The Game within the Game

Earthquakes San Jose U-14 Pre-Academy Participates in iSoccer Skills Assessment

San Jose, CA – On Saturday February 11th, the San Jose Earthquakes U-14’s took to the field to take on new competitors — themselves. A select group of potential future Earthquakes put their technical skills on display by taking part in the iSoccer Skills Assessment. The iSoccer staff comprised of former professional players put the group through all 16 skills, from juggling and toe taps, to dribbling and ball striking. Through these skills challenges, the players and ‘Quakes U-14 coach Jeff Jenkins are now able to see their technical strengths and weaknesses.

“What an amazing tool we have now for our players. iSoccer not only allows us to track their progress, but also gives the players the ability to set goals and continue to work on improving their game” said U-14 coach Jeff Jenkins. “iSoccer will change the way we evaluate and motivate players.”

“This was a great day for both the San Jose Earthquakes and iSoccer,” says iSoccer Founder and CEO Scott Leber. “It is always great to work with the talented players and assist them with their development as players and young men. iSoccer not only addresses the technical deficiencies in our young players’ game, but is also a “Game Within the Game,” which gets players excited to spend more time with the ball away from practice. Our hope is that these young men will utilize iSoccer to become the next generation of Earthquakes first team players.”

The U-14 San Jose based team is the first Earthquakes group to perform the iSoccer Skills Assessment, but in the coming weeks the U-16 and U-18 teams will also participate. The goal is to establish an “Earthquakes Standard” for different age groups. These measurements will provide a motivational benchmark for young players as they seek to join the Earthquakes organization.  The results of the assessment will be published in the next few weeks.

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The Earthquakes U-14 Pre-Academy Regional Development School program is designed to bring professional experience and guidance to the best youth soccer players across Northern California. The club operates training centers at seven different locations in an effort to bring elite players into a competitive environment with a uniform structure.

Each training center will host tryouts to consider the best 1997, 1998 and 1999 players in Northern California to participate in the Earthquakes U-14 Pre-Academy program. Players selected to this program are not required to leave their current youth club of registration for participation in the pre academy program.

iSoccer, the fast-growing online training and assessment tool for soccer players, coaches and teams of all levels became the Official Technical Assessment Provider of the San Jose Earthquakes in December 2011, making it the first partnership between iSoccer and a Major League Soccer club.