METRO FC
Players/teams: Metro FC has 45 competitive teams from U8 to U18, with about 670 select players. Metro has 250 kids in its recreational program.
Quote: "In terms of high school age, our coaching staff has the most nationally licensed coaches with United States Soccer Federation 'C' license or higher in the area," said Metro's director of coaching, Kevin Arcuri, who has his USSF 'A' and U.S. National Youth coaching licenses. "And many of our coaches are affiliated with the UD and Wright State coaching programs."
Tryouts for 2010-11: Metro tryouts, including those for Metro FC Coraggio, will be June 1-4, depending on age group and gender. They will be held at Delco Park in Kettering. For information or to register for tryouts, visit www.metrofcsoccer.net.
CUSA COURAGE
Players: CUSA Courage has 55 competitive teams from U8 to U14, with 547 select players. "We tend to pick fewer players, but have more teams," said Brett Thompson, executive director of CUSA. There are 1,400 children in the club's recreational program.
Quote: "All our coaches are either former professional or college players, and all have their licenses," said Thompson, who has his USSF 'A' and U.S. National Youth licenses and is on the U.S. National Staff. "And Janelle (Fritschie), our director of coaching, is the only female director of coaching in the state."
Tryouts for 2010-11: CUSA tryouts will be May 26-27, and June 1-4, depending on age group and gender. They will be held at Forrest Field in Centerville. For information or to register for tryouts, visit www.cusasoccer.org.
“It’s not a merger; it’s a partnership.”
That’s what directors from Metro FC and CUSA Courage soccer clubs are calling the Metro FC Coraggio program, which brings these two premier Dayton-area select soccer programs together for players U15 to U18.
“Coraggio” is Italian for “courage.”
The Metro FC Coraggio program, which is under the auspices of Metro, started in the fall with one girls and one boys U15 team.
Kevin Arcuri, Metro’s club director and director of coaching, used to work for CUSA. He said when he came to Metro, the relationship between the clubs was amicable.
“We started talking about how we could help soccer in the area by helping each other out,” Arcuri said. “Dayton is too small for the number of soccer clubs that currently operate. (With all these clubs), the talent gets somewhat diluted.”
Brett Thompson, CUSA’s executive director, said he thought the concept “really was a no-brainer.”
“My responsibility is to build a model soccer club,” said Thompson, who also is a member of the U.S. National Staff. “The desire is to be a regional force.”
CUSA’s select program is for players in U8 to U14. Thompson said the Coraggio partnership is intended to retain top Dayton-area players and form high school-aged teams that can compete regionally and nationally.
“We looked for a program that basically had our same ideals and character, and those things we feel are important — not just in soccer, but in life,” said Thompson, who also lauded Metro’s high school-age coaches as tops in the area.
“We are telling parents that this is the place to go,” he said.
Both Thompson and Arcuri acknowledged that getting younger players on board in the joint program may be a challenge.
“Ages 8 through 14, they play against each other,” Thompson said. “And sometimes the parents and kids don’t like each other, since they have been rivals for years.”
To address that, the clubs plan to have more interaction at younger age groups.
“We are going to have the U11, U12, U13 kids do some things together this fall, so at U15 (coming together) is not such a culture shock,” Arcuri said. “We may take six kids from our U11 team and take six kids from CUSA’s U11 team and go to a tournament.”
“We’ll have them stay at the same hotel,” Thompson said. “We’ll learn to live together and play together, and start to be friends.”
Haley Gribler, who played for CUSA, is on the inaugural Metro FC Coraggio girls team. She said her teammates have gotten along well.
“We struggled a bit early on since we all brought different styles and skills, but we’re getting a lot better,” said Gribler, a 15-year-old Springboro resident and member of the U.S. National Pool Team. “I think it was a really good idea (to partner the clubs).”
Gribler’s Coraggio teammate Allison Paley, who played for Metro FC last year, agreed.
“It’s like two different worlds, almost, coming together,” said Paley, 15, of Kettering. “But we are learning new strategies, and the competition is good.”
Both Arcuri and Thompson said they are getting the word out to club families and, at upcoming tryouts, will explain how the partnership works.
The plan is to have Metro’s “A” teams, which have been called “Rapids,” be phased out for the older players over the next four years.
“Also, with our uniforms for U15 and next year, we are putting gold (CUSA’s color) in there,” Arcuri said. “We are trying to show kids that this is the real deal.”
Metro’s U14 and younger teams will continue to be known as the Rapids.
Arcuri added that, whatever they are called, this partnership will give the kids the opportunity to play on stronger teams and build relationships.
“I hate when people say this,” Thompson said, “but it really is for the kids.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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