Okemos Soccer Club

U11 Boys WSSL team finishes 2nd at Traverse City Fall Tourney

OSC's U11 Boys WSSL team, coached by Taylor Herschleb, finished 2nd in the Traverse City Autumn Classic September17-18. They boys beat Michigan Jags black, Lakeshore Soccer Club, and United FC by a combined score of 16-2 before falling to BASA Renegades 2-0 in the final. Coach Herschleb was very proud of how the boys came together and played winning soccer while having a fantastic time. Team members are Sebastian A., Cole C., Carter C., Christian C., Logan H., Spencer H., Ryan K., Sebastian K., Eric L., Josh R., Chuck S., Jake S., and Peyton W.. Congratulations to the U11 boys WSSL team!

U12 Boys win Jr State Cup Championship
A first half header goal by Andrew Kim off a corner from Aidan Antcliff held up as Okemos Soccer Club's boys beat SWM Kickers (Southwest Michigan) to win the 2016 U12 state championship.

It was a total team effort and a deserved victory. Stellar goalkeeping by Dray Chase and a rock solid defense led by John Moore, Will Swihart, George Meng and Issac Freidoff secured the shutout.

Tough ball winning and precision passing by midfielders Owen Brewer, Aidan Antcliff, Ben Hussey, Andrew Kim, Kaivalya Kulkarni and Ryan Wilkinson allowed Okemos to control possession.

Tireless work and unselfish play by forwards Ruben Gonzalez and Ederick Plantegenest kept the SWM defense under pressure the entire game.

With the win, Okemos becomes only the third team from the Lansing area to win a State Cup or Jr State Cup championship and the first community based team- since all players are from Okemos- to accomplish the feat.

OSC now has tie-in to Cap City, Chill and Rush
In another step to providing opportunities for Okemos soccer players to advance their soccer development, several members of the U12 (04) boys WSSL team will be trying out for and combining with the Cap City DA team for the 2016-17 season.

"Our team will only have 10 players tops after the birth year change and we're moving to 11v11 at U13. A number of boys, including my son, want to continue playing at the highest level possible and joining Cap City allows them to do that. We chose Cap City because our team and theirs are the best two 04 teams in the area. Getting all of those players on one team means we can contend with the top teams in the state", head coach Rob Antcliff said. Antcliff has agreed to co-coach that team while also continuing to coach his daughter's OSC 05 girls team.

This move may provide the blue print for future OSC teams as they move to 11v11 and don't have the player numbers to continue to field two teams in their age group. The idea of getting Okemos players all moving to the same club team, and allowing them to choose which club (Cap City, Rush, or Chill) is the best fit for that specific age group is ideal. Especially when that move allows OSC to continue to offer a CASL team without having to cut large amounts of players.

This is the first time a group from OSC has participated with Cap City. OSC teams played futsal in the Chill league and played in the Rush league at the Summit this past winter. The connection with coaches from all the clubs has proven to be valuable to OSC meeting it's mission of helping kids play at the level that is appropriate for them and maximizing the number of Okemos kids playing soccer.

US Soccer changes to birth year team formation for fall 2016

Dear Okemos Soccer Families,
You may have heard about the Michigan Youth Soccer Association's recent decision and recommendation to go from team formation being based on school year (August 1 – July 31) to calendar/birth year (January 1 – December 31) beginning with June 2016 tryouts. This change puts Michigan in compliance with the recommendations being handed down by US Soccer.

This decision by US soccer will impact the make up of all current teams in the state of Michigan (and country) by putting all kids from a singular birth year on the same team. For example, all 2004's will play U13 and 2005's will be U12, and so on.

Looking over the rosters of OSC teams, every team will need to be re-made at our June tryouts to fall within the new guidelines. Unfortunately, that means breaking up long-time teammates and established teams.
Although I personally disagree with US Soccer's change, there is nothing we can do if we want to participate in any US Soccer sanctioned league or tournament- which is every competitive league and tournament in the state and country.

View a Birth Year FAQ to help answer questions and you can click on these links to the official notices from US Soccer and Michigan State Youth Soccer Association.

OSC understands that this change will be unsettling. Players, parents and coaches are anxious about this change and how it affects their team, teammates, friendships, and success on the pitch. I encourage you to educate yourself on the change and to talk with your coach and then talk to your child to help them in this transition.

Thank you again for playing with the Okemos Soccer Club.

Juggling Club!
OSC is continuing the popular juggling club again this spring. Players will work toward reward levels for the number of consecutive juggles they can perform. For each level achieved, players will receive a reward tag they can attach to their bag.

Juggling helps players improve their touch on the ball, allowing them to be more comfortable and confident when they have the ball. Plus, juggling improves a player's balance and concentration.
Top players dribble and juggle a ball every day!

Six OSC U10-13 teams to play in WSSL in 2015-2016

OSC "A" teams in the U10-U13 age groups will have an opportunity to play in WSSL (Western Suburban Soccer League based in Canton) in the 2015-2016 season. Coaches will have the option to move their team to WSSL or keep them in CASL based on their team's ability. Advanced players will be assigned to the WSSL team and a CASL team will be formed to get as many players as possible playing soccer!

2017 Tryouts Date Set
Mark your calendars, Michigan State Youth Soccer Association has determined that tryouts for fall 2017 teams must start on or after June 17, 2017. OSC will announce dates, times and locations for specific teams in May. Typically all OSC teams hold a weekend tryout session and a weekday tryout session. That means OSC tryouts will occur between Saturday, June 17 and Thursday, June 22.