The West Coast FC U14 Girls team, #1 in our most recent TeamRank national update, has won just about everything in sight over the past year.

The Orange County, California team’s U13 triumphs include U.S. Youth Soccer Cal South State Cup, the Region IV Championship and Southern California Developmental Soccer League. This year they are early leaders in the U14 age group for both the ECNL Southern Cal division and the SCDSL.

But these titles, according to coach Doug Swanson, are not the heart of where he sets goals for the team.

Sydney Cooper (right)

“I don’t set goals as far as we want to win this or that. I set goals as faras, we want to get better each time we step on the field,” Swanson said. “We want to compete each time we step on the field. It’s hard when you are at or near the top to stay there. Everyone is shooting at you. Sometimes teams in this position lose their motivation, so the goal is to keep working and training hard. We still have something to prove. There are a lot of teams that win at U13 or U14 and as they get older you don’t hear much from them. There is a lot of soccer to be played, and we have to stay on the competitive edge.”

Swanson described his team as one that is purposeful in going forward and scoring goals. He said the main strengths of his team are two-fold.

“What makes this team special is that we are super technical. Everyone is comfortable with the ball, with dribbling in and out of pressure and collecting balls out of the air,” Swanson said. “We are good at striking the ball, we can head the ball, we have good athletes, speed, strength and agility – and for a girls team especially, we have a bunch of players with incredible soccer IQs. They just get it. They understand the game, the angles, recognizing what is crowded and not crowded. They can read what players are going to do. It’s a natural thing for most boys, but for girls they have to work on it. This team is gifted with a number of that type of player.”

Swanson also cited the good relationships the players on the team have with one another.

“The chemistry is good,” he said. “The kids show up and work hard and get along great. They really have a winning mentality.” Side, which he says helps the younger group play faster.

“It’s a big step up for them physically but they seem to really enjoy that kind of competition,” he explained. “I think it helps my older team too, to see that kind of competitive spirit.”

Swanson added that coaching the team has helped him improve as a coach, because he focus more on tactics and not worry whether a certain girl “can trap a ball, because the all can.”

The team plays three matches this weekend in Seattle at an ECNL inter-conference showcase, with the final match on Sunday being against #2 nationally-ranked De Anza SC. Swanson said he is a big fan of the Northern California team and that the team is really looking forward to the high –caliber match.

West Coast FC U14 ECNL Roster

Victoria Arvizu, Hillary Beall, Madison Bennett, Serena Camacho, Madison Cook, Sydney Cooper, Marissa Cordero, Lake Duerksen, Kimberly Flores, Annabella Folino, Holly Kaemerle, Kaylee Karsh, Delaney Lindahl, Remy Mathews, Mikenna McManus, Janavi Patel, Sophia Serafin

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