Union City Premier Soccer Player Receives National Recognition

Submitted by Victor Juarez

Thirteen-year-old , who has already received local and state recognition for her soccer talent, is now receiving national recognition.

Sixty of the top 13-year-old female players from across the nation were invited to attend the second id² Program Training Camp of 2012 in Irvine, California.  Players invited came from as far as Hawaii and Florida and seven players of the 60 came from Northern California.

Ramirez, who currently plays for Union City Premier is the only player representative of the Tri-City area.

id² Program Training Camps are invitation-only events that bring together the nation’s top male and female youth players for four days of competition, evaluation and fun. U.S. Soccer National Team staff, some of the nation’s top coaches as well as elite guest coaches and players attends id² Program Training Camps. In addition to the on-field sessions, id² Program Training Camps feature guest speakers, lectures/classroom sessions and other offerings, which make for a complete experience.

Every id² Program Training Camp is attended and scouted by U.S. Soccer staff members. Aided by their time at US Club Soccer’s id² Regional Training Camps, numerous attendees of past camps have advanced into U.S. Soccer’s National Team programs.

The id² Program Training Camp in Irvine, Calif., began on Thursday, April 19. After completing registration and being split into teams, the players completed their first training session on the campus of the University of California, Irvine.

The second day of the id² Program Training Camp concluded a day that included training sessions and matches, as well as a presentation from EXACT SPORTS.

Simon Clements, a sports performance consultant with EXACT SPORTS, spoke to the players about improving the mental aspect of their game.

"I'm really excited to be out at id² working with these youth athletes," said Clements. "We did a walkthrough of the five components that lead to success on the mental side of the game, and helped them learn how to gain mental toughness through mental preparation."

Saturday marked the third day of the id² Program Training Camp, as boys and girls teams hit the field for morning training sessions. After finishing training, some girl players watched the University of California - Irvine women's soccer team play a match at Anteater Stadium, while other players settled in to watch FC Barcelona play Real Madrid in El Clasico.

After lunch, the girls had a presentation from two guest speakers. B.J. Snow, head coach of UCLA women's soccer, spoke to the girls about how to improve on their individual development while holding National Team aspirations. In addition, Lindsay Tarpley, a two-time Gold Medalist as a member of the U.S. National Team, spoke to the players about her experiences and shared advice for the players.

The id² Program Training Camp wrapped up on Sunday, as the players finished a successful four days with final games on the fields at the University of California - Irvine. The games concluded four days of training, matches, and guest presenters.

"This was a very talented and diverse group of players," said Gerry McKeown, director of id² Girls. "The level of play was very good, and I'm very happy with the players we had at the camp. A lot of the players got better as the week progressed, which we were very pleased to see."