LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2010) – Eighteen of the country’s most talented high-school soccer players will make up Disney’s Soccer Showcase All-Star Team which will represent the United States during a foreign tour this summer.

As part of its summer tour, the team will visit and train at the famed Chelsea Football Academy near London and play against English Premier League and League One Academy teams. In addition to experiencing training with Chelsea FC coaches and daily life as a top-flight English footballer, the all-stars will also attend the Football Association (FA) Community Shield Match at historic Wembley Stadium.

The squad is made up of top performers from the U17 boys division who competed in Disney’s Soccer Showcase presented by Chelsea FC, the nation’s leading college recruiting tournament which drew nearly 30,000 athletes, college coaches and fans to ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex this past December.

Players from some of the best boys clubs in the country including the Baltimore Bays (Baltimore, MD), the Concorde Fire (Atlanta, GA) and two Dallas-based clubs, the Dallas Texans Academy and Solar SC, each had several players selected for the elite squad.

Atlanta:
Holden Fender and Preston Gayton from the Concorde Fire were selected as all-stars after solid performances throughout Disney’s Soccer Showcase, including a 2-1 victory over Chelsea FC Academy (London, England) in their final game. Fender and Holden will again face the Chelsea FC Academy team during their tour with all-stars this summer.

Baltimore:
The number-one ranked boys club in the country as ranked by Soccer America, the Baltimore Bays, had three players selected including Derek Chan, Romolio Hernadez and Tanner Vosvick. Leading the Disney All-Stars this summer will be Bays coaches Steve Nichols and Kevin Healey. Nichols will be making his second trip as the team’s head coach having been previously chosen in 2009.

Dallas:
Playing at forward for the all-stars will be Alfred Koroma (Solar SC) who is currently competing with the United States U17 National Team in Jamaica for the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship. Koroma netted his first goal for the U.S. in their 3-1 victory over Cuba in the tournament opener. Joining Koroma on the all-stars is Solar SC teammate Zachary Mathers and fellow Texas soccer standouts Geoffrey Hill and Kevin Wright– both from the Dallas Texans Academy.

“For these young and talented players to experience training and competition at the highest-level is a tremendous opportunity in terms of their development as players and as individuals,” said Patrick Dicks, Disney Sports Area Manager. “The Showcase continues to draw some of the best players in the country who not only have the chance to be selected as an all-star, but are able to play in a great environment for college recruitment.”

The Disney All-Star team is sponsored by adidas, which is dedicated to providing developmental and educational experiences for top level youth soccer players, college players and coaches, and operates Disney's Soccer Showcase All-Star Team program.

Disney’s Soccer Showcase 2011 All-Star Team:

Romolio Hernandez	Baltimore Bays Chelsea	Baltimore, MD
Tanner Vosvick	Baltimore Bays Chelsea	Baltimore, MD
Derek Chan	Baltimore Bays Chelsea	Baltimore, MD
Preston Gayton	Concorde Fire	Atlanta, GA
Holden Fender	Concorde Fire	Atlanta, GA
Zachary Mathers	Solar Chelsea Academy	Dallas, TX
Alfred Koroma	Solar Chelsea Academy	Dallas, TX
Geoffrey Hill	Dallas Texans Academy	Dallas, TX
Kevin Wright	Dallas Texans Academy	Dallas, TX
Garrett Closs	Andromeda Academy	Plano, TX
Damien Sampson	Sockers FC Chicago	Chicago, IL
Zhuvonte Wilson	North Meck SC Academy	Cornelius, NC
Fernando Castellanos	CASL Chelsea FC	Raleigh, NC
Daniel Gonzalez	Kendall SC Academy	Miami, FL
Alexander Olofson	CASL Chelsea FC	Raleigh, NC
Nicholas Williams	CASL Chelsea FC	Raleigh, NC
Michael Nelson	Lonestar Red Academy	Austin, TX
Kyle McDonald	Lonestar Red Academy	Austin, TX

 

Coaches:

Steve Nichols	Baltimore Bays Chelsea	Baltimore, MD
Kevin Healey	Baltimore Bays Chelsea	Baltimore, MD