Vail Valley Soccer Club’s U16 boys headed to National Presidents Cup (2024)

The future looks bright for Eagle County soccer. Maybe as bright as it’s ever been.

The Vail Valley Soccer Club’s U16 boys placed second at the Far West Regional Presidents Cup in Salt Lake City earlier this month to punch their tickets to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup in Wichita, Kansas on July 12-16.

“They have a quiet confidence about them,” head coach Joel Rabinowitz said. “They’re an interesting group. They don’t get too high, they don’t get too low…in big games, they show up.”

Fourteen years ago, Rabinowitz also took a U16 boys team to the Far West regional championship in Salt Lake City. Though that group failed to advance to the national tournament, they formed the Battle Mountain nucleus that went 20-0 and won the 4A state title in 2012.

When asked to contextualize this team’s talent, Rabinowitz said, “I think this team’s very good and we keep telling them to believe in themselves — how good they can be — but I wouldn’t say they’re the best team I’ve coached.”

“But they went further,” he added. “So that says something.”

The roster is comprised of Battle Mountain and Eagle Valley High School athletes as well as a player from Summit and another from the Front Range who was added after the state Presidents Cup. There are also three rising freshman who attended Gypsum Creek Middle School last year.

“For young players, they don’t lack for confidence,” Rabinowitz said of Alfonso Gallegos, Marco Rosales and Louy Tellez, all of whom are headed to Eagle Valley next fall. “They got some great technical skills, they’re not afraid to dribble at someone. So, it’s cool to watch.”

The club’s indoor practices started in mid-December and increased to 3-4 sessions per week at the beginning of the league season in March. Vail cruised to a 9-1 league record, despite being one of the youngest teams, with nine players born in 2009. In May, Rabinowitz’s squad went 6-0 to win the Colorado Presidents Cup, the statewide competition for Colorado Soccer Association teams that are not Premier 1 or Elite 64 league teams. The team’s record now is 20-2-2.

“If you told me at the beginning of the year that this team would have gone this far, I would have called you crazy,” Rabinowitz said of the group, which was coming off a sub-.500 campaign last spring. “We’ve grown week after week and gotten better.”

The head coach said the team has matured both in practice habits and schematic elements.

“A lot of kids come from middle school where they’re the best player on the pitch and can do anything they want,” he said. “So, coming together as a group has been important.”

Him and his assistant, Cameron Kamin, have also worked to hold their players accountable to a higher standard.

“They don’t always like it,” Rabinowitz said. “But they tend to respond.”

Two teams from each of the four regions advanced to the championships, which means Vail could get a rematch against the Boise, Idaho, team that defeated them 3-2 in the Far West final. After five games in five days — all in 100-degree heat — Vail fell behind 2-0 early against Boise. They were able to tie things up before half, but gave up a rebound off a free kick from the top of the box in the final five minutes.

“I can’t wait to play them again,” Rabinowitz said.

Though he’s acquired some footage of teams to get ready, Rabinowitz said it’s not as easy to find film on the summer club circuit as it is during the fall high school season.

“It’s more refining what we do and adapting to the style of play the other team does,” Rabinowitz said when asked about how the group will prepare for July’s tournament. “I think for the most part, you’ve got to prepare to be the best version of yourself.”

Want to support the squad? Donate on venmo at ‘VailValleySoccerClub.’