Earl Edwards, one of the top prospects on the U-17 Men’s National Team since arriving in Bradenton in the fall of 2007, was not always a goalkeeper. For that matter, he wasn’t always a soccer player.

Growing up in East Stroudsburg, Pa., about two hours from the youth soccer hotbed of Philadelphia, Edwards was constantly surrounded by all types of athletes – everyone from lacrosse players to basketball players to American football players. His father, Earl, Sr., was the Director of Athletics at East Stroudsburg University until Earl, Jr. was seven years old.

After moving to San Diego about 10 years ago when his father became the Athletic Director at UC-San Diego, Earl Jr. began taking soccer seriously. He started playing for Nomads SC, one of the area’s most well-known soccer clubs and now a member of U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy.

As it happens with a lot of goalkeepers, Edwards reluctantly stepped into goal at age 12 when his club team was without a ‘keeper.

“When I was 12 years old the goalkeeper for my club team quit during a practice,” he said. “My coach was a former goalkeeper, and he worked with me and then put me in there. I’ve always been big for my age, which might have had something to do with why I was thrown into goal, but I think it also had to do with my athleticism at the time.”

A year later, a 13-year-old Edwards was considering quitting soccer altogether.

“I actually thought about quitting the next year during the State Cup tournament. It wasn’t fun for me to not be busy during a game and not feel like I was contributing.”

In the semifinal of that State Cup tournament, Edwards had a turning point in his career as a goalkeeper. Tied after extra time, the game went into a shootout. Edwards saved four shots to lead his team to the final.

“After that I was invited to the ODP tryouts, and I started thinking that I might have some potential.”

That potential turned into time with the U-15 Boys’ National Team and eventually an invitation to the U-17 Residency Program. Though excited by the opportunity, the stoic ‘keeper hesitated to accept the prestigious opportunity because it would mean he would have to give up playing competitive basketball – his first love.

“I played basketball my whole life until I left for Residency,” he explained. “I loved it, but I eventually realized that I had more potential as a soccer player. I actually was hesitant to come to Residency because I knew I would miss basketball, but I finally accepted. I still miss it a lot but I think I made the right decision.”
Now, at six feet two inches and still growing, Edwards has become one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the country.

He earned two shutouts in his first two international games at the U-17 level – an impressive feat to be sure, but considering that they came against Russia and Brazil, live on national television, only adds to the accomplishment.

Though Edwards enjoyed playing in those games and other friendly matches against the likes of Argentina, Spain and France, the goalkeeper knows that him and his teammates have been building toward the CONCACAF U-17 Championship. This is when the games start to count.

As Edwards and his teammates look to continue the USA’s streak of being the only team to qualify for every FIFA U-17 World Cup, he is confident in his team’s abilities. While supporting his teammates from between the pipes, Earl Jr. will have the support of his family in the stands.

His Mom, Dad and brother will all be taking in games just a short drive across the border from their home in San Diego in support of their favorite goalkeeper.

“They don’t get to see me play as often as they’d like,” said the younger Earl. “The last time they saw a game of mine was in Lancaster (Calif.) in December. My Mom tries to make up for missed time by being the loudest person in the stands. Everyone in the stadium will be able to hear her!”

Edwards and his teammates kicked off the CONCACAF U-17 Championship on Tuesday, April 21, winning 5-0 against Cuba. Fans can follow the action live in the U.S. exclusively on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker.

Article from www.ussoccer.com

ussoccer.com is the official website of U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in the United States.

The Nomads are very proud of Eric, we wish him all the best!  See article below that appeared on MLSnet.com

NEW YORK -- Major League Soccer and adidas has announced the 2008 class of Generation adidas players that will enter the professional ranks for the 2008 Major League Soccer season. MLS and adidas identified nine of the most promising soccer players in the United States. These players signed MLS contracts before completing their NCAA eligibility and can be selected in the upcoming 2008 MLS SuperDraft.

Last season’s class of eight Generation adidas players produced seven of the 13 first round selections in the SuperDraft, including the top three of the top five selections - Maurice Edu (Toronto FC, 1st overall), Bakary Soumare (Chicago Fire, 2nd overall) and Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake, 4th overall).

The 2008 MLS SuperDraft takes place at the Baltimore Convention Center (400 Level Ballroom) on Friday, Jan. 18 (ESPN2/MLSnet.com) at 2 p.m. ET. Up-to-date draft information including the current draft order and draft previews can be found by logging onto the SuperDraft homepage.

