—By Ottawa South United Force Academy
Ottawa South United Force teams and players are making a big impact close to home regionally, provincially, across the continent and even overseas this summer, as the club’s name continues to spread far and wide.
In the Ontario Player Development League, all six Force squads have winning records from the U14 through U17 divisions. Across the board, the club has recorded almost 3 times as many wins as losses, with an overall mark of 35 wins, 12 losses and 8 ties as of mid-July.
Leading the way are the defending OPDL-champion U17 girls, won remain undefeated at 6-0-2, and the east division-leading U15 boys (8-1-1), who are just 2 points back of league-wide leader Woodbridge with a game in hand.
The OSU women’s team is also challenging for one of the four available playoff positions in their first League 1 Ontario season. The Force are just a point back of 4th-place Alliance United and 2 back of FC London in 3rd with 2 games left in the 14-team elite league’s regular season.
OSU teams have also brought home their share of hardware from recent out-of-town tournaments. The 2006 and 2004 Force White Girls’ teams were champions in Rochester, while the 2005 White Girls were victorious at the NYC Cup, as were the 2006 Force White Boys in Peterborough.
OSU alum Kayza Massey back with Team Canada
Kayza Massey is once again representing Canada, making her first appearance for the U20 women’s national team at an international series of 3 matches in England from July 9-16.
The goalkeeper joined OSU from the Ottawa-Gloucester Hornets to progress into the OPDL and eventually onto the Canadian women’s national team’s Ontario regional excel program. Kayza has twice played in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup – first for her birth country (Ghana) and then for Canada in the most recent edition.
She’ll join the West Virginia University Mountaineers come this fall’s NCAA soccer season.
Keenan Foley joins fellow OSU product at Columbia U
Keenan Foley will also join an NCAA varsity soccer team this year with the Columbia Lions.
The defender was a 2015 Ontario Cup and 2014 Ontario Youth Soccer League champion with OSU before moving on to the Vancouver Whitecaps Academy in 2017.
The honour roll student will enrol in Columbia College with the intent to study biochemistry. The former top student at Sacred Heart Catholic High School will meet up with fellow OSU/Whitecaps grad Vana Markarian to play for the Ivy League soccer team in New York City.
Whitecaps Academy player rejoins hometown club
A younger member of Whitecaps FC Academy is back in town with his youth club during his summertime off-season. After helping Vