Strikers FC - Irvine

STRIKERS FC - Irvine (formerly the IRVINE STRIKERS) has received national recognition for being one of the top clubs in the country for producing collegiate, professional and national team players.  With over 350 boys and girls playing on 22 teams from under-8 to under-18, STRIKERS FC – Irvine attributes our historic success to making our player’s individual skill development our priority over team results.  Our unique training philosophy has a proven track record in producing elite players.  In 2010, the U.S. Men’s National Team took the 23 best players in the country to represent the United State in the World Cup in South Africa.  Of those 23 players, two of them, Jonathan Bornstein and Benny Feilhaber grew up playing in Irvine with the Strikers.   
 
Don Ebert, Technical Director of Strikers FC is also the Director of Coaching for the Irvine club.  The former professional player and US Olympic team captain, Ebert is in his 25h season as the Strikers Director of Coaching.  As one of the more highly regarded DOC's in the Nation, Ebert has surrounded himself with one of the region's brightest and most ambitious coaching staffs. The club is now at the point in it's life cycle where former Irvine Striker players have joined the club's coaching staff after their own playing careers.  Nine of our current coaches once wore the Irvine Striker jersey in their youth careers and are now back to pass on their knowledge to the next generation of Striker players.  The benefit of this evolution is evident in the continuity of the club's training excellence and the perpetuation of a very high standard that began a very long time ago.  Coaches who themselves have excelled for the club and understand the club's culture of development first, are now imparting those philosophies that they too enjoyed as competitive youth players. Ebert is a firm believer in cutting edge training methods and consistency and incorporates best practices and age specific regimens as defined by U.S. Soccer. This methodology begins with the club's U8 teams and carries through to the U18 squads. No matter the age, all Striker FC players receive essentially the same training.
 
STRIKERS FC - Irvine currently have alumni playing in the Pros both internationally (Europe, Argentina, Mexico) and domestically (MLS/USL).  Several Strikers at various ages are in the US National Team player pools including the full Men's National Team  Moreover, over 40 players from the 2010-11 high school graduating classes will have played (or will play) men's and women's collegiate soccer this year. This success has drawn attention to the club from the nation's top coaches and officials.
In 2007 the United States Soccer Federation, offered Strikers FC membership as one of the inaugural 40 members to participate in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.  As a member of the Development Academy, our players are evaluated over ten times a year by National Team coaches at practices and games, as well as offering exposure to hundreds of college coaches at national showcases.  Starting at the U14 age group, the Development Academy is a platform for the best male players in the country to compete in an environment designed to produce the next generation of National Team players.
 
In 2008, Strikers FC was invited by US Club Soccer to become a member of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL).  ECNL is the nations premier league for girls U14 to U18 and gives the club’s female players the opportunity to compete at the highest level.  Much like the Development Academy, ECNL offers unmatched exposure to U.S. National Team scouts and college coaches at national showcase events. 
 
In addition to our competitive U8-U18 teams, we offer the Strikers FC Junior Academy in Irvine for boys and girls ages 5-10.  The Junior Academy is designed to introduce our Striker skill training to players of all skill levels.  Players have one skills training session and one session of small sided games a week for 10 consecutive weeks.  Players are trained and coached by our professional Striker coaches.   For more information we invite you to click on the Junior Academy link.
 
Did you know that on September 5, 2009 in a must win game for the United States vs El Salvador in the final round of 2010 World Cup Concacaf qualifying stage, three Striker alumni were in the starting lineup for the United States.  Benny Feilhabor, Jonathon Bornstein and Chad Marshall help lead the American to a 2-1 victory.