January 20, 2012 - Antony Santavy, a member of the Vardar U14 squad, was selected to attend the Region II Boys ODP 1997 International Trip to Costa Rica this upcoming February.

For the entire list go to http://regionii.usyouthsoccer.org/ODP_boys/PoolPlayer.asp

January 20, 2012 - Vardar players Kelly Sweeney (U15) and Taylor Timko (U16) were named to the ECNL All Event Teams following the showcase event in Sanford, FL, Dec. 28-30. A total of 150 teams from 47 ECNL Member Clubs participated in the event and only 44 girls were selected for the All Event Teams in four age categories.

The ECNL All-Event Teams are selected based upon nominations from coaches and scouts based upon individual and team performances over the course of the three-game event. At the Sanford event, 13 clubs (of which Vardar was one) placed at least a pair of players on All-Event Teams. A total of 29 different ECNL Member Clubs were represented among the 44 honored players.

For the entire list of All Event Teams go to http://www.eliteclubsnationalleague.com/home/591469.html 

January 19, 2012 -- Casey Townsend, a former Vardar player, and University of Maryland graduate, was recently selected by Chivas USA in the MLS draft. Click on the link to see the entire story.

http://www.cdchivasusa.com/news/
 

Teen puts best foot forward
Habuda could be first local female on national youth team

If Bella Habuda is as effective on the soccer field as she is in writing persuasive emails, then her dreams of pulling on a Canadian jersey may soon be realized.

The 15-year-old Tecumseh native contacted Canadian under-17 women's head coach Bryan Rosenfeld in mid-November, sending him a quick bio and asking for a chance to try out for a team that was already into preparations for taking a run at qualifying for the U-17 World Cup this year.

The 2012 U-17 Women's World Cup will run from Sept. 22-Oct. 13 in Azerbaijan.

"I just told them I played in a top league in the U.S. and asked for a chance to tryout," Habuda said.

"That's been my dream, to play for Canada in the World Cup and the Olympics.

"I was surprised when they called back so quickly. They invited me to come up for weekend so they could take a look at me.

"I'm very happy it's worked out so far."

Should Habuda make the cut for the squad that will travel to Guatamalea for the CONCACAF under-17 championship May 2-13 (the top three teams will earn a World Cup berth), she would become the first female player from this area to make a youth national team.

She'd be only the second player to make any women's national soccer roster.

Rose Sangster-Daley played for Canada at the 1993 World University Games.

More impressively, Habuda is trying to make the national team as the youngest player still in the developmental pool of 20 to 25 players based in Toronto.

"I was a bit nervous about being the youngest player at first," said Habuda, who as an underage player will be eligible for the team again next year.

"The other girls have been really nice and it warmed up fast. You get to a certain level and everyone is looked at the same."

She said the age difference hasn't been a factor when it comes to physical play either.

"I'm the same size as most of the girls," said the five-foot-six Habuda, who had 11 goals in 14 games for Tecumseh's u-15s in the OYSL's Level One league last summer. "A few girls are a little bit bigger and heavier, but it hasn't been a problem."

More challenging is commuting up the 401 twice a month.

Fortunately, she and her parents can stay with her aunt, who lives only 20 minutes away from the team's training site at the Vaughn Soccer Centre.

"It can be tough going down there all the time, bringing all your homework to do," Habuda said. "It's worth it for the chance to play for Canada."

This isn't the first time Habuda has caught the eye of the country's top programs.

She made the Ontario U12 girls team, but withdrew as it required her to practice in Toronto four times a week.

It's a geographical disadvantage that has claimed the dreams of several players from the area in the last two decades.

What's different is the national coaching staff lets Habuda pick the two weekends she comes to Toronto each month.

She only has a few mandatory appearances, such as this past weekend when they conducted a scouting assessment of the players, where she must be present on a specific day.

Habuda said she's thankful they recognize the challenges of her travel as well as the fact she's playing for the suburban Detroit-based side Vardar in the Elite National Club League.

The ECNL, which stretches from coast to coast, is the top circuit for girls' club teams in the U.S. and offers a better level of competition than anything she could find in Canada.

After her U.S. season is completed this spring, Habuda will get her international transfer back to Canada to play for Tecumseh's under-16 team.

"I do have to manage my time," said the Grade 10 student of juggling her studies at Belle River High School, playing soccer as well as training for the school's track and field teams this winter.

"I'm very busy. I try to get to bed early when I can and eat well. I'm also very thankful to my parents and all my coaches for their support for allowing me to do all this."

