What a Season It Was! Fusion's 40th anniversary season was fantastic! The Recreational program grew again, the Select program achieved more success than ever, and the Premier program flourished, highlighted by our U17 Girls winning the prestigious Surf Cup national tournament.  And, we will never forget our amazing day in the park with Abby Wambach.

We are always looking for ways to improve our Club and give our players the best soccer experience possible. A high priority for 2017 will be to improve our referee coverage. I am pleased to report that we are implementing a referee training program for coaches and members to increase our pool of licensed referees.   On behalf of the Fusion Board of Directors, staff and coaches, I want to thank you for being part of our awesome Club which brings so much to the Livermore community. Ben Graham Director of Coaching, Fusion SC

On Friday evening, November 11, under picture-perfect conditions, Fusion SC's Rec Program took center stage for the seventh annual Fusion World Cup.

The World Cup is a showcase for U7 through U10 Rec players. Rec coaches select the top three players from their teams to participate. The players are assigned to "countries", practice with a Premier coach, and square off against their peers under the lights at Robertson Park. Almost 300 players took part in this year's event, cheered on by their extremely proud family members. Each player receives a game shirt as a keepsake.

"What an amazing experience for my girls to play in the Fusion World Cup! The girls had so much fun and talked for days about it! They also could not stop talking about how much they loved coach Ben!! Playing under the lights with all their friends and family watching and cheering for them is an experience they will never forget! The girls love the game of soccer and can't wait for the season to start up again." - Erin Tenca

The World Cup is an excellent way for Rec players to get a taste of more competitive soccer and to test their readiness to move up to Select. Both the players and parents especially appreciate the opportunity to experience Pro coaching. "This was my son Dylan's fourth season in Fusion's Rec league and his second World Cup invitation. Both times we were very impressed with the professional coaching he received and opportunity to challenge his playing level. We believe the drills and endurance training were a good example of what he would receive playing on the Select or Premier teams. We also used this exhibition practice and game to help us determine if he's ready to play up to the next level of soccer next season. He's currently enrolled in the Winter Training session to keep progressing his skills and further help our decision to try out for Select or Premier." - Jenelle Lopez

Thanks to everyone -- players, coaches, referees, parents, staff, and volunteers --- for helping make this year's World Cup a great success!

Welcome to "Did You Know?," a new feature of  inFusion  that reveals surprising, interesting, and unusual information about our Club.  This edition of "Did You Know?" spotlights Rec Player Fees.

Ever wonder where Rec player fees go? Answer: lots of places! Here are some of the Club costs that Rec player fees cover:

Player Insurance Player Registration fees Player Passes Balls Referees Live Scan (coaches’ background checks) Field Rental Field Lining Goal and flag replacement and repair Medals/Trophies Coaches’ equipment (pinnies, cones, manual, ball bag, shirts) Training for coaches and game monitors Coaches meetings Club Insurance Utilities/Website Advertising/Promotion

"Our Rec program is a major operation, with about 180 teams and 1,800 players playing about 1,000 games each season," notes Fusion Director of Coaching Ben Graham. "It takes a tremendous amount of planning, logistics, coordination, and resources to make it all happen. I'm extremely proud of the Rec program and believe it offers a fantastic experience for our players and great value for the community."

