July 10, 2009

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - For many college students, summertime means relaxation, the beach, and getting away from the stresses of school work. For many members of the LMU men's soccer team, this summer has been anything but a vacation as several Lions are honing their skills at various levels of summer league soccer. Nine players are featuring in the United Soccer League's Super-20 League, two played at the US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals, and assistant coach Michael Erush is on the coaching staff for the United States team for the Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Of the nine Lions playing in the United Soccer League's Super-20 League, six are on the Chivas USA roster with three more suiting up for the LA Galaxy. Vincent Ocampo, Tyler Krumpe, Artur Jozkowicz, Fernando Barba, and Jack McCormack have Chivas USA atop the Group A standings on 24 points with a record of 8-1-0. Barba is third on the team with two goals while Krumpe and Jozkowicz have each added one. McCormack has recorded three shutouts in goal. Incoming transfer Jonas Reiter is also playing for Chivas USA, having netted one goal this summer.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy are hot on their heels thanks to the play of Rafael Baca, Roger Downes, and Max Young. Coached by former LMU volunteer assistant Paul Broome, the Galaxy are 7-2-0, three points behind Chivas USA. Baca is the team captain and is second on the squad with five goals while Downes and Young have helped to post four shutouts in nine matches.

The group title comes down to the wire tonight as the two teams battle it out at 7 p.m. at Bell Gardens. The winner will represent the Pacific Southern California Region in the 2009 Super-20 League North American Finals, which will be contested July 30-August 2 in Rockford, Ill. To follow the Lions in the Super-20 League, click here.

At the club level, Logan McDaniel and Phil DaSilva recently completed play last month with DMS 11 at the US Youth Soccer Far West Regionals. The pair helped DMS 11 advance through divisional play to the championship game before falling in overtime. McDaniel has continued to play this summer, joining the Lancaster Rattlers of the USL Premier Development League. Click here to follow the Rattlers.

A couple other incoming Lions are in action this weekend at the Home Depot Center. Future freshmen John Ikard and John LaCouture are members of Real Colorado's Under 17/18 squad that will compete at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Finals, starting today. Ikard and LaCouture will play at least three matches at the tournament, which runs through July 17. To follow the action, click here.

On the coaching side, in May, Erush was named the Head Coach for the Hollywood United Hitmen of the United Soccer League's Premier Development League. In the team's inaugural season, Erush had the team open the season with four straight shutout victories and they currently sit in first place in the Southwest Division with a 9-2-2 mark. The HItmen roster includes former LMU player Nick Blanco. You can follow the Hitmen here. Elsewhere in the PDL, former Lion Brad Stisser is playing for the Real Colorado Foxes.

Erush has taken leave from the Hitmen, however, to serve as an assistant coach for the United States team at the 18th Annual Maccabiah Games. The event features Jewish athletes from over 60 countries and gets underway on July 12. There are 16 countries competing in soccer, separated into four groups of four teams each. The US has been drawn in Group B and will face Peru in the opening match on July 12. They play Chile on July 15 and round out group play on July 17 vs. Australia. The quartefinals will be contested July 19, with the semifinals on July 20, and the championship match on July 22. Results can be found here.

The Lions will reconvene at LMU on August 14 for training camp before opening the 2009 season on September 1 at San Diego State.