visit Nolan’s full profile and see his video below.

Nick Sloan is kicker/ punter for Scripps Ranch High School. The 5’11 185lb junior has been a member of the varsity squad since his sophomore year and was named the Special Teams MVP in 2008. Visit his full profile and see him in action below.

Mar Vista High Softball pitcher, Angelica Iacovetti has received much recognition for her talents, named 1st Team All-Southbay League Led league in HRs(6) 2nd Team CIF San Diego Section Div III Union Tribune Athlete of the Week(5-12-09) and San Diego Section III CIF Finalist. Angelica has her sights set on a few schools: St.John’s University; Academy of Art University; Stanford; University of California; Berkeley; Wagner College; San Francisco State; Savannah College of the Arts. Visit her full profile.

Shelby Isley is a midfielder for the Girls Soccer team at Archbishop O’Leary High School in Alberta, Canada. She is also a member of the track and field team. See her video below and visit her full profile.

A senior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, CA, Thomas Pluschkell plays third base and first base. Thomas received the All Academic Team AZ Fall Classic HS Coaches Award and is looking at MT, UCLA, Stanford, USC, UCSD and Notre Dame to continue his baseball career. See his video below and visit his full profile.

Chelsea Maestas is a junior at Murrieta Valley High School and plays second base and center field for the Nighthawks softball team. She also plays for the San Diego Legacy and was a member of the the 2009 League Champions and recieved the 2009 Golden Glove Award. Check out her full profile.

Nick Melka is a defensive end and tight end out of Lisle, IL. At 6’2” and 242lbs Nick is a force on the field. He is captain of the football team as well as a captain of the boys volleyball team. In his 2008 season, Nick has 51 Tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 5 ½ sacks and one blocked punt. So far in his 2009 season, Nick has 11 ½ sacks over six games and one blocked extra point.

For Nick’s complete profile, click here.

Sean Callahan is a midfielder for the boys soccer team at the San Diego Jewish Academy. Sean is the leading all-time scorer for San Diego Jewish Academy as well as a varsity letter man as a freshman and named to All-Citrus League Team, scoring 8 goals. Sean was named team captain as a sophomore and Citrus League Player of the Year, scoring 28 goals in 19 games.

For Sean’s complete profile, click here.

Bernadette Butkiewicz plays outfield and 1B/2B for Patrick Henry High School in San Diego, CA. She was named the offensive MVP last season and also plays for the San Diego Chaos. Bernadette defines herself by saying, “I work hard not only in practice and in games, but I do my own personal training at Velocity in Poway and work with hitting Coach Darren Johnson.”

For Bernadette’s complete profile, click here.

This past weekend SportsForce partnered with 16^th Annual San Diego Premier Classic . The tournament was held at several different fields throughout San Diego. Over 200 teams turned out for the tournament which offered play for both Boys and Girls U9-19 in Silver and Gold levels.

SportsForce filmed some of the top Mens U18 teams including the Del Mar Sharks 92 Premier, Arsenal FC, PQ Premier Red, SE Cosmos (Texas) and the United FC Black. SportsForce also caught the top action out of the Girls Division, where the SoCal Blues Defeated the San Diego United FC 3-0 in the finals of the U16 Gold Division.

Below is a list of the games we filmed and links to purchase professionally shot and edited games for $30 + tax & S / H.

If you are interested in having SportsForce cover your tournament games please contact us directly here.

Girls Games:

8/16/09 Girls U16 Championship: SC Blues vs. San Diego United

Boys Games:

8/16/09 Boys U18 Semifinals: Del Mar Sharks 92 vs. SEFC Cosmos

8/15/09 Boys U18-S: San Diego United vs. Carlsbad Lightning

8/15/09 Boys U18-G: Del Mar Sharks 92 vs. Arsenal FC

8/15/09 Boys U18-S: Del Mar Sharks 92 vs. PQ Premier Red

8/15/09 Boys U18-G: PQ Premier Red vs. Arsenal FC

8/15/09 Boys U18-G: PQ Premier Red vs. SEFC Cosmos

SportsForce Website Launch Plan in Final Phase

The SportsForce Blog has been a little MIA lately as the team has been putting all of our efforts into getting the main site up and running to increase our reach to athletes everywhere and help drive their sports careers forward.

The SportsForce team has been working around the clock adding athletes to the site. Almost every athlete has a full profile including athletic and academic information, and a video –which is no easy task to add over one hundred athletes in a short period of time, but the team was up for the challenge.

Here’s a recent girls basketball profile we completed for a rising senior that is getting actively recruited a few different colleges on the west coast.

Ariana Elegado – Guard – Class of 2010 – La Jolla Country Day School – San Diego, CA

Here are some more feature athlete profiles per sport to check out:

Boys Basketball- Jvonte Brooks

Baseball – Geoff Rocha

Girls Basketball – Ariana Elegado

Football – John Stephens

Boys Lacrosse – Alex Pardieu

Girls Lacrosse – Tarrah Lynch

Softball – Alex Miller

Girls Volleyball – Laura Plumb

The team has also been working hard making all the pages look the best, be helpful and of course fix some little bugs that may be there. Stay tuned for the site to be fully launched very, very soon!