Highlighting this year’s class are seven players that have experience with the U.S. Youth National Teams and a finalist for this year’s MAC Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy. Six of the nine players are leaving college early to enter the MLS SuperDraft - Eric Avila (UC Santa Barbara), Tony Beltran (UCLA), Chance Myers (UCLA), Patrick Nyarko (Virginia Tech), Ciaran O’Brien (UC Santa Barbara) and Rob Valentino (Univ. of San Francisco). Three players - Josh Lambo (Chicago Magic FC), Alex Nimo (FC Portland) and Brek Shea (Texans FC) - are high school students who are foregoing their college eligibility to sign professional contracts.

The players who join MLS as part of the Generation adidas program receive unprecedented opportunities to develop their game and hone their skills at the professional level in Major League Soccer. In addition to training and playing with one of Major League Soccer’s 14 professional clubs, Generation adidas players receive educational grants to further their college education. Additional Generation adidas player signings may occur prior to the 2008 MLS Season.

Avila and Myers are currently training with the U.S. Men’s U-23 National Team while they prepare for Olympic Qualifying to begin in March. Myers has appeared with the U.S. U-17 and U-20 National Teams. Beltran was a member of the U-20 Men’s National Team that advanced to the quarterfinals of last year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada.

Lambo, Nimo and Shea were members of the U-17 World Cup Team that competed in last year’s Youth World Championship in Korea. Lambo played in 12 games, starting nine in 2007 for the U-17s. Nimo played in 12 international games, scoring six goals for the U-17s in 2007. Shea played in 11 international games, starting seven, for the U-17s in 2007.

Nyarko, a forward from Virginia Tech, led the Hokies to their first ever NCAA Final Four appearance in 2007 where they fell to eventual NCAA Champion Wake Forest. He recorded seven goals and 10 assists during the season, was named to the 2007 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Men’s Division I All-America Team and is a finalist for the Mac Hermann Trophy, honoring the country’s top Division I collegiate soccer player. The award will be announced this Friday, Jan. 11 in St. Louis.

The class of nine Generation adidas players range in age from 17 to 22 years old, and they represent a broad area of the country. Five players are from the West Coast of the United States (California, Oregon and Washington), one from the Midwest (Wisconsin), the southwest (Arizona), the south (Texas) and one player that comes from the African nation of Ghana. Eight of the nine Generation adidas players will compete at the adidas MLS Player Combine. The complete rosters for the adidas MLS Player Combine are included below.

Generation adidas, which was established ahead of the 2005 MLS season, is a player development program that identifies and nurtures the elite youth soccer talent in the United States. Last year, Generation adidas midfielder Edu was the No. 1 overall selection for Toronto FC and went to capture Gatorade Rookie of the Year honors and earned his first U.S. Men’s National Team cap in 2007. The Generation adidas program has identified some of the League’s top talent such as Chivas USA and U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Sacha Kljestan, New England and U.S. Men’s National Team defender Michael Parkhurst and New York Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore.

2008 Generation adidas class

More information

CHICAGO (July 17, 2007) - It’s only the middle of July and already we’ve seen the first head-to-head matchup between U.S. internationals. In a preseason friendly in Hanover, a recovered Steve Cherundolo took on the newly acquired DaMarcus Beasley with the home side running out 1-0 winners against Glasgow Rangers.

Beasley got the nod for the first 45 minutes, sparring with his 2006 World Cup teammate.

“Steve looks really good,” said Beasley. “I talked to him after the game, and he said he’s feeling healthy, so that’s the most important thing.”

Cherundolo suffered back problems at the end of the 2006-07 season, preventing him from participating in the USA’s championship run in the 2007 Gold Cup. He played 33 games in his 10th season at Hannover, increasing his career total to 149 games in the Bundesliga, a record for a U.S. national.

Meantime, shortly after getting his Gold Cup medal, Beasley inked a three-year deal with Rangers. He had less than a day in Glasgow before the team took off on a preseason tour in Germany, but the perennially unflappable winger didn’t miss a beat.

“It’s only been a week, but I’m already starting to feel very comfortable,” said Beasley. “This is a team that tries to play good, attacking football. That definitely suits my style.”

Rangers will open their Scottish Premier League campaign on Aug. 4 away to Inverness, while Hannover kick off their home schedule a week later when they host Hamburg at the AWD Arena.

The Boys U9 won the Irvine Memorial Classic... May 26th and 27th, 2007... The team went undefeated and only allowed 2 goals. Great job!

 Alex Yoshinaga, Granite Hills High School Class of 2004, was recently named a captain of the University of Notre Dame Men’s Soccer Team for the 2007 season. Alex grew up in Alpine, California and attended Boulder Oaks Elementary School and Joan McQueen Middle School. He was a member of the Nomads Soccer Club for several years.