City F.C. News

Readers of the District’s Current Newspapers were treated to a well-written, multi-page article this week about City Football Club (City F.C.) by Current correspondent Boris Tsalyuk.

City F.C. is featured in the Nov. 26, 2008 issue of The Current Newspapers.

Tsalyuk’s “City F.C. helps D.C. students excel in soccer” was featured in The Current’s Nov. 26 issue on page 11 in the sports section, introducing readers of the historic newspaper to City F.C. and its efforts to serve D.C. high school students.

“The D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association soccer season is over, but City F.C., a free, volunteer-run program that bridges soccer and academics, is back for its second year, with clinics starting in December,” the article announced, adding: “Off the field, the program has helped players build relationships that they hope will be long-lasting.”

To read the story, which features quotes from City F.C. players and coaches, click HERE and scroll to page 11.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a program combining competitive soccer and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City F.C. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.

For more information, visit CityFC.org or contact the club directly by emailing CityFCDC@gmail.org.

The boys of City Football Club (“City F.C.”) took home their first-ever trophy as the runners-up of the boys “City Championship” game at the District Parks and Recreation (DPR) Employees’ Cup on Saturday, Nov. 15.

City F.C.'s unofficial mascot Mason LeChat poses with his favorite new chin-rubbing accessory.

With the game’s outcome uncertain until the final moments, City F.C. lost 9-8 to a team sponsored the Office of Latino Affairs (OLA) in a futsal contest at the Riggs-LaSalle gymnasium in northeast Washington, D.C. The event was organized by DPR Soccer Coordinator Abdullah Tunis.

Futsal is a five-on-five version of soccer played on a gymnasium floor. Unlike “traditional” indoor soccer, futsal incorporates out-of-bounds rules and uses a smaller, heavier ball to encourage creativity and skill in the tight playing space.

City F.C. was born from weekly open gym futsal gatherings for the District’s high school-aged boys organized in the winter of 2007-08 by City F.C. co-founders Roy Kelly and Dan Driscoll and DPR’s Tunis. However, the Employees’ Cup provided City F.C.’s boys with their first futsal experience with a goalkeeper, as last winter’s gatherings used miniature goals and did not incorporate a netminder.

“It was a really great event,” said Kelly, who coached the team in the Cup final. “The OLA kids were really impressive, and our guys really got into. I think this sets us up well for our winter plans.”

The winter futsal “open gym” sessions are scheduled to return this winter, with DPR’s Tunis having arranged for a two-hour slot for high school-age girls on Saturdays – 10 a.m. to noon – at Sherwood Recreation Center and a three-hour session for high school-age boys later that day – 1 to 4 p.m. – at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, site of the original futsal clinics. Kelly and Driscoll are set to return and have recruited several other qualified volunteers to help out.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a program combining competitive soccer and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City F.C. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.

For more information, visit CityFC.org or contact the club directly by emailing CityFCDC@gmail.org.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) closed out its fall season in impressive fashion, thumping the North Potomac Predators 4-1 on Nov. 9 in the teams’ “position” match for third-place bragging rights.

On a brisk November afternoon at Gaithersburg’s Centerway Park, City F.C. central midfielder Amit Singh, a senior at the School Without Walls, tallied the first hat-trick of his City F.C. career and his midfield partner Oliver Samuel-Jakubos – also a senior at School Without Walls – headed home an insurance goal. Goalkeeper David Stein, a senior at Wilson H.S., kept things tight in the back with four clutch saves, including a penalty kick stop in the first half.

“I thought the boys played very well on Saturday afternoon, showed great fight, displayed some impressive skill close to the goal, and got revenge for a difficult loss earlier in the season,” said City F.C. co-coach Benny Hammond. “It was a pleasure to watch the game.”

The victory gave City F.C. claim to third place in the MSI “Classic” high school boys’ Division 1 standings, a rewarding an outcome given the 7-0 defeat a shorthanded City F.C. suffered against North Potomac in the teams’ regular-season duel. City F.C. finishes its season with five wins and three losses.

“It’s a great win for the boys,” said City F.C. co-coach Dan Driscoll. “We’ve come a very long way since we started this program a year ago, and words cannot express how good it feels to see the skill and character development that has been taking place in our ranks. Guys who were brand new to soccer 18 months back are displaying incredible poise on the pitch, and showing themselves to be mature young men as well.”

Driscoll said these qualities owe largely to the boys’ strong desire to work hard and push themselves, as well as their parents consistent efforts to support them.

“We have great parents on this team,” he said. “They come out to the games, they work out carpools so every kid has a ride to the field, and they just clearly are doing a great job at home, because when our guys show up, they show up ready to focus and learn.”

Co-coach Roy Kelly agreed.

“The results speak for themselves,” he said. “This team has improved leaps and bounds from when the boys started playing together last season. Not only are our traditionally-strong players becoming more instinctively refined and more consistent in their performances, but our less-experienced players have really begun to show their true potential.

“Specifically, Elijah Umek, “EK” Umez-Eronini and Avery O’Brien, who had nothing short of breakout seasons, demonstrated that they have matured as players and are all potential game-changers.  Other raw talents include Jaafer Mohamed — playing just his second season playing organized soccer after moving the United States from Baghdad — newcomer David Brescia-Weiler, and converted American football linebacker Mrinal Widge. The coaching staff is particularly eager to work with all of these players in the offseason to continue developing their skills and understanding of the game, as well as to get them physically-fit.”

“It was great to close out our fall season with a convincing win,” added fellow coach Michael Lingenfelter. “Amit was spectacular with his hat-trick.  He is continuing to improve and a pleasure to watch. I am confident he can play in any Division III college program and many Division I programs as well. Oli’s header for our fourth goal was also a good one, and I am glad that he was able to close out his campaign with a goal. I look forward to off-season training and indoor futsal….You better believe I’m lacing up my boots too!”

As Lingenfelter’s comments indicate, while the MSI season has wrapped, City F.C.’s efforts are hardly done. City F.C. will commence its free winter indoor futsal clinics in early December. SAT, subject and college application tutoring is ongoing, with several academic workshops planned for coming months. As always, these programs are provided at no charge to participants.

Most significantly, City F.C. is launching a girls program for the first time. A weekly girls-only futsal clinic will be offered this winter, and from the pool of players who attend these clinics, City F.C. expects to identify players to form its first-ever girls team, which is expected to begin playing in the MSI “Classic” high school girls league in Spring 2009.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a program combining competitive soccer and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City F.C. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.

For more information, visit CityFC.org or contact the club directly by emailing CityFCDC@gmail.org.

With one game remaining in the fall 2008 season, City F.C. currently holds third place in the MSI Classic high school boys’ Division 1 standings with 12 points in seven games.

With the team’s only losses occurring at games when the group was forced to play short because of injuries or without a regular goalkeeper – including one to starting goalkeeper Michael Edmondson, who suffered an ACL tear the day before the team’s second loss on Oct. 4 – City F.C. has shown considerable improvement since the spring 2008 season, when the team won just two games all season.

“The top teams in the league are very competitive,” says City F.C. co-coach Roy Keyy. “in order to win games in the postseason, our boys will definitely have to perform at their peak.”

Fielding an internationally-diverse roster that includes players from Cameroon, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine, El Salvador, Guyana, Iraq, India, Italy and Nigeria as well as the United States, City F.C.’s melting-pot style of play has proved effective against opponents, with players constantly inspiring each other – as well as their coaches – with new techniques and tactics. From the South American flair of forwards Lautaro “LC” Cabrera (Argentina) and Victor Andrade (Brazil) to the fancy footwork and speed of midfielder “Eto’o” Kemda Gilbert Boli (Cameroon) through to the tactical sensibilities and physical prowess of defensive players Robi Carozza (Italy /  USA), Robert Hirt (USA), Oliver Samuel-Jakubos and John Doherty (USA).

“We’re truly proud of our unique playing environment,” says City F.C. co-founder and co-coach Dan Driscoll. “We started this program with indoor clinics featuring futsal, a foreign form of the Beautiful Game that is popular in Brazil and Spain, and now those skills are showing up in our competitive games. It’s just so much fun to watch. We’re supposed to be their coaches, but so often, we find that they are teaching us a thing or two. But at the same time, we’re teaching them to think tactically, so that more and more, we are seeing a single unit on our side of the pitch, not just a collection of individuals.”

Michael Lingenfelter, City F.C.’s newest addition to its coaching staff, echoes Driscoll’s sentiments.

“Tactically, techically, and mentally, the players have made great strides in such a short period of time,” says Lingenfelter. “I am impressed with their enthusiasm on the pitch and their achievements and interests off it. City F.C. has been a great opportunity [for me] to gain coaching experience and get involved in my D.C. community.  My fellow coaches have also been fun to work with and we support each other well, especially given our significant work/school commitments.  It is great to be involved in high school sports once again and I look forward to bringing in others who have expressed interest in contributing.”

City F.C.’s impact is also showing up in its players’ school-league games. With more than 90 percent of the roster enrolled at D.C. public high schools, the coaches’ goal from day one has been to improve the DCIAA – the D.C. public schools’ athletic conference. On Oct. 6, School Without Walls stunned Bell Multicultural HS with a 3-2 victory – SWW’s first-ever victory over Bell in 37 years. Unwilling to give up, Bell – for whom City F.C. goalkeeper Alex “Ecky” Aguilar fills the nets – returned the favor last night, downing SWW 2-1 and buoyed by several clutch saves by Aguilar in the game’s final minutes.

“I love playing for City F.C. because I get to play with kids who are both developing and others who are some of the best players I’ve ever played with,” says City F.C. and SWW captain Amit Singh.

Roosevelt HS, captained by City F.C. playmaker “Eto’o,” downed SWW 4-2 in a thriller after beating defending-champion Wilson HS and tying Bell – the 2007 DCIAA runner-up. This is the first time in several years that Roosevelt has found itself undefeated and atop the DCIAA standings through the midway point in the season. Meanwhile, McKinley Tech – captained by City F.C. midfielder “EK” Umez-Eronini – is holding the fifth spot in the league, marking a good showing of progress for a school that finished bottom of the table last season.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a program combining competitive soccer and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City F.C. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.

For more information, visit CityFC.org or contact the club directly by emailing CityFCDC@gmail.org.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) is expanding its successful academic tutoring and mentorship offerings, and we need your help!

In addition to providing high-quality soccer coaching, City F.C. is committed to ensuring that all of its student-athletes achieve their full potential in the classroom. Throughout Our City, there is a large demand for qualified academic tutors, but too often, students cannot afford the costs of personalized academic support. City F.C. is determined to fix this problem for its students.

To support our academic initiatives, City F.C. is pleased to announce the appointment of Dylan Butler as our new Volunteer Coordinator. Dylan is the former captain of the School Without Walls HS boys’ soccer team and a graduate of the University of Vermont.

Dylan Butler is a School Without Walls alumnus

In his new role as Volunteer Coordinator, Dylan is hitting the ground running to recruit academic tutors for City F.C.’s student-athletes, with the goal of ensuring that every City F.C. student has access to one-on-one tutoring. Dylan’s recruitment initiatives will also focus on bringing DCPS alumni like himself into City F.C.’s fold, enabling the young men and women of City F.C. to feel connected to an existing network of young professionals educated by D.C. public schools.

Academic volunteers are needed for a variety of subject-specific tutoring (math, English, science, etc.), as well as general support of City F.C. students undertaking the college admissions and scholarship application processes. City F.C. also helps its students find summer jobs and internships, and volunteers are always needed to review resumes and help students network for employment opportunities.

Furthermore, City F.C. seeks volunteers interested in becoming mentors to the teenagers in our program. These mentors will stay in regular contact with one or two individuals, offering them support in the many life challenges that kids face in this pivotal period of their development. From helping them understand their high educational opportunities to navigating the social pressures of life as a teen, we are looking for committed volunteers who are ready to provide support to our kids.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities with City F.C. email CityFCDC@gmail.com.

City Football Club (“City F.C.”) was established in 2007 to provide District youth with a program combining competitive soccer and first-rate mentorship and college preparation. City F.C. is organized exclusively for charitable purposes as an educational non-profit. Its objective is to bring together the City’s youth for educational and recreational opportunities, including but not limited to soccer.