Last week, the Tennessee Lady Vols welcomed a new head coach.  Today, they welcome a new player.  FC Alliance's Peyton Thomas committed to Coach Brian Pensky this evening, ending several days of suspense as multiple SEC schools wrestled for her signature.  The powerful central midfielder ultimately could not pass up on the opportunity to wear Tennessee orange.  It marks the second year in a row that an FC Alliance player has become a Lady Vol.  Last year, it was Kaelyn Angelo.  This year, Thomas got the call.  FC Alliance directors hope to continue the trend in the future, as they've expressed a great deal of excitement in the Pensky hire.  Click here for the story 

Laura Eldridge is coming home.  When the Knoxville soccer community last saw her in 2005, she had just won a state championship with the Impact, one of FC Alliance’s root clubs.  The All-State forward from West High School went on to star at High Point University in North Carolina, earning All-Big South honors as a senior after scoring 18 career goals and starting an amazing 85 games in her collegiate career.  Armed with a degree in sports management, Eldridge will turn her attention to her roots.  She is the new agility trainer for all U9-U12 teams in the club.  Click here for the story

After the first day of the spring signing period, eighteen FC Alliance players have signed major college soccer scholarships.  According to coaches and directors, today is just the tip of the iceberg.  The list will continue to grow in the coming days, with at least three more players expected to sign with SEC schools.  Peyton Thomas and Teni Butler are two of the headliners.  Teammates on the 94 Girls Black, Thomas pledged to Arkansas and Butler is culling through numerous SEC offers.  Her decision is coming soon.  Quite a few teammates will stay together in college.  Paige Hoffman and Ashley Naumoff will both play at Alabama-Birmingham next year.  Ashley Roth and Kristina Turner are heading to MTSU.  Chloe Brackett is another player being courted heavily by major schools. According to coaches, she will end up either in the Big East or SEC.  The boys are represented by U18 standout Dalton Guzman, who has inked his papers with East Tennessee State.   Click here for other signings and commitments: 

Carrie Ollom’s 98 Girls Red 1 team started training for the spring season almost as soon as the fall ended.  After a heartbreaking November loss in the finals of the CESA tournament, the team was thirsty to get right back out on the field.  The problem was the ten weeks of "offseason" spanning the winter holidays.  However, instead of sitting around waiting, they dedicated their break to training.  The payoff turned out to be huge, as the team captured a championship in their first tournament of the new season.  Click for more

Last Thursday evening, the Knoxville area was doused by heavy rain.  As it continued to pour down throughout the night, many wondered about the Boys College Showcase.  Would the club be forced to cancel it?  As FC Alliance directors sat in a meeting, it was certainly a hot topic.  The conclusion?  Let them play!  Now, it is the girls who are set to play.  Although the Knoxville area is again seeing tricky weather, the club has no plans on canceling this showcase event, either.  Directors spent Tuesday fixing Schumpert Park, as another round of college coaches and aspiring collegiate athletes prepare for what should be an excellent weekend of soccer.

For area soccer players, there was a time when attracting college attention meant traveling to another state.  However, based on what will happen in Knoxville this weekend, times have certainly changed in the local soccer landscape.  FC Alliance is hosting their annual Boys Showcase this weekend, and over forty college coaches have registered to attend, ranging from NCAA Division 1 to NAIA schools.  Teams from seven states- Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Missouri- are scheduled to compete in front of the curious eyes of recruiters from around the southeast.  Click here for more information

FC Alliance’s first attempt at a college recruiting seminar turned out to be a major success.  Conducted at "The Field House at Amherst", over 200 parents and players attended to hear a variety of speakers.  College coaches from every level, including NCAA Division 1, helped detail the process of college recruiting.  The main focus was to educated families on putting players in a position to move on to the next level, including how to increase the chances of receiving a soccer scholarship.  To see the official recruiting packet from the seminar, click here

FC Alliance has specialized in youth soccer since it’s inception.  Now, the adults will have a chance to play.  The club will be hosting adult soccer at the new "Field House at Amherst" complex beginning February 6.  Players of all abilities, from beginners to legends, will have leagues to play in.  Three different leagues are currently scheduled: COED Over 30 Beginner, COED Over 30 Competitive, and COED Open.  The Over 30 tag is for men only; women over 18 can play in any of the leagues.  Click for more information

As the "Field House at Amherst" is being finished up, the FC Alliance winter league has announced new training and game schedules.  By having access to more time, U5-U14 age groups will have their own training hours.  The byproduct of this is that some ages have different days and start times than they did in December.   FC Alliance staff is happy to help find alternative practices for those incurring major conflicts with the new assignments.  Since the facility is still under construction, games start on January 7 and practices will begin on January 9.  Everyone will play at the Amherst facility this upcoming week.  This is an exciting time for the club and the league!  Click here for training and schedules.

Between Jerry and Tonya Creel, someone has genes which should be highly coveted in the soccer world.  Their two oldest sons, Ryan and Jon, have both surged through the regional Olympic Development program and have upcoming dates to compete internationally for Region 3 ODP teams.  These rare opportunities are generally mere pipe dreams for most competitive soccer players.  For the Creels, they are reality.  Ryan, a member of FC Alliance’s 95 Black, will soon have the chance to compete in Argentina.  Likewise, younger brother Jon of FC Alliance’s 98 Black is traveling to Costa Rica.  Click here for more.

FC Alliance’s rapidly growing North program has taken a major step forward.  In only it’s second year, the satellite group has claimed a tournament championship.  The U13 Girls North Select recently won their division at the GSA Adidas Invitational in Atlanta, Georgia.  Coached by Jason French and Tim McMahan, the team cruised through the first day of competition, before having to grind out two slugfests.  It is a significant accomplishment, as the club’s goal is to offer quality competitive soccer in all parts of the area.