Several players from South Tahoe High, which won the Northern 4A championship this season, were expected to be contributors for the Nevada Wonders this summer. But both signed players from the South Lake Tahoe area, Whittell's Nestor Flores and South Tahoe's Noe Estrada, have quit the team, according to general manager Randy Roser.
"I told them that they would be pushed when the college guys got here," Roser said at Wednesday's practice. "They stepped it up a little when some of the guys got here but knew they're playing time was going to diminish."
Victor Mariscal, Enrique Avina and Alex Torres, all of South Tahoe High, had been training with Nevada early in the season. But both Mariscal and Avina, along with a few others, stopped showing up to practice. None of them were signed by the Wonders but Torres would've been had he showed a more solid commitment, Roser said.
Vince Licciardi, a Reed High product, quit the team several weeks ago after starting goalie Sebastian Rowe successfully earned the starting role.
WONDERS NOT THE MOST SCORED UPON ANYMORE
Nevada entered last weekend as the PDL's most scored upon team. But coming into this weekend's games against BYU and Fresno, it no longer has that distinction. The Wisconsin Rebels have allowed 29 and the Houston Toros have allowed 26 goals this season, one more than the Wonders' 25.
WONDERS HOLD HIGH SPOTS IN SEVERAL CATEGORIES
Nevada midfielder Bernard Morley's 25 fouls committed this season are the most of any player in the PDL. Wonders' defender Ken Otalor has committed 18 fouls, which is good for fourth in the league. Goalie Sebastian Rowe's 38 saves are the second most of any keeper in the PDL.
PLAYER ADDITIONS, INJURY UPDATES
Randy Roser said Nevada most likely signed its last player when Mario Farfan was added to the roster before last Friday's game against Fresno. Antonio Mora, Luke Scott and Ernesto Oliden are all nursing injuries. Oliden, a former Galena High star, has a strained hamstring but could be ready for tonight's game against BYU. Scott has a partialy torn minuscus and could be out for several weeks.
U.S. OPEN CUP UPDATE
The Fresno Fuego is the only Western Conference PDL team to have qualified for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The tournament serves as the United States' true national championship. It includes teams from all three professional level (MLS, A-League, Pro Select League), as well as the two most established amateur leagues. The Premier Development League (PDL) will have six teams in the tournament and United States Amateur Soccer Association (USASA) will have four. The USASA is essentially a men's recreational league. All 10 MLS teams, eight A-League and six Pro Select League squads will participate in the 34-team tournament.
The Columbus Crew are the defending U.S. Open Cup champion. The first round will take place June 4-8 and will see eight PDL and USASA teams compete, with two teams from either league receiving first-round byes. The tournament is single elimination.
SOCCER CAMP INFORMATION
The Nevada Wonders' soccer camps this summer will now coincide with the already scheduled Sierra Soccer Academy camps. The camp dates will remain the same but instead of half-day camps, which SSA were going to hold, the Wonders' are running full-day camps, which will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost will be $150 per week and each camper will get a ball, T-shirt and lunch each day. The Wonders will have three week-long camps and SSA, formed by Jim and Sean Nealis, might hold a fourth week of camp following the Wonders' third camp.
For more information, call 884-9999.
NORTHERN NEVADA ACES UPDATE
The Northern Nevada Aces, who compete in the newly formed Men's Premiere Soccer League (MPSL), are off to a 0-4-2 start. They are in last place in the six-team MPSL. The Aces are coming off a 1-0 overtime loss last weekend to the first-place Chico Rooks in Reno. Northern Nevada doesn't play again until next Friday against the Arizona Sahuaros in Phoenix. The Aces plays their home games at North Valleys High. Their next home game is June 13 against the Tucson Tiburons. The Aces are in the league with the Las Vegas Strikers, Utah Salt Ratz, Chico, Tucson and Arizona.