Registration for the Fall 2013 Season is now underway. The Fall Season kicks off in late August with first practices and first games after Labor Day in September. Many families forget to register before heading off for summer vacations, and remember too late to get on a team. Register online early and save $$$$. You can save even more by registering for BOTH Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 now.

Click here to REGISTER NOW

If you need assistance, please email brycregistrar@gmail.com or call in the evenings only 703-323-5747. For general information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions click here.

After an absence of several years, this spring BRYC returned to the Old Dominion Soccer League (ODSL) in the form of the U12 Girls BRYC Rage, coached by Jim Clark, assisted by Fred Welther. BRYC’s ODSL participation is managed administratively within the Recreational Soccer program by our ODSL Club Representative (and also our Referee Director) John Davis.

In the fall, BRYC Rage will age up to U13, and, for the first time, will be playing 11 v11 soccer. With that in mind, the coaches are looking looking to add a few more motivated rising U13 girls to to their roster for the fall 2013 season.  BRYC Rage is dedicated to building strong soccer knowledge, skill and communication to provide them with a solid team foundation.

After a late season run to the MLS Cup playoffs last fall, the Black and Red were looking forward to another great season in 2013 but have struggled in early season action

Finally, for the first time in 65 days, D.C. United earned a point with a 1:1 draw vs. Sporting KC on BRYC Night, May 19.  After conceding an own goal – and benefiting from a first-half goal by Sporting Kansas City that was incorrectly called offside – D.C. (1-8-2, 5 points) snapped their dismal seven-match losing streak with a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium.

As noted in another story earlier this season, over on the Travel side of BRYC soccer, every team is simply called "Elite." But on the Recreational side of the BRYC soccer program, almost anything goes.  The Webmaster fully expected some zaniness among the younger age groups but was recently surprised to see some of the older players being equally creative. 

Take, for example, the U9 Girls coached by Dalila Belmadani.  Linda Campbell, mother of one of the girls, submitted a zany team photo (left) to go along with the equallly zany name "OMG LOL".  Thanks, Linda.  That made the Webmaster ROFL.

Then there’s Kayla Yaglou’s team of U10 Boys (right) who were previously identified as the "Strykers".  Apparently that name didn’t stick and the boys had a hard time deciding between the Lions and the Tigers.  In a compromise that should embarrass our lawmakers on Capitol Hill for it’s simplicity, the team adoped the name "Ligers".  If only we had a few "Repubocrats" or "Demlicans" maybe we’d get something done in Washington!

And then there’s the team of U14 Girls who, after their "official" photo was taken, were lucky enough to get their picture taken with Washington Spirit star Kika Toulouse on Photo Day.  (See their picture in the story below).  Co-coach Barbara Murrillo wrote that early in the season the girls were having a hard time coming up with a name so the coaches were simply going to choose one for them.  Not one to let that happen, one of the team suggested "Fierce Babes" and the rest of the team thought that was just fine!

Time is running short.  The webmaster is still looking for a few more of the better team names this season and how they were arrived at. Whatever name your team has selected, be it traditional or "off the wall", drop an email to the webmaster at brycstars@aol.com with the subject "TEAM NAME" and let him know how it was chosen. If you can attach a team photo, so much the better.

After a year’s hiatus, women’s professional soccer has returned to Washington this spring in the form of the Washington Spirit, one of eight teams in the newly formed National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The Spirit’s roster includes former BRYC standout Kika Toulouse on the defense. Kika has been playing professionally in Sweden for the past year. She’s a graduate of the University of Virginia and of the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team after winning six Virginia State Cup championships playing for two different BRYC squads in her teens.

The Spirit’s regular season started slowly with a 1:1 draw in an Away match against the Boston Breakers. In their next four matches, all at home against the Western New York Flash, Sky Blue FC (New Jersey), the the Portland Thorns, and the Boston Breakers again, the Spirit offense struggled to find the back of the net, losing two and tying two.  The final match of their home stand was BRYC Night, aka "Catch the Spirit!", with over 30 BRYC kids and parents in attendance. For more photos from BRYC Night, click on "Continue" at the bottom of this story.

In their first of three consecutive road matches, the Spirit came away with their first win of the season, a 4:2 victory over the Seattle Reign FC on goals by Diana Matheson, Ali Kriger, Tiffany McCarty, and Tori Huster.  Facing the league-leading Portland Thorns just days later, the Spirit fell for the second time this season.  After another road game against the Boston Breakers, the next Spirit home game is on June 15, when the team takes on the Western New York Flash.  The team continues to play through August, including a number of mid-summer matches on Wednesday nights.

Check their schedule and make plans to attend. There isn’t a soul who was there on BRYC night who won’t tell you it was a great experience. All Home games are played at the beautiful Germantown (MD) Soccerplex, with no seat more than 12 rows off the natural turf.  Food service by Famous Dave’s Barbecue and Ledo Pizza as well as lots of other snacking opportunities make it a great place to take the family.

For more information on the Washington Spirit, check out the Spirit web site.

Dick’s Sporting Goods generously donated water bottles to all the players who participated in BRYC’s Spring Break Footskills Program.

Now they’ve given BRYC 10% discount coupons for a variety of soccer supplies including apparel, balls, cleats, shin guards, goals, rebounders, and more.  Simply click on their logo to the right to download your discount coupons, good through July 15, 2013. 

Thanks so much to Dick’s Sporting Goods for their support of recreational youth sports!!

In support of BRYC and "Catch the Spirit!" Night, Washington Spirit standout defender Kika Toulouse appeared Sunday at BRYC Photo Day at Olde Creeke Elementary School to help promote the event...and attracted quite a crowd. Kika is a product of BRYC who went on to play collegiately at the University of Virginia and professionally in Sweden before returning "home" to start for the Washington Spirit.

Pictured (left to right) below; Coaches Tony Vincent’s and Lenny Lapetina’s U6G Mighty Bulldogs, Coaches Jose and Barbara Murillo’s U14G Fierce Babes, and the U11/12 Girls who were scrimmaging at Olde Creek under the watchful eyes of League Director and Coach Jon Fredrick and Coach Tom Small got to get up close and personal.

Thanks to Spirit Group Program Manager Natalie Pardo and especially to Kika for making it a most memorable Photo Day.  For more and larger pictures of Kika’s visit, click on "Continue" at the bottom of this story.

In connection with their Photo Day appearance and Catch the Spirit! Night, the Spirit generously offered four free tickets to an upcoming home game. And the winner is...

...FCPS teacher Terri Stirk, mother of U7Boy Andrew, a U. of Virginia graduate (like Kika) who played for the club team, Charlottesville United, and whose husband Tony is a current player, manager, and winter league commissioner in the Coaches league. How much more of a soccer-loving family could one ask for to give the tickets to?

Quite amazingly, Terri had a long conversation with Kika, and had her photograph taken, only moments before her name was drawn from the box that contained at least a hundred others. At the moment of the drawing no one realized the coincidence. It wasn’t until the webmaster was preparing to notify the ticket winner and email a photo to the woman in the picture that he realized it was the same person! Congratulations to Terri and her family on winning the tickets. Enjoy the game!

Lose something at the field?  Find something and want to locate the owner?  Just email the BRYC Webmaster to have an item listed as lost or found.  Include the date, a brief description of the item lost or found, the location, and your contact information.  The webmaster is already building up quite a collection this season, particularly from U12 Boys play at Chapel Square where he checks the field across the street from his home each Saturday.  Other fields are well represented as well so check the Lost and Found page if you’re missing something.

Over on the Travel side of BRYC soccer, every team is simply called "Elite."  On the Recreational side of the BRYC soccer program, anything goes.  Especially among the younger age groups, suggested (and sometimes adopted) team names can be crazy, and fun.  The webmaster would love to do a feature story or two on team names so he’s looking for some of the better ones this season and how they were arrived at.  Whatever name your team has selected this season, be it traditional or "off the wall", drop an email to the webmaster at brycstars@aol.com with the subject "TEAM NAME" and let him know how it was chosen.  If you can attach a team photo, be it traditional or "off the wall", so much the better.

To start things off, one of the more traditional soccer team names is "Strikers".  Expecting to see lots of photos of union members carrying picket signs (left), the webmaster was amazed when he Googled the term looking for "Images" and found very few of those but dozens of different logos from soccer clubs from all over the world who are so named, like the one on the right from a team in Pennsylvania.  Indeed, no fewer than four BRYC squads are using the name this season, including the U6 Boys squad featured in the story below on opening day; a U5 and a U19 Boys squad both coached by long time BRYC coach John Kelleher; and a U10 Boys squad coached by Kaya Yaglou, one of John’s "protoges", the only girl ever to play on the U19 Boys Strykers. 

Interestingly, except for the U6 Boys, all of the other teams are using the spelling "Strykers".  When you Google that spelling you find just a couple of logos for soccer teams that got creative with the spelling, like John, but dozens of pictures of armored vehicles like the one on the right.  After this story is published you’ll also find this photo of John Kelleher’s U5 Strykers, the first entry in the webmaster’s search for interesting team names!  Helping John (third from left) coach the Strykers are parent coach Steve Terpak, current U19G player Kate Cashion, and former U19B/Stryker and recent UVA graduate, Nishant Trivedi.  (This might just be the best coached U5 team in the history of BRYC!)

Braddock Road Youth Club mourns the sudden passing of Christopher C. Heasly, a referee for BRYC since he was first certified in 1999.

On the morning of Saturday, April 13th, Chris collapsed 50 feet from the finish line of a five kilometer race at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. EMS personnel at the scene and off-duty EMS providers participating in the race administered CPR almost immediately. Chris was flown to the Outer Banks Hospital, but could not be revived.

As a referee, Chris was known for his tremendous ability to manage and guide players and coaches, before people skills became as important to officiating as enforcement of the Laws of the Game BRYC Refree Director John Davis recalls quite a few conversations with Chris about phrases and gestures that he used which worked well in difficult officiating situations. He always brought a smile with him to the field, and made every referee proud to be a member of his officiating team. His mentoring of BRYC’s referees, young and old, will be very much missed.

Chris is survived by his wife, Patrice, and three adult children, daughters Kathryn and Carolyn, and son Chris who was also a player and referee with BRYC.

After an absence of several years, BRYC has returned to the Old Dominion Soccer League (ODSL) in the form of the U12 Girls "Rage", coached by Jim Clark, assisted by Fred Welther.  BRYC’s ODSL participation, managed within the Recreational Soccer program. is expected to grow in the coming years, but it took a daring first step by Coach Clark, taken after the Spring 2012 FPYC All Star Tournament, that set the wheels in motion when he chose six girls from BRYC All Star squads to participate in the BRYC Elite Fantastic Four tournament.  With time for only one practice, the girls went on to win the tournament in their age group  before returning to their recreational teams for the Fall 2012 season.

When two U12 Girls teams both won their divisions at the Herndon All Star tournament last fall, Coach Clark floated the idea with BRYC Recreational Soccer about the possibility of returning to the ODSL, which represents a step up the competitive ladder from the traditional recreational soccer program to the professionally coached BRYC "Elite" travel program.  Rec Soccer saw it as the perfect time to get our feet wet once again, with a willing coach and a strong group of potential players, but without a lot of time to build a roster and select and purchse uniforms, let alone handle the administrative tasks.  BRYC named John Davis, our Referee Director and a BRYC Board Member, to be our ODSL Club Representative, working with Coach Clark to make it happen.  And it has.  Rage is alive again!

After winning its innaugural match, beating the SYA Cardinals by a score of 4-0, the girls played a very tough Stafford squad on April 21, losing by a score of 0-1.  In the coming weeks the girls will face teams from Reston, Loudoun, Front Royal, Burke and Springfield.  Congratulations to Coaches Clark and Welther, and to Taylor C., Ruthie F., Rebecca R., Mackenzie M., Jocelyn P., Claire K., Camille Y., Bella R., Anna S., Adriene S. and Abby G. for leading BRYC back into the ODSL, and setting the standard for future BRYC teams to follow.

For a complete set of action photos from the team’s tremendous effort against Stafford, click on Rage. 

April 4 -- Parents and kids alike turned out in large numbers at BRYC’s semi-annual Uniform Night, in search of some uniform piece that seemed to have gone astray since November, or a jersey or shorts to replace the ones that just don’t quite fit any more.  And equallly large numbers of BRYC volunteers were ready to help.  Thanks to hard-working Uniform Director Kim Thomas for spearheading the evening and to Training Coordinator Joan Smith for snapping the photos below.  Extra special thanks to all the folks who came out to help on a record-breaking night for uniform purchase and exchanges.

Uniform Director Kim Thomas has a house full or BRYC          Long-time volunteer Iris Jackson must love Uniform 
jerseys except two nights a year when she brings them        Nights.  She’s been volunteering for many years.  
out of storage.   She had Uniform Night humming like a                                                                                        
well-oiled machine.                                                                                                 

U14 Boys Coach Kevin Bradburn talked to some              U12 League Director Tracy Seamans helped Budget      
future prospects at the Spirit Wear table.                      Director Elizabeth Giuliani.  U16/19G players Samantha
                                                                                     and Sarah are clearly excited about the start of the season.   

 Teen volunteers Sam (left, with U9B League Director Larry Little) and Mimi (center)     Commissioner Dan Lemieux
earned volunteer service hours and were a big help keeping the lines moving.                   helps out as well.
 

April 6 -- When BRYC’s younger players, at the U5 and U6 levels, get together on Saturdays the action is fast and furious. Playing two simultaneous 3v3 games on small fields with even smaller goals, the boys and girls move up and down the field in a flash. When a ball is kicked out of bounds another one is put in play almost immediately...with no waiting for a throw-in or a goal kick.  When a goal is scored there’s no waiting to get the ball out of the goal for another kickoff.  Another ball is immediately put in play.  Goals often come in bunches because it’s fairly rare for a player to think about defense! But no one keeps score!

So it was when Rik Ebbesen’s Canterbury Woods based "Strikers" took on Danny Heltzel’s Wakefield Forest based "Skylanders" on Saturday afternoon at Woodson High School in the first game of the spring season for them and over 100 BRYC teams from U5 to U19. It looked like a lot of energy had been saved up over the winter months and the boys were ready to let it all out.

Click on "Continue..." below for a bunch more action photos.

Under the leadership of BRYC’s Training Coordinator for the past few seasons, Joan Smith, BRYC has strived hard to have the best trained coaches among the area’s recreational clubs. To help reach that goal, BRYC regularly sponsors Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) licensing courses. VYSA watches all the trends across the world in soccer theory and training. They tailor their education to reflect those trends, and to maintain consistency with US Soccer policies and practices. The training is separated by age groups to target the specific needs of players as they grow, develop and learn. For coaches, therefore, it’s important to keep their license up to date as the licensing courses get more involved and intense as the kids and coaches progress.

For the first time ever, in March, in preparation for the spring season, BRYC hosted all four licensing courses at the F, E, and D levels required of our coaches as they move from coaching the U5’s to the U19’s, and 37 of our coaches enthusiastically took to the field!

The coaches weren’t the only ones.  Boys and Girls from eight different BRYC squads from U7 Boys up to our U16/19 Girls and even our Friday Night Lights group took the field to be "coached".  BRYC thanks all of them for their commitment, working together to constantly raise the bar and provide our club with the most well trained recrecreational soccer coaches in the area!

You know the season is about to begin when over 100 coaches, including veterans of well over a dozen seasons past, along with first-timers who have just passed the test fot their E-License in preparation for coaching BRYC’s youngest players, gather for the pre-season coaches’ meeting.  As the weather outside has begun to change and fields have begun to dry, excitement was in the air.  Let the spring season begin!

After a welcome from new Recreational Soccer Commissioner (former Registration Director) Dan Lemieux, and remarks from D.C. United’s new Marketing Executive Evan Maly about opportunities for BRYC participation, and Golden Boot’s Deanna Scarcino discussing the host of training opportunities this season, coaches heard from BRYC EXCOM members on the subjects of training (complete with a footskills demonstration from Training Coordinator Joan Smith’s daughter Julia); practice field assignments (Fields Coordinator Trish Moxie had the coaches sitting on the edge of their seats); BRYC’s newest referees (Referee Director John Davis introduced a supersized evaluation card for coaches who just can’t say enough about referees’ performance); All Star Coordinator Anthony Pagano on the evolving all star schedule for the season; and Mac Squires on a number of issues related to risk management. 

Coaches have been given their rosters, their practice and game schedules, and equipment.  New uniforms ordered through the registration process have not yet been distributed due to a hiccup with our supplier but will be handed out to coaches before the first game of the season.  Coaches will be calling their team in the coming week, with practices beginning as soon as the coaches are able in anticipation of the first games of the season on April 6.

November 18-- As darkness fell on Sunday evening there was still one BRYC All Star squad that had unfinished business.  Earlier in the day eleven other BRYC teams had played for tournament championships.  Five of them had came close and earned handsome Finalist trophies for their weekend effort.  Six of them had finished their tournament on a winning note and brought home tournament Chammpionships.  Coach John Kelleher’s U19 Boys, the Strykers, were intent on making it seven! 

After two really hard-fought battles earlier in the day, a 3-2 win over Prince William followed by a shootout victory over the Northern Virginia Soccer Club in mid-afternoon, it would be a test of wills against a second team from perrenial powerhouse Prince William that would test the boys in the final, under the lights at Lake Fairfax Park.  With the score knotted at 2-2 as regulation time expired, the final match of the Herndon tournament would once again come down to peanlty kicks.  The boys had broken the BRYC PK jinx earlier, but could they do it a second time?  Yes they could!  Congratulations to John and the Strykers for a great tournament.

There’s no way to do justice to the eleven other squads who also came home with tournament hardware, but congratulations are also due to the other six tournament champions: the U9 Boys coached by David Ross and Andy McBride; the U11 Boys coached by Scott DiRocco; the U11 Girls coached by John Decker and Uwe Mobius (see the story of their thrilling tournament win now posted on the U11/12 Girls page) ; the U12 Boys coached by Mauricio Milian (who has now coached many of the boys to three consecutive tournament championships)  and Kevin Ross; and both BRYC teams of U12 Girls, coached by Jon Fredrick, Ed Gagermeier, Tom Mastal and Tom Small.  Joining the list of proud trophy-earning BRYC squads are five Finalists:  Coach (and All Star Tournament Coordinator) Anthony Pagano’s U9 Boys; Mohamed Diaw’s U10 Boys; Tracy Seamans’ U10 Girls; John Beattie’s and David Knight’s U14 Boys; And James and Joan Sullivan’s U16 Girls.  They all came oh-so-close! 

To the other seven BRYC squads in the U9-U19 age groups...all reports are that you played hard and played fairly, but it wasn’t meant to be this season.  Your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed and your good sportsmanship has won priase for BRYC.  Thank you.  And for the five squads of U8 boys and girls playing in their first All Star tournmament "just for the fun of it", congratulations on earning that first All Star patch.  We hope you’re all registered for the spring season, hoping to experience the thrill of being an All Star once again!

Here are just a few pictures tournament photos, with many others posted on the individual league pages.

September 30 -- BRYC celebrated the opening of a new synthetic turf field on September 14 in the stadium of Robinson Secondary School. The next morning, BRYC U14G recreational soccer teams coached by Kevin Bradburn and Chris Massey played in the very first youth soccer games on the field.  Last weekend the 7-9 year-old "ankle-biters" from BRYC’s football program were in full swing on the beautiful new addition to Fairfax County’s growing list of turfed fields on Saturday and on Sunday the BRYC Travel Soccer program welcomed visiting teams from around the area to the large upper field where two small-sided games can be played simultaneously, side by side.  BRYC looks forward to making full use of the beautiful new facility.

The stadium field, along with upper field, cost roughly $1.5 million to build. They were funded through a partnership between BRYC (football, travel soccer, rec soccer), Northern Virginia Soccer League (a premier adult soccer league  in which BRYC has a team coached by John Kelleher and Bob Brennis), Robinson Athletics and their booster club, a grant from Fairfax County from the $5.50 fee per player that we pay each season.  Braddock District Supervisor and former BRYC softball coach John Cook, found some extremely rare county money to enable us to reach our goal.

"These improvements add significantly to the quality of life in our community," said Supervisor Cook, who has worked to obtain funding for this and other turf projects in the Braddock Distict. BRYC is already working with Supervisor Cook to turf Woodson HS next year, and he is working with another club to turf Lake Braddock SS at the same time.

“BRYC is proud to be able to contribute to the community, and to continue our long-time partnerships with Robinson, Northern Virginia Soccer League and Fairfax County," said BRYC President Dane Merkel in an article published by Burke Patch. "This is an exciting time for all youth sports in the area, as quality fields foster good player development and provide the safest environments possible.”

To read the rest of the story click "Continue", below.

September 6 -- Honduran children love soccer, but are often too poor to buy real soccer shoes. For the past three years, Midlife Men on a Mission from Fairfax Presbyterian Church (FPC) have collected used soccer shoes at various FPYC tournament sites. This year the numbers were down, so BRYC told them we’d attempt to augment the numbers by collecting shoes at Uniform Night.  And it worked.

Midlife Men will be thrilled to receive forty pairs of used soccer cleats (some that look almost new, and not to speak of a handful of shin guards) contributed at BRYC’s Uniform Night.  The group will be conducting their annual mission trip to Honduras in November, taking the shoes to a small town outside San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second largest city.

In additrion to the used cleats, former BRYC Tournament Coordinator Ralph Schuetz, who had built up quite a collection of surplus All Star jerseys over the years, previously donated more than thirty assorted royal blue All Star jerseys which Stephen Wade, who coordinates the program for FPC, said would be a big hit with the boys. 

BRYC, the Braddock Road Youth Club, is a non-profit organization in Fairfax County, Virginia, established in 1968 to offer a variety of youth sports activities in the Burke/Annandale/ Springfield, Virginia area.  BRYC Soccer is divided into two programs, Recreational Soccer and Travel Soccer.  This web site is devoted exclusively to BRYC’s Recreational Soccer program, consisting of neighborhood-based teams. Any youth that signs up to play in the recreational league will be placed on a team.  For information on BRYC Travel Soccer, go to brycsoccer.com. For links to all the BRYC sports programs, from football to fast-pitch softball, go to bryc.org.