SportsForce Partners With Premier Classic Soccer Tournament

This past weekend SportsForce partnered with 16^th Annual San Diego Premiere Classic . The tournament was held at several different fields throughout San Diego. Over 200 teams turned out for the tournament which offered play for both Boys and Girls U9-19 in Silver and Gold levels.

SportsForce filmed some of the top Men’s U18 teams including the Del Mar Sharks 92 Premier, Arsenal FC, PQ Premier Red, SE Cosmos (Texas) and the United FC Black. SportsForce also caught the top action out of the Girls Division, where the SoCal Blues Defeated the San Diego United FC 3-0 in the finals of the U16 Gold Division.

For complete results of the tournament, visit https://www.gotsport.com/events/?EventID=5583.

SportsForce Set to Conduct Baseball Combine Workout For Rising Seniors in San Diego

SportsForce will be conducting a baseball combine this coming weekend at East Lake High School in Chula Vista, CA. The combine video workout is ideal for student-athletes that are interested in putting together a skills video to market themselves to colleges around the country.

The SportsForce combine model allows an athlete to be professionally video taped and measure while performing sports specific skills that college coaches require to better evaluate potential prospects . The SportsForce baseball combine workout includes the 60-yard sprint, pitching, catching, hitting and fielding stations.

Here’s an example of a combine workout video that has been integrated with our new SportsForce athlete profile system.

Geoff Rocha – Catcher – Class of 2009 – Cathedral Catholic

College coaches from top programs around the country including Cal, Stanford, Harvard, Florida, and Boston College descended on Del Mar’s Polo Fields this past weekend to witness the top soccer players from around the country and beyond compete in the 2009 Surf Cup. The Surf Cup is the premier location for college soccer recruiting all year. While coaches aren’t allowed to talk to players or parents at the tournament and vice versa, the athletes do all the talking with their play on the field.

College Coach Communication

It is a standard procedure for athletes who are going to be playing Surf Cup to send an email to their prospective school’s coach ,complete with their Surf Cup schedule, schedule for the remainder of the summer, and a video, if they have one. The coach is allowed to respond to this initial communication at will, but is banned from talking to the athlete or their parents at the event itself. If the coach likes what they see, they will follow up with the player. If the coach views the athlete as a potential recruit, they might ask for transcripts for review, ask for further game video, or ask them to make a visit to the school. It is important to note that none of the follow up will happen unless the athlete makes the effort to contact those coaches of those schools they are interested in attending.

Coach’s Presence

Everywhere you turned at the 2009 Surf Cup you ran into a different college coach, each one decked out head to toe in their school’s gear. A stroll in between fields would seem to reveal that there were more coaches than players. At any one time, there might have been 25 coaches watching one game. Can you imagine the pressure? The coach from your dream school sits there scrutinizing your every move. If you’re not the first one to a loose ball or you miss a pass even by just a couple inches, that coach does not hesitate to furiously write some sort of comment next to your name.

The worst part? They all sit in a neat little row armed with their easy flip, portable chairs, drawstring backpacks, and yellow notepads. The Duke coach who is sitting directly adjacent to the Georgia coach is looking very quizzical. The UCLA coach who sits in between the Michigan and Cal coaches is sneaking a peek of his rival’s notes. The Syracuse coach is minding her own business but scribing what seems to be a novel on one of her players of interest. All of this is going on while these 16-18 year old kids are trying to make a play for their team.

While it seems impossible for any one of these players to focus on the field, JP Scatterday of the U19 Mustang Ajax told me that it is easy for him to zone in. Because the field is so big and the action is so intense, he finds it easy to stay focused and is usually surprised when he finds out the number of coaches that were watching his game. The amount of composure these teenagers are able to display despite such overwhelming pressure is impressive.

The Action

Accompanying the perennial powerhouse club teams of Southern California (San Diego Surf, So Cal Blues, So Cal Real, West Coast FC, Irvine Strikers, So Cal United, and Slammers FC) were teams from all over the country and all over the world. Aside from the continued dominance of the Southern California teams across the board, the Northern California teams had the next best showing. While Southern California teams won 3 of the divisions and had a presence in 8 of the 12 finals, Northern California teams won 4 of the 5 divisions in which they had teams in the finals. The best international showing goes to the Vancouver Whitecaps of Canada. Their Girl’s U19 team made it to the finals of the super division while their Men’s U19 team was able to advance to the semifinals.

XKSanDiego.com

For more on this weekend’s Surf Cup including results, pictures, articles and more, visit San Diego’s one stop shop for soccer news at www.xksandiego.com. Complete coverage of events, tournaments, and teams from around the San Diego area year round can be found at xksandiego.com.

SportsForce was able to capture some awesome footage, get plenty of quality interviews, and increase awareness of our brand throughout the soccer community. All in all it was a great event and one that SportsForce hopes to do more with in the future.