"They've told me I'm doing well," said Habuda, the SWOSSAA midget girls gold medallist in the 200 and 400 and runner-up at 100 metres last spring. "They're pleased with how I'm playing and they want me to keep coming back.

"I hope my best is good enough."      READ MORE.....

November 18, 2011 --  November 18, 2011 -- Hannah Cady, Madison Toth, Marisa Viggiano, all members of Vardar's U15 Girls ECNL Team, were invited to the US Youth Soccer Costa Rica international trip scheduled for this upcoming February. All three girls are part of the Region II ODP 1997 Pool. During the trip, the selected girls will play against professional Costa Rica teams as well as experience international play and its environment.

November 18, 2011 --  U-20 Men's National Team member Caleb Stanko talks to ussoccer.com about moving to Freiburg from Development Academy club Vardar and the growing process in Germany.

Michigan native Caleb Stanko moved to Germany from Development Academy club Vardar nearly eight months ago. After a three-month trial period, the center midfielder signed for Freiburg in Germany, joining the club’s setup in his first step as a professional. But as most young professionals learn, the path to becoming a successful pro is littered with ups and downs.  READ MORE....

November 18, 2011 -- Bobby Adkins, a 1991 Vardar alum, was named to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference First Team for his performance at University of Indianapolis.

Bobby Adkins was named to the All-GLVC first team. This is the first all-conference nod of Adkins' career. He was in the top 10 in the circuit in assists, leading the Greyhounds with eight helpers on the year. The eight assists by Adkins now puts him in the UIndy single-season records list twice, with this year's mark falling in a tie for 6th-best. Adkins tied for the team lead in points, with 14 total.   READ MORE....

November 15, 2011 -- Former Vardar player, Niki Read, scored the lone goal as the Big Ten champion University of Illinois defeated the defending national champion Notre Dame, 1-0, in a first round match-up of the NCAA tournament. Read, a junior midfielder at Illinois, shot less than five minutes into the second half which soared just out of reach of the Irish goalkeeper but under the crossbar.

It was Read's fifth goal of the season and her first game winning goal of the year. Read began her soccer career with Vardar as a U9 and through the years was part of a Vardar team that won six out of seven possible State Cup Championships under the coaching of Ralph Torre and Demir Muftari.

Click on the following link to view highlights of the Illinois-Notre Dame game which also shows Read's goal from three different angles.
http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/w-soccer/video-index.html?vid=1273554443001

Illinois advances to the second round of the NCAA tournament and next faces #2 Oklahoma State on Nov. 18, 6 p.m. in Oklahoma.

November 10, 2011 -- Zach Carroll, a member of the Vardar Academy Team, was named Mr. Soccer by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association. In addition, a number of other Vardar players were selected for the Dream Team. Please click on the following link to see the Dream Team.

http://www.mihssca.com/season/boys-season/boys-dream-team/

November 1, 2011 -- Two Vardar U15 girls (Madison Toth and Maria Zandi) were selected to the All ECNL Event Team following the first ECNL National Showcase Event of the 2011-12 ECNL regular season, which was held October 8-10, 2011 in Phoenix, AZ. A total of 134 teams from 36 clubs participated in the event. The ECNL All-Event Teams are selected based upon nominations from coaches and scouts based upon individual and team performances over the course of the three-game event.

Toth and Zandi were part of a defensive line that did not give up a goal during the three-game weekend. Vardar's U15 team had three consecutive shut-outs beating Atlanta Fire 4-0, DeAnza Force 2-0 and then Heat FC 1-0.

For more information about the ECNL All-Event Team, click on http://eliteclubsnationalleague.com/home/574536.html

October 21, 2011 -- http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/girls-soccer/

August 31, 2011 -- Matt Nance, a member of the Vardar U15/16 Academy Team, was recently invited to attend the U.S. U-17 residency camp in Bradenton, FL.

Nance is one of 33 boys and the only player from Region 2 invited to participate in the semester-long camp that could include an international trip to Spain and France. This U-17 cycle that just began this August will represent the U.S. in the next U-17 World Cup in 2013 in the United Arab Emirates.

Vardar congratulates Matt and wishes him luck in Bradenton.

 

June 27, 2011 -- The National Premier Leagues include many of the nation’s top clubs in geographically-based leagues, each of which is independently operated but linked with the others under the same technical guidelines, philosophies and structure.

The 2011-12 season will kick off in September and all the latest news and updates from each NPL can be found on nationalpremierleagues.com, the official NPL website, which was launched last week.   

A complete presentation on the vision, structure and future of the National Premier Leagues can be found on the NPL website. This presentation also includes an overview of the Player Development Programs created for each National Premier League.   Read More...

Date: August 19th – 21st, 2011

Competition Ages/Levels:
Girls U8-U14 and U18
Boys U8-U18

Vardar Logo Sets Stage for New Soccer Season

The "vintage look with modern elements" continues to use three stars which represent the third Vardar club to be established in the world. The original Vardar was a professional men's team playing in Macedonia (est. 1961) and the second Vardar was a men's club formed in Detroit in the 1970s. The third club was established in 1984 as a non-profit youth soccer organization. Vardar III used Roman numerals in its logo to acknowledge its status as the third Vardar club and in the early 2000's, management replaced the numerals with three stars.

"We are in a new uniform cycle so it made sense to take a look at updating the logo at this time," explained Lupenec. "We wanted a design that honored our past but we also wanted a look for the future. I'm extremely pleased with the edgy look that our graphics designer created. The Vardar name and logo are already recognized around the country and I'm confident this logo will make the kind of impact we're after whenever we step on the field to compete."

The new logo will be available on all Vardar uniforms for the 2011-2012 season. In addition, beginning immediately, all Vardar spiritwear will sport the new look. Vardar merchandise is now being handled by Soccer Plus and will be available in store July 1.

Vardar's Carroll to Play With U17MNT on Live TV

Zach Carroll continues to shine on the U17 Men's National Team. Zach has earned a starting spot at centerback for the upcoming 2011 FIFA Under 17 World Cup tournament. All games will be televised (see schedule). And look for #2!

• Sunday, June 19, 7PM vs Czech Rep - ESPNU
• Wednesday, June 22, 4PM vs Uzbekistan - Galavision
• Saturday, June 25, 7PM vs New Zealand - ESPNU

All three group games will also be shown live-streamed on ESPN3.com.

Congratulations Vardar U10 Boys!

As a team the boys accomplished the following over the 2010-2011 year:

• 2010 Vardar Elite Cup-Champions
• 2010 Force FC Club Invitational-Champions
• 2010 MYSL U11 MAJOR GOLD-WEST Division-Champions
• Wolverine Tournament-Finalists
• 2011 MSYL U11 MAJOR BLUE Division-Champions

As part of the partnership, SC Freiburg will share with Vardar its Youth Player Development Curriculum with the goal being that training and player development methodologies are consistent between the two clubs at every level.

In addition, this August, SC Freiburg has arranged for Vardar’s U18 team to participate in the U19 tournament hosted by the SpVgg Oberndorf, a highly regarded youth tournament in Europe which will have the U.S. boys facing teams from Brazil, Spain, Cameroon and other German Bundesliga clubs. In the past, scouts from throughout Europe have attended this tournament. Lodging, ground transportation and all meals will be covered for the Vardar players.

Then, beginning with the 2011/2012 season, Vardar’s U16 and U18 Academy Teams will compete as SC Freiburg Vardar. Throughout the two-year partnership, SC Freiburg will be able to recruit Vardar’s players for its German youth academy program and Vardar will identify and recommend other talented players from youth clubs in the U.S. and Canada.

Sport-Club Freiburg is a German soccer club, based in the city of Freiburg in Breisgau in Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German soccer. SC Freiburg is the smallest club in Germany's top flight and relies heavily on player development in order to compete at the highest level. In fact, SC Freiburg was the first professional soccer club in Germany to introduce a Development Academy in the late 1990s and was just recognized again in May 2011 by the German Soccer Federation (DFB) as having one of the overall best academies in Germany. The club's Academy regularly produces players that make it into the professional team and its U-17 and U-19 teams always are among the top teams in the country.

Caleb Stanko of Holly, MI, recently became the first Vardar player to sign with SC Freiburg’s U19 Men’s Team. Stanko, a member of the Vardar U18 Academy Team that won the National Championship in July of 2010, had been training in Germany since March of 2011. “Caleb is a perfect example of how this partnership can work to the benefit of Vardar players,” Lupenec said. “Hopefully Caleb will be just one of many Vardar players who will train with SC Freiburg and make an impact on European soccer.”

U14 boys State Cup Champions

These two teams (13 Boys and 14 Boys) and the Vardar 14 Girls now head to the Region II Championships slated for June 25-29 in Fox Cities, WI.

U13 boys State Cup Champions

The U13 Boys team is coached by Curtis Ward.

Vardar Player Earns Golden Boot Award

The Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC) is the largest international youth football tournament in the world, involving over 6,000 teams from over 40 countries. Teams from around the globe compete in regional or national qualifying tournaments, all with the ultimate goal to reach the MUPC World Finals for boys, and the Gothia Cup tournament for the girls U.S. winner. Once again, Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton hosted the U.S. Finals for the MUPC. The tournament saw 20 of the top U14 and U15 boys and girls teams each in the nation come together to play for the crown.

Vardar's boys earned a sixth place finish with a three win, 1 loss and 1 tie record. Vardar girls went 1-2-1 for the weekend

Vardar has four teams vying for the State Cup Championship title

Vardar's U13 Boys earned the Championship title at the Wolverine Tournament

The team is coached by Curtis Ward. The Vardar 13s next take on the Crew during the State Cup Championships on June 4

• 9:30 AM Vardar U18 Boys coached by Demir Muftari and Morris Lupenec, Field #6
• 9:30 AM Vardar U13 Boys coached by Curtis Ward, Field #7
• 9:30 AM Vardar Red U13 Boys coached by John Phillips, Field #8
• 12:00 PM Vardar U14 Academy Boys coached by Mike Lupenec, Field #9
• 12:00 PM Vardar U14 Pre-Academy Boys coached by Mike Lupenec, Field #10
• 2:30 PM Vardar U16 Boys coached by Morris Lupenec, Field #1
• 2:30 PM Vardar U13 Girls coached by Eric Pogue, Field #7
• 2:30 PM Vardar East U13 Girls coached by Rick Christensen, Field #8
• 5:00 PM Vardar U15 Boys coached by Mike Lupenec, Field #3

Come on out and cheer on our Vardar players! Winners will then play on Sunday during the State Cup Semi-Finals. The State Cup Championships will then be held on June 4

Novi Jags Tournament Finalist: U9 Vardar Ann Arbor Team

Vardar Red 98 at the Nike Challenge Cup in Dublin, OH

The team defeated Blast FC in the semi-finals 6-3, and lost to Lexington FC in a thrilling Final match by a score of 0-1.  

Congratulations Team!

Vardar players travel to Costa Rica to play on the 1996 and 1995 Region II Boys International Tournament

Players with the '96 ODP team were Matt Nance, Connor Balantyne and Craig Duggan.

Other than Region I, II, III & IV participating in this event, four youth teams from Costa Rica joined in the international event including Brujas, Heredia, Alajuela and Saprissa

• Boys ODP - Latest News

U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team and Vardar defender Zach Carroll interview

• Zach Carroll's interview - U.S. Soccer
• More Development Academy News

CONCAF game featuring Zach Carroll on the U.S. U17 MNT will air on ESPN Desportes and live-streamed on ESPN3.com.

Look for the quarterfinal against El Salvador on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m

Vardar Academy Player selected for U17 World Cup qualifying and CONCACAF championship

The CONCACAF website will live stream stats and highlights at http://www.concacaf.com/page/Under17s/Home/0,,12813,00.html

The U17 squad will play games against Cuba and Panama. More info can be found on the U17 website within U.S. Soccer at http://www.ussoccer.com/Teams/Youth/US-Under17-Men.aspx

• More Development Academy News

Vardar Academy players named as top 20 players in the Midwest Region

The Regional Top 20 Rankings (for the 2011 – 2015 classes) were based on input from Top Drawer Soccer staff, scouts and coaches at various levels. Both the numerical rankings and the star ratings are subject to update at least once per week. Read more:

• Regional Top 20 Player Rankings -- TopDrawerSoccer.com
• More Development Academy News

U.S. Soccer Names 36 players for Training Camp at The Home Depot Center

• More Development Academy News

Vardar Player picked for Academy Select Team

Select Teams are made up of Academy players chosen by youth national team coaches and U.S. Soccer Technical Advisors. They will have the opportunity to play alongside some of the top players in their age group in front of youth national team coaches, Technical Advisors, national team scouting network and hundreds of college coaches from across the country. In the past, professional scouts from Major League Soccer and foreign clubs have also been in attendance. All of the players are age-eligible to compete in the 2011 CONCACAF U-20 Championship in April, and players born on or after Jan. 1, 1994, are eligible for the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship in February

• More Development Academy News

Michigan State Cup Championship - U14 Girls

November 1, 2010 - Vardar’s U14 Girls edged the Michigan Hawks in a very well played 1-0 game on October 17^th to win the Michigan State Cup Championship.  These two teams are no stranger to the State Cup Finals, this game was actually a rematch of the championship game last season.  The Vardar girls went 6-0 in State Cup play, scoring 23 goals without allowing an opposing goal.    READ PRESS RELEASE