U9 Girls Maroon Finish Top 8 in NorCal! The Fusion U9 Girls Maroon Premier finished the season as a top 8 Northern California team! The girls enjoyed a great season and played with tremendous determination. We are so very proud. Congratulations! Pictured: Coach Isaac, Celeste Gaucin, Claire Kenyon, Savannah Hattaway, Sophia Williams, Kaitlyn Denton, Maayan Shapiro, Isabella Hansen, Lexi Bradford, Kailey Gandolfo, Harper Hopcus and Elle Eichenberger  U12 Boys Maroon Take Two! On Saturday, November 12, Fusion's U12 Boys Maroon team, playing in the top Premier bracket, took on Diablo FC Academy. Fusion's offense came out strong. Montgomery Carey, Peyton Bruan, Tanner Griffith & Marcos Valdez collaborated on a beautiful passing sequence, setting up Zachary Huerta for the game's first goal. Huerta was just getting warmed up: he scored two more goals to claim a coveted "hat trick" - by the end of the first half! Fusion continued the offensive onslaught in the second half, with Tanner Breesch scoring twice, Joaquin Sanchez once, and Huerta his fourth of the game. The 7-4 victory gave the team strong momentum heading into Sunday's final fall season game against one of the top-ranked teams in their bracket: Benicia. The match with Benicia was a hard-fought defensive struggle, with neither team able to get an advantage until Rodrigo Salazar's scored the game's only goal in the second half. Fusion wins, 1-0! Fusion defenders AJ Hattaway, Marco Wilde, Dominic Galo, and Parker Warner teamed with keeper Andrew McKeever to neutralize Benicia's relentless offense with stellar play. The team holds the top spot in the Premier State Cup bracket, and is getting ready for Round 2! U14 Boys FC United Are Perfect! The Rec U14 Boys FC United team completed a perfect season! The season culminated with a 1-0 victory in the championship game - the team's closest game of the year! The team was coached by Fred Mallon, who played for Fusion during the 1970's / '80's, when Fusion was LYSL. Like many Fusion volunteers, Fred coached FC United as a way to give back to our awesome Club. "After a season opening game in which the boys had to come back from a 2-0 deficit, the boys gelled as a team and played the season undefeated. Seeing the pride on both the kids' and parents' faces, as they had photos taken with the Fusion Cup, shows the impact this season had on all of them." Congratulations Fred & FC United on your amazing season! U10 Girls Maroon Are State Cup Champs! After defeating North Marin 2-1 and San Ramon FC 2-0 in the final, Fusion's U10 Girls Maroon are State Cup Premier 6 Champs! Congratulations on a fantastic season! U14 Boys Maroon Claim 1st Place!   No one can touch the Fusion 14's! After a tough loss to Elk Grove Saturday November 19, Fusion's U14 Boys Maroon rallied Sunday to beat ACC Mavericks to secure 1st place in the Norcal NPL Fall League! Fusion withstood torrential rains to show their spirit and talent to defeat one of their toughest competitors. Fusion's defense dominated, with Eduardo Angeles and GK Mikey Christian contributing stellar saves. The game was scoreless until left midfielder Aleks Cortes scored in the 70th minute to give Fusion a 1-0 win. The defensive line kept the '03 boys in the running, while our offense created multiple scoring chances. With one game remaining, the U14's hold an insurmountable point lead in the Fall League. Great job boys! And thank you Coach Craig Scheer for your dedication to this team and to Fusion SC!

Each week we recognize a player who exemplifies the Club-wide "word of the week." Coaches nominate players for this award, and the winner receives: this feature spot in the newsletter recognition on our website a shout-out on our Facebook page a shout-out on our Instagram page an adidas training shirt!

Two players share this week's Player of the Week honors: Ilona DeSzily, U16 Girls Select Black Brody Druba, U7 Boys, Black Dragons Word of the Week:  "Determination "

Ilona DeSzily

Why Coach Maurice Vigil nominated Ilona: "Ilona has kicked into high gear as a mid fielder. She is where she needs to be, when she needs to be. Always striving to be first to the ball and her persistence is relentless. She is a supportive player and overall is well liked by her teammates. Maintains straight A's while commuting to Carondelet for school, homework, soccer practice and games."

Brody Druba

Why Coach Aaron Moreno Nominated Brody: "Brody is a naturally talented young athlete with a promising future. He is very coachable and shows excellent endurance out on the pitch. Brody was 100% determined to score against every opponent we faced. He was the leading scorer on the Black Dragons team without forgetting teamwork. At the World Cup, he scored again showing true sportsmanship!"

Way to go Ilona & Brody!

Ethan Voelker of the U14 Boys Maroon may be soaking wet on the outside, but he's Fusion Strong on the inside! Playing in a downpour, Ethan's team beat ACC Mavericks to secure 1st place in the Norcal NPL Fall League!

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