Team will travel to Virginia Beach, VA to compete for US CLUB Soccer National Title

The U15 Marine Girls were crowned US Club Regional Champions this past weekend in Seattle, WA and will continue their work towards a National Championship in Virginia in July.  “Our girls competed incredibly well during this long weekend – they battled through injuries, fatigue, great competition and came away with an excellent series of wins” according to Head Coach Mike dePinna. 

“I was so happy to see the girls’ hard work over the year pay off with this series of wins and I’m really proud of how well they worked together to create opportunities on offense and to play the type of team defense that we stress.  Many of the games were close, but there was a sense during all of them, that we were ready to break the game at any moment.  Hopefully, this will be a launching pad to a greater future for these girls.  Hopefully, we have progressed to the point that I refer to as “auto-pilot” -  where our natural, organizational habits will keep us in games, until we can create a “special moment”.  It is a trait that the top FC Portland teams have always had, and signals to me that perhaps this group could become one of those teams. “ 

The Academy will be seeking a third national title and the second from US Club Soccer, having earned one through the FC Green Team in 2002-2003. The Academy’s first national title came through USYSA in 1995 on the Boy’s side.

Coach dePinna stated “We train with a purpose at every level, age group and during each session and that purpose is to help our players develop, whether it’s their technical skills, their tactical awareness or their mental toughness. I’m proud that players on this team continue to work to get better and position themselves to understand those highest levels of competition and development.”