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.