2012 Virginia Club Champions League Boys Select

2012 Dallas Cup XXXIII

Team in Alpha Order: Burke Bender, Marcel Berry, Howard Charles-Rivera, Daniel Damiani, Christopher Fleischer, Jalen Johnson, James Kasak, Evan Kramer, James Lodge, Zachary McMurrer, Lucas Mendes, Julian Ngoh, Anthony Rogers, Trey Vinson, Jonathan Whyte, Daniel Zeitoun

Coaches: Trip Ellis and Joe O’Carroll

Manager: Dave Amsler

About the VCCL League Select Program

VCCL was founded in 1997 by five Directors of Coaching to provide a club-based league with an environment that encouraged development of players from within each member club.

To further enhance the development of players, the VCCL Board of Directors named the first Champions League Select U14 boys team that fall. An application was submitted to the Dallas Cup, and based on the reputation of its directors, the team was accepted to represent VCCL in the 1998 Dallas Cup....more

VCCL Concept

The Virginia Club Champions League was founded in January 1997 as one of a small number of soccer leagues based on the philosophy that the player is a member of the club as well as a member of the team and that successful clubs develop players and teams from within rather than through recruitment.

Play began in the fall of 1997 for boys teams U-11 through U-18/19. In June 2000 girls teams were added with play beginning in the fall 2000 season. VCCL adopted eight-a-side play for U-11 teams beginning fall 2005 and eight-a-side play for U-12 teams beginning fall 2007.

The five founding clubs were Beach FC, FC Richmond, Richmond Strikers, Roanoke Star and Williamsburg Soccer Club (now Virginia Legacy). Member clubs increased to eight with SOCA (fall ’02), Richmond Kickers (fall ’04), and Virginia Rush (fall ’05)

Gedion Zelalem at the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup XXXII

Olney Rangers U-15s star Gedion Zelalem signs contract with London giants Arsenal FC

By Charles Boehm of Potomacsoccerwire.com

Bethesda, Md. resident and Olney Rangers standout Gedion Zelalem has signed a professional contract with English Premier League heavyweights Arsenal FC, according to multiple reports over the past week....

"...Danny saw [Zelalem] a few times up in the D.C. area, and then he went down to Richmond and guested with a team down there when Steve Morrow was in town [for the Jefferson Cup in March],” explained Pilkington, an Englishman who starred at George Washington University during his college career. “And then we went to Dallas Cup and he watched three or four of his games, so they’ve seen him a bunch." Danny Karbassiyoon.... more