TEMECULA: Players show coaches what they can do at the CollegeClassic.
12:58 AM PST on Sunday, April 3, 2005
By LYLE SPENCER / The Press-Enterprise
TEMECULA - Premier youth club soccer teams intermingled with collegians Saturday at John Blanche Soccer Complex.
Alongside about 2,500 spectators, college coaches roamed 11 fields, inspecting prospective high school talent at the CollegeClassic.
"We talked about how we want to act like professionals in front of the college scouts," said Juan Ortiz of Fontana-based Paris Saint-Germain, which beat Ft. Collins (Col.) Arsenal, 3-0. "We want to show what we can do."
Ortiz, 16, of Mira Loma, attends Jurupa High School. Most of his teammates, coached by Bryan Waltenburg, of Fontana, are from the Inland region. Goalie Bryant Rueckner, of Fontana, is competing for the U.S. national team in a World Cup qualifier in Costa Rica.
Tony Palacios of Pomona said the team just returned from the Dallas Cup and has flourished in competition in Portugal, Mexico, New York and Florida.
St. John's University assistant coach Erick Davis was hoping to uncover another player such as Riverside Arsenal's Tony Beltran, who joins the New York program this season.
Erik Ronning of Northwestern, a new college power, also was enthused about the youth in this two-weekend event. Organized by Greg Morales, it has grown from eight teams to 100 to about 200 in its three years.
"California always has had a very deep talent base," Ronning said.
UC Riverside plays a doubleheader today under youthful head coach Junior Gonzalez: San Diego at 10:30 a.m., Loyola Marymount at 2:30 p.m.. Superb defender Erasmo Solarzano, of Riverside Poly, will welcome a pair of big-time transfers, Randy Poggio from San Jose State and Carlos Cornejo from Oregon State, to the squad.
Games run today from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Female club and college squads are on display next weekend.
"It's a great chance for young players to see college teams, how they prepare, how they interact on the field, their different styles," said Santa Clara coach Cameron Rast, NCAA champion sweeper at the school in 1989 and captain of the '92 U.S. Olympic team in Barcelona.
"These spring games are competitive. You have a lot of young players trying to prove themselves worthy of playing time."
Paul Bravo, UCLA's second-year assistant coach, made his first recruiting stop at this event last year.
"I've already noticed that the quality of play is better," said Bravo, a three-time Major League Soccer All-Star for San Jose and Colorado and national team member.
"This is the only event of its kind I know of; there are very few college showcases where you get this kind of talent in one place.
"With the kids, you see somebody new in every game who tickles your fancy."
Nobody was happier to be there than Franklin Gbenedio, whose Riverside Mean Green Fighting Machine Fusion rallied to beat respected SoCal United, 3-2, on goals by Evan Cook, of Menifee Paloma Valley, Kody Peterson, of Woodcrest Christian, and Esiri Gbenedio, of Riverside Poly.
"We're here to expose our kids to college players and coaches," Gbenedio said. "This was a big win for us. Three weeks ago, our boys won a tournament in Las Vegas. They're gaining confidence. And this is a great experience for all of them."
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