Fall Season 2017 Newsletter
Club President's Message
Dear East Bay United Community,

Six years ago Bay Oaks merged with the Rockridge Soccer Club to form what is known today as the East Bay United Soccer Club. The Club now serves more than 2,500 recreational and competitive players, and has grown to be one of the most admired clubs in Northern California. Despite this past success, we want to continue improving as a Club and serving our community.

To this end, the Club Board of Directors and coaching leadership team spent time this summer assessing our current vision, seeking feedback from our Club members and understanding the broader youth soccer landscape.

We concluded our evaluation with three major takeaways:
  1. Our vision and mission are still relevant, important and worthy of continued execution (see below)
  2. Our core pillars – diversity, leadership, instilling a growth mindset and creating soccer development pathways for all kids – are differentiated and a reflection of our community.
  3. Expectations continue to rise for youth soccer clubs and we must continue to improve at serving our members’ needs.

EBUSC’s Vision
To be the premier soccer club for player and coach development.

EBUSC’s Mission
East Bay United Soccer Club exists to develop youth players and coaches to reach their full potential as leaders on and off the field. Our club is dedicated to offering world-class soccer experiences for all players, regardless of their soccer level, or social or financial background.

To better execute against our vision and mission, this fall we will be implementing the following changes:

An Increased Focus on Player and Coach Development: Glenn Van Straatum is now the Club Technical Director and Boys US Development Academy Director. In this role, Glenn will be overseeing our style of play, and will be driving a robust curriculum, methodology and evaluation process. To be a great at development, we have to be great at teaching and evaluating our players and coaches at all levels. Expect player evaluations twice a year on the competitive side and more coaching support on the competitive and recreation side.

Boys and Girls Directors of Coaching: We’ve promoted Marco Plascencia to be the new Boys Director of Coaching and Jack Rozier as the new Girls Director of Coaching. With this new structure, we will have coaching leadership with the capacity and gender-specific knowledge to ensure that all of our players get the best coaches and programs to meet their specific needs. 

Just as we ask our kids to adopt a growth mindset with a goal of getting better every time they step on the field, we must do the same as a Club. We believe that with Glenn’s vision and focus on development, coupled with Marco and Jack overseeing the daily soccer operations for the boys and the girls’ sides, we will be able to fully execute against this vision, and provide an unmatched experience for our families.

The Board and coaching leadership are all honored to be a part of this incredible organization, and are grateful for the opportunity to help our kids become better soccer players and leaders.

Best,
Keely Wachs
East Bay United Soccer Club President 
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Summer Camps

We worked on the five moments (we have the ball, they have the ball, just lost the ball, just gained the ball, & restarts) of the game (but heavily on transition) in the three zones of the field.

Our players had a lot of fun, are great, lovely, kind, and hard working youth.
Fields and Fall Practice Schedule


  All rehab work was successfully completed.  Game scheduling has begun as well. Focus will be on scheduling the older age group teams first.

To view the Fall Practice Schedule effective September 1st, please click HERE
September Referee Course

Grade 8 Entry Level Referee Course
Lakeshore Baptist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland.
The field session on the last day will be at a field in Alameda.
Click HERE for Course Dates (attendance at all sessions is mandatory) and how to register!
 Street Soccer USA Bay Area Cup

EBU had 17 players, U9-U12, participate in this amazing event. Click HERE to read more and see some awesome photos.
4 Girl's Teams Travel to the Gothia Cup
53 female players, 4 teams, travelled to England to train at Arsenal and Fulham with scrimmages against Reading FC before heading to Gothenburg, Sweden to compete in the Gothia Cup. Click HERE to read more about their trip and view some of the amazing photos.
EBU Player's Route to the Pros
EBU Bay Oaks Players Drafted by the SJ Earthquakes

Billy Knutsen '91 - Drafted by the Quakes in 2014
Billy played BO all years, in college

Devante Dubois '92 was drafted by Quakes in 2014
Devante played in the SJ Academy 2008-2010 and played in college at Virginia Tech
Lautero Altimiranda (Lauti) signs for Udinese, Italy

Lauti has signed a player contract with Udinese from Italy and will start this month- directly from our club. From all of the EBU/Bay Oaks community, congratulations!
EBU Players in College
Former East Bay United Oaks Bombers ‘98 player Alia Morris starts her freshman year at California State University- Monterey Bay under former EBU Coach Laura VanWart.

For more information on our College Bound Program, please visit us HERE
Player Spotlights
We are happy to introduce our Player Spotlights. Each newsletter will feature players nominated by EBU coaches and staff.

Congratulations to the following players as our inaugural spotlighters!
Isaac Barrera, 04 Blue, #10

  • Lifetime Bay Oaks player
  • Years demonstrating commitment
  • Very talented with a bright future
Isaiah Barrera, 04 Blue, #11

  • Lifetime Bay Oaks player
  • Years demonstrating top work ethic
  • Very talented with a bright future
Paola Barron, 00 Gold, #14

  • Passion for the game
  • Work ethic
  • Great leader
Kate Szurley , 05 Blue, #13

  • Kate is a captain/leader that consistently models growth mindset for her teammates.
  • Kate has grown tremendously in the last year taking on two new roles (CM/CB) and has also grown in her confidence and ball striking.
  • Kate recently spent a month in the Philippines with a youth leadership/service group and I think more people should hear about her experience.
COACHES: Have a player you'd like to nominate? Click HERE
Coach Spotlight
We are happy to introduce our Coach Spotlights. Each newsletter will feature coaches nominated by their peers and their teams. If you are interested in making a nomination, please email: communications@eastbayunitedsoccer.org

Congratulations to the following players as our inaugural spotlighters!
1. Full Name: Taharka Taylor

2. Team(s) you work with: EBU Bay Oaks 04B Blue

3. Years Coaching: 5 years

4. Coaching Motto: Soccer is a beautiful game, ensure that the players and children you coach have a beautiful experience. 

5. Best (soccer) advice you ever got or gave: “Developing players who excel in 1v1 situations and can problem solve in 2v1, 1v2 moments etc, is the key to player effectiveness in the 11v11 game ” - Michael Beale
1. Full Name: Celeste Martore

2. Team(s) you work with: 02G Gold

3. Years Coaching: Almost 4 months 

4. Coaching Motto: Coach it or let it happen

5. Best (soccer) advice you ever got or gave:  If you let your mind tell stories about why you can't do something, you will remain in an unchanged state. If you take control of your mind and will yourself to do something, you will conquer challenges past the limits of your body. 
Athlete Health & Wellness
EBU Partners with Sports Basement!
Forget any last minute purchases? Gear up for fall soccer with a two week kick off discount at Sports Basement !

Enjoy 20% off any in-store purchases (some exclusions apply) between 9/8-9/22.

All you need to do is show your coupon at the front registers to receive your discount or use the code UNITED while shopping online.
Club Calendars
Do you have an idea for a story? Is there something we are missing? Please submit your inquiries and ideas to: communications@eastbayunitedsoccer.org