By JAY WILSON
New Season: On Sunday, March 1, the 49th year of the Crusaders Soccer Club’s youth soccer begins with the first games of the 2020 Spring Recreational Season. Fifty-four recreational division teams totaling over 500 players born between 2015 and 2006 will take the field for eight Sundays at Pershing Middle School and the new grass field at Gage Elementary School. Each team has a qualified volunteer coach that meets all state of California, U.S. Soccer Federation and CalSouth Soccer requirements. In addition to the volunteer coaches, there are nine volunteer division coordinators who assemble the team, set the schedule for their respective divisions and oversee the coaches and players in their respective division throughout the season. It takes a village!
Volunteer coaches: As part of the Crusaders Soccer Club’s commitment to provide continual support for 54 volunteer coaches, there was a coaches’ clinic on the Pershing Middle School fields on Saturday, Feb. 8. Rene Miramontes, the director of coaching for Crusaders, conducted the clinic.
Spring kick-off clinics: All Crusaders recreational and competitive players born between 2006 and 2013 are invited on Sunday, Feb. 16 and 23, from noon to 1:30 p.m., to the fields at Pershing Middle School. This clinic will sharpen players’ skills, they will have fun playing the games and being coached by our professional staff. The event will be under the direction of Miramontes and assistant director of coaching Victor Melendez. The clinics are at no cost to the families. Please go to our crusaderssoccer.org to register online.
Competitive Division: Teams for the Crusaders Soccer Competitive Division are also being formed for players born between 2003 and 2013. Go to crusaderssoccer.org and click on “Crusaders Staff” to contact any of the professional coaches for the 2020-21 Competitive Division season.
Coaching highlight: Melendez recently returned from Mexico City where he conducted a four-day, high-intensity clinic for 40 coaches who want to coach professional teams. Melendez is also the goalie coach for the San Diego Sockers and conducts their practice sessions. In addition, he coaches the Mexican National Mini Football Team, which recently won the Mini Football World Cup held in Australia by beating Brazil 4-0. Mini Football is a version of soccer where the field is much smaller, approximately 35 by 50 yards.
Referees: Crusaders is looking for a few good referees, 18 years and older, to referee games of 7v7 players and 9v9 players for our spring season. Referees are paid per game. If you, or you know someone interested, contact Linda Hernandez at linda.[email protected].
— Jay Wilson writes on behalf of Crusaders Soccer Club.
