10.30.14: Penn Fusion's RACHAEL DORWART, EMILY GRAY, and SYDNEY ZANDI have been called up by U.S. Women's National Team coaches for training camp which will run from Nov 1 to Nov 8 at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Carson, CA. Dorwart and Zandi will take the field for the U17 team and Gray will be joining the U14 team. Congratulations girls!
8/15/14: RACHAEL DORWART and SYDNEY ZANDI were selected by U.S Under-17 Women's National Team head coach B.J. Snow to the 20 player roster for a trip to the Korea Republic from Aug. 25-Sept 4 where the squad will play multiple matches against the host. Congratulations girls! Click here for more!
8/4/14: Penn Fusion's MEGHAN MCCOOL and JAYLYN THOMPSON were selected for the 2014 Nike National Training Camp Powered by ECNL / id2 which took place July 31 – August 4 at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The camp included 80 of the top female youth soccer players born in '96-'98 from across the US. Players were selected based on their performances at ECNL competitions, ECNL/id2 PDP events and other events throughout the year. Congratulations girls!
Every year our main goals for the Penn Fusion program are to connect players to collegiate rosters/programs, play some of the most advanced possession based soccer in the country, and compete at the highest level possible. The 2013/2014 season saw achievement in all these areas. The Class of 2014 has done us proud with their college commitments: NCAA D1 (22 players), NCAA D2 (7 players), NCAA D3 (12 players). “To have forty one (41) players progressing to play collegiate soccer this fall is a great testament to the dedication and ability of this age group. We are starting to build a reputation for our possession based style of play. I've been really happy with the consistency and buy-in from our coaching staff and players at the U13-U18 age groups,” claimed Boys Director of Coaching, Mark Thomas.
Prior to the 2013/14 season kicking off, the Penn Fusion Boys Teams progressed 13 players from our Penn Fusion Academy to play for the Philadelphia Union Academy full time. Two of those players Andrew Aprahamian and Isaiah Young have been involved with the US Soccer Youth National Teams. Two boys teams were crowned EPYS State Cup Champions (PFSA’98B, PFSA’95B) while the PFSA’96B team won every college showcase they entered during the 2013-2014 season. “College coaches want players that are creative and confident on the ball and all of our players have this ingrained into their player development DNA from an early age and it is paying off during the ever important recruitment process,” says Thomas. The PFSA’98 Boys and PFSA ’95 Boys went on to the USYS Region 1 Championship and finished on top of their groups and advanced out of bracket play. The PFSA ‘95B continued their winning ways and were crowned the 2014 USYS Region 1 Finalists.
“On the Girls side, the 2013/14 season was the most successful season to date,” claimed Girls Director of Coaching, Tino Mueller. The U15, U16 & U17 ECNL teams qualified for the ECNL Play-offs in the Champions League Division (top division) and Penn Fusion is quickly becoming one of the best girls’ soccer programs regionally & nationally. The U15, U16 & U17 ECNL teams finished among the top 30 teams in the best female youth soccer league in the world and these 3 teams were eliminated in competition by teams that went on to win the National Championship in their respective age groups. . The 2013/2014 season also progressed two women, Sydney Zandi and Rachael Dorwart, onto the U15 US National Team. The addition of our NPL (National Premier League) Teams in the U13-U18 age groups, last season, insured a highly competitive level underneath the ECNL which enables Penn Fusion to develop a larger pool of talented players.
The success of our boys and girls program gives our younger age groups real life role models to emulate, and we are sure there will be many more players reaching these heights in the future. Congratulations to all our players, teams and coaches on a great season and we are looking forward to hearing from our graduates on their successes on the collegiate scene.
6.12.14: Penn Fusion Girls DOC, Tino Mueller, was invited to attend the U14 National Team Camp in Portland, Oregon. The camp was held at the University of Portland and at Nike Headquarters under the direction of U14 Head Coach April Kater. Coach Mueller was actively involved in the coaching of training sessions and games as well as a contributor in the player evaluation process. The schedule included 1-2 sessions and games each day plus classroom sessions. Coach Mueller's goal in attending the camp was to learn and implement various technical aspects used at the camp into the Penn Fusion Academy structure. Congratulations Coach Mueller!
6.11.14: The final ECNL conference games are in the books and the regular season has wrapped up. Three Penn Fusion teams, the U15, U16 and U17s, have qualified for the ECNL Champions League at the ECNL National Playoffs in Seattle, WA. The ECNL Champions League consists of the best 32 teams in each age group in the ECNL and is the most competitive female youth competition in the world. Congratulations to all the players and coaches! The teams are now awaiting the ECNL Draw which takes place Thursday, June 12.
6.1.14: Congratulations to the Penn Fusion '95 Boys, U18 team, on winning the 2014 EPYSA State Cup Championships. They successfully defended their State Cup title with a 3-2 win over YMS Premier. The team will now head to Rhode Island for the Region 1 Championships! Well done boys and coaches!
5.19.14: Congratulations to the Penn Fusion '98 Boys who won the 2014 EPYSA State Cup Championships this past weekend. This is the third time in a row that the team has won State Cups. Congratulations to the players and coaches (Mark Thomas and Rosen Nenchev)! The team will be heading to Rhode Island to defend their Region 1 Championship. Shout out to the Penn Fusion '99 Boys team who were 2014 EPYSA State Cup Finalists!
4.2.14: Penn Fusion ECNL players, RACHAEL DORWART and SYDNEY ZANDI, were invited back to the U.S. U15 Girls National Team camp that will be held at the end of April in Carson, California. Both girls have been to the U.S. U15 National team camp this year and being asked to return takes on a whole different meaning. "It is a great honor to get to return to the National team camp. I am really excited to represent Penn Fusion at the highest level and play with some of the best players in the country!," states Rachael. Sydney claims, "It is an honor and I am very excited to have the opportunity." Congratulations girls!
12.11.13 - Penn Fusion staff, players, and families congratulate our very own MARK THOMAS on his selection as 2013 Boys Travel Coach of the Year by Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association. Mark attended Tiffin University in Ohio and graduated with a degree in Sports Management. He holds a USSF “A” License, played for Liverpool FC from 1998-2002, represented Wales at the youth international level, and has coached at the youth level for over 12 years.
Those of us at Penn Fusion know the dedication, service and leadership Mark has provided for all the West Chester United and Penn Fusion teams as Director of Coaching for the Boys Teams. In 2013, Mark coached the Penn Fusion ’98 Boys to the EPYSA State Cup Championship, the Region 1 Championship and numerous premier tournament titles. The team represented Region 1 at the US Youth Soccer National Championships where they finished third in the nation. Mark currently coaches the Penn Fusion ’98 Boys and the Penn Fusion ’99 Boys and is the assistant coach for the Penn Fusion ’00 Boys. Congratulations to Mark on this well deserved award!