Capital Athletic Soccer Academy is a club in a transitional state of becoming a genuinely unified club as opposed to the usual case of a loose collection of autonomous teams with the same club name; their only real attachment being to a coach and a manager. Not only do we want to be a united club but our big goal is to become an academy where players do not have to pay to play. Unlike most countries of the world where soccer is a sport available to everyone, in our country soccer has become a sport of those with some means and threatens to exclude too many children. This year at Capital Athletic Soccer Academy we have started the process of becoming an academy where players do not have to pay to play. Starting with the upcoming season our oldest boys' and girls' teams will not pay coaching and club fees. We hope to attract a few additional outstanding players to join our existing teams in the inaugural season of our Academy. The plan is to gradually add teams to that plan and eventually all our players will play without having to play!

The curriculum and the practices of the academy will be conducted under the direction of our Technical Director with the able assistance of our most experienced coaches. A significant addition to our coaching staff is Emmy Barr, a highly qualified coach with professional playing experience, and she will be the lead coach for the Girls' Academy Team and her counterpart on the boys' side will be Gary Messing.

The coaching assignments for the rest of our teams have also been made, and we are already gearing up for pre-tryout clinics as well as tryouts themselves. Our goal of making the coaching staff perform as a team is almost complete and the subgroups are functioning well and are feverishly working on training and playing schedules for the upcoming season. We anticipate even greater coordination and collaboration between the teams and coaches; the days of the "lone ranger" coach are history!

Another significant step is the continuation of the process of making the managers and the coaches become a team and join in planning and executing what is best for all our kids. All indications are that the process of integrating all of our parts and becoming a uniquely united club is under way.

On January 12th and 19th, the Youth Academy staff hosted their first two Preview Days of the new year. The days were meant to give young players and families an opportunity to meet and interact with coaches and administration before tryouts. Players and parents could get a "preview" of CASA's philosophy, curriculum, schedule, and coaching staff in a stress less environment.

Over the two Saturday's between 75 and 80 boys and girls raced over hurdles and made new friends playing small-sided games on the dormant Bermuda grass of Larchmont Community Park. New to the Boca Family is Jeff Alcala. An energetic and educated coach with the U9 and U10 age groups, Jeff will coach the U10 Girls to round off an already excited sub- group of coaches.

The Youth Academy will host their final two Preview Days on Februay 16th and the 23rd from 1:30-3 p.m. at Larchmont Community Park. Please come out, enjoy the fun and bring a friend.

GO BOCA!!!!!!!!

• 2/7 - CASA Meeting, 11:30, office
• 2/9 - Coaches meeting, 2 pm, Boca field
• 2/12 - Manager's meeting, 7 pm, office
• 2/13 - Coaches meeting moved to 2/9
• 2/16 - Boca Preview Day, Larchmont Park
• 2/18 - President's Day Holiday - Office Closed
• 2/18-2/22 - Winter break for many schools
• 2/21 - CASA Meeting, 11:30, office
• 2/23 - Boca Preview Day, Larchmont Park
• 2/27 - Boca Jrs 97 Boys Meeting, 7 pm, office

For a detailed calendar, view our website's calendar tab. To include a team event on the club calendar, submit event name and dates to Club Administrator.

The Boca Preview Days are fun, free play days where players, coaches and parents can meet each other. Players and parents can learn about the club, our program and philosophies and meet our youth coaches. Coaches can meet kids and get to know them before tryouts. Current parents can help new parents learn about the club from their perspective and current players can have a soccer play day. It is fun, free and stress free. You are welcome to come to one or all of the preview days.

Saturday, February 16

A few reminders:

• Adults are responsible for the field lock box and key combo
• Adults should setup & take down the portable goals
• Please put all Net Clips back in equipment box
• Do not allow children to play or hang on goals
• Please ensure goals and storage unit are secured
• NO CARS OR TRUCKS ARE ALLOWED ON THE FIELDS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES

Futsal: Mather Sports Complex now has time available for Friday night futsal. Please let me know ASAP who is interested in playing on Friday nights. We might make it a drop in type of situation. Ideas welcome.

If your team hasn't paid for futsal yet, please remit your payments to Rene ASAP. The cost is $30 per player. Each team should submit one payment.

Ashton Park is available every Saturday for the next 2 months February / March. I am now taking request for times at Ashton. More time will become available at Ashton Park beginning in March through August for Monday - Thursday practices and Saturday & Sunday game scheduling.

FYI: Jesuit High School and St.Francis High School lacrosse programs will be using Larchmont for practice and games. They have agreed to help maintain, keep clean, repair and respect the park. They have been given permission by the Cordova Parks & Recreation Department to use all fields from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday starting February 4th through mid May. Please be respectful of their reservation and notify me immediately of any potential problems and or issues that may be occurring.

CASA has hired three coaches for the 2008-2009 season: Emmy Barr, Betsy Barr and Jeff Alcala.

Emmy Barr holds a USSF National "B" Coaching License and joins us to coach the Boca Jrs 96 girls and the Boca Jrs 90 girls teams.

Betsy Barr holds a USSF "C" Coaching License and joins us to coach the Boca Jrs 93 girls team.

Jeff Alcala holds a USSF "C" Coaching License and joins us to coach the Boca Jrs 98 girls and the Boca Jrs 95 Blue girls teams.

It is with sadness that we must also say good-bye to two wonderful coaches. Greg Tate and Katie Tate Blough have decided not to return next year. Their personal decisions were difficult to make but family priorities take them in new directions.

We welcome our new coaches and wish Greg and Katie well. We wish everyone success in their new endeavors.

Tryouts always seem to cause change as well. Our current coaching assignments reflect what we think our needs will be. After the results of tryouts are known, we may be required to shift assignments. However, it is our goal to minimize changes but to accommodate all the teams and coaches needs.

The U8 - U14 age groups will tryout on March 1, 2 and 8.

Tryouts will be at Rio Linda High School located at 6309 Dry Creek Road, Rio Linda, CA 95673, rain or shine. Bring cleats, shin guards, water and a ball.

REGISTER ONLINE NOW at www.capitalathletic.com

The schedule for Boys and Girls:

GIRLS

Our U11 - U12 subgroup teams have been showing the results of the positive, interactive coaching and training that the subgroup coaching staff has provided over the last year. Our teams all performed well in the fall with strong efforts in NorCal State Cup and recently in CYSA-N State Cup.

The Boca Jrs 95 U12 girls just recently made a very strong showing in the first round of CYSA State Cup play and are moving on to the next round in Morgan Hill.

Boca Jrs 95 Blue U12 girls played well in their division of NorCal State Cup and advanced to the semi-finals.

The Boca Jrs 96 U11 girls played well in NorCal State Cup facing some very difficult competition in the Premier division while the Boca Jrs 95 U12 boys played well despite some equally difficult competition in the Silver division.

The Boca Jrs 96 U11 boys made it through to the semi-finals also facing some formidable teams.

Overall, the boys and girls in our subgroup have continued to develop into skilled, determined and intelligent players over the last year. All of the coaches in our subgroup have commented on the positive environment that has been fostered within the subgroup and the results of this interactive coaching and training style. All of our teams have improved greatly with some showing extreme improvement! The hard work and dedication of our players, the quality of our coaching staff and the help and positive support of our parents all combine to create an environment that will produce not only good soccer players but great young people as well.

Thanks to all of you for all your help and support.

Greg Tate (Coach "G"), U11 - U12 Subgroup Leader

Under the excellent coaching staff of Cesar Plasencia and Leo Rojas the Boca Jrs 89 U18 girls team has done well this year. As soon as try-outs were concluded the team was off and running to their first tournament in Temecula, CA where they competed in the Laguna Hills Showcase over Memorial Day weekend. The team played well together even though most of the players were new to the team, and they struggled to find each other on the field. The team was busy over the summer months with a major trip to Boise, ID to compete in the US Club National Cup. They came away with a couple of wins and ties. At the Pleasanton College Showcase in July the girls won 3 and lost 1, ending up 2nd in their bracket. At the Mustang Stampede in August, they lost to the Mustangs, however, they defeated the other teams in their bracket. Overall the team competed well in all the tournaments.

In the Fall the team played District League. The team lost 3 players who left to attend college, so it was up to the remaining players to keep the momentum going. The first game of the season was against San Juan. It was a tough game, but the Boca team came away with a win. The second game against California Rush ended with another win. Once the team got past the two toughest teams, they felt at ease with the remainder of the games. However, later in the Fall the team played in the Placer Foothill Cup tournament where there was a turning point in the winning streak. In the last game of the day there were two players that were injured including the goalie, and the team lost 1- 0. Because of the injuries, the team was down a few players for the remaining league games and ended up losing a few, but they hung in and ended the season with 7 wins and 3 losses.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday the team headed south to the Nomads tournament in San Diego. The team did well and made it out of their bracket to the quarterfinals where they were excited to play under the lights. The game was tied at the end of regulation play and went onto penalty kicks where they came away defeated but were pleased with the way they played overall.

Before the Christmas break the girls played in the Davis Showcase and made it to the play-offs. They ended up losing to Santa Rosa with a 1-0 defeat, but the girls played well even though it was the last game of the tournament and very cold.

The remainder of the season will be spent preparing for and playing in State Cup. For some players this season will be the end of their soccer career as Boca players as they will be off to college.

Some of the players have played together throughout their soccer careers and will miss each other's friendships that they have made along the way.

Good luck Boca Jrs 89 Seniors!

(some teammates not pictured)

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Portland, OR, 1-1-08 - adidas is proud to announce an exciting 4 Year Partnership with the Sacramento soccer club, Capital Athletic Soccer Academy who teams are the Boca Jrs. adidas will be the official sponsor and sportswear supplier for the club until 2011.

CASA is one of the top youth soccer programs in Northern California under the leadership of club Technical Director, Berhane Andeberhan. The extended partnership is a natural affiliation between the world's number one soccer brand and one of Northern California's leading soccer clubs.

adidas would like to thank Berhane, as well as the rest of the CASA board members and staff for their support and consideration over the past few months. Both parties are looking forward to a successful and long-term partnership.

adidas is the global leader in soccer with a near 35% market share, and over 60% market share in the U.S. "adidas is committed to developing and supporting all levels of U.S. Soccer from the grassroots to the professional level, and we are proud to have CASA in the adidas Soccer family" said Chris McGuire, Sports Marketing Manager for adidas Soccer.

adidas has partnerships with several other U.S. grassroots soccer organizations including the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYS), the Olympic Development Program (ODP), and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). adidas also administers top level developmental programs like Generation adidas and the Elite Soccer Program (ESP).

adidas and CASA....Impossible is Nothing

For more information on adidas Soccer, please contact Peter Withers or Frank Battle, adidas Soccer (peter.withers@adidas.com) (frank.battle@adidas.com)

For more information on CASA, please contact Berhane Andeberhan, Technical Director (berhane@capitalathletic.com)