October 2019
Club news & updates
Mercer Island FC is our community's volunteer-led, non-profit soccer club for kids of all ages. Let’s play!
  • Register for Fall Camp, Winter Sharpness and Parent Camp
  • Fall Futsal from IAS and MI Boys & Girls Club
  • Thank you MIHS Ball Kids!!
  • MIFC High-Fivers Spark the Sounders to Victory over Minnesota United!
  • Speaking of the MIHS Girls Soccer Team . . .
  • Mark Your Calendars for End of Season Tournaments
Register for Fall Camp, Winter Sharpness and Parent Camp
Register now for MIFC's Fall and Winter Soccer Camps where players can continue their technical training after the Recreational season. Fall sessions, led by former LA Galaxy Academy Coach Danny Rogers and former MLS player OT Yanez (Columbus Crew), will focus on fun, engaging activities designed to improve players' ability to maintain possession, elude pressure, make and receive accurate passes, understand spacing and finish strongly. Sessions held Wednesdays, Nov 6-Dec 18 from 3-4:30 on IMS turf. No camp Thanksgiving week. $75  
 
Winter Sharpness/Parent Camp: Continuing skills development is offered to players in academy style sessions on Friday evenings in January and February. Special (free) bonus is a parallel training session for parents of participating kids, who learn to execute the fundamentals of the MIFC player progression program to understand and support their child's soccer development. Plus, get a bit of exercise to boot. 6:30-8pm at the MIHS stadium; cost $125.
 
Discounted fee of $175 if you register for both programs. Register here.  
Fall Futsal again available through IAS and MI Boys & Girls Club
The International Academy of Soccer (IAS), long-time partner of MIFC for coaching and training our players, is once again offering a fall Futsal program at the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club. The Futsal clinic is a great opportunity for kids to learn and improve their soccer skills with their friends in a fun environment! This clinic is open to players of all skill levels and the focus is on learning the fundamentals under the watchful eye of the IAS professional coaches.

Futsal is indoor soccer on a flat surface. It is a fast-paced, action-packed, fun alternative to outdoor soccer. Out-of-bounds lines and small fields and goals contribute to improved ball control, foot coordination, and agility - skills that are crucial for development in a possession system!

Futsal starts on Saturday November 9th and runs for 6 sessions through December 21st (no session Thanksgiving week). U6-7 play from 8:30-9:30, U8-10 from 9:45-11:00. For more information and to register, check out IAS website at www.iassoccer.com/futsal.
Thank You MIFC Ball Kids!
MIFC recruits club players to participate as ball girls (and boys) to support the MIHS Varsity Girls team, which has just passed the midpoint of its season. Coach James Valles and his players are extremely grateful for the sidelines support as our players hustle to get the ball back into play. The ball kids are inspired by the level of play and can visualize themselves under the same lights years from now.

Every ball kid is entered into drawing for our MIHS Girls Varsity Soccer Experience, a fun evening at a home match when one lucky MIFC player gets to warm up with the team, hang out in the locker room for the pre-game pep talk, sit on the bench with the Varsity players and coaches during the game and receive a soccer ball signed by every player. Keep up the great work - and sign up for one of the few remaining home games! Contact Molly Fort at mollytroy@msn.com.
Speaking of the MIHS Girls Varsity Team . . .
The MIHS Girls Varsity team is a blend of seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen. After graduating 15 seniors from last year's Varsity squad, the team had to remake itself with girls trying out different field positions and learning to play with unfamiliar teammates. The team faced some tough injuries and non-conference opponents, including Issaquah and Skyline, while learning a lot from the rigor and strength of upperclass squads with deep benches.

Now into the back half of conference play, the team is taking off. It stiff armed arch rival -- then in first place Bellevue -- on enemy turf, dominating the entire game but for a last minute tying goal (1-1). Since then, it shut out Juanita and is ready to roll over Sammamish on October 17. The team has a head of steam. Turn out for one of the remaining home games -- on October 22 (v Lake Washington), 24 (v Interlake) or the season closer against Bellevue on October 31. Our girls will be scarier than trick or treating!
MIFC High-Fivers Spur Sounders to Victory over Minnesota!
MIFC Recreational Team GU9 MI Road Runners ’11, coached by Ken Fortson, was the lucky winner of our Season Kickoff Grand Raffle Prize -- the High Five Sounders Experience.

The team lined up in the player tunnel to high five the players as they took the field. The bonus came during the game itself, where the Sounders clinched a playoff spot, beating Minnesota United 1-0. Way to go Road Runners!
Save The Dates For Season-Ending Tournaments
To Parents of Juniors Team Players - Juniors teams have an opportunity to participate in the PacNW Fall Festival on November 23rd and 24th. Each team will play at least 3 competitive games against other 2011 and 2012 birth age teams. The tournament will attract competitive players from across the state.

To Parents of U8-U10 players - All U8-U10 Recreational teams play in a EYSA Cup Tournament the last scheduled weekend of play -- this year on November 2nd and 3rd. Each team will have 3 games scheduled that weekend - with two games on either Saturday or Sunday, and one game on the opposite weekend day. Please try to keep the weekend free so that teams have sufficient players to compete. It is a wonderful culminating event of the season where players can show off how much they have improved in both individual and team skill.

Finally, good luck to the five Recreational teams participating in the Washington State Rec Cup: MI Storm, MI Sun Devils, MI Wildcats, MI Hawks and MI Tarhills!! #Rep the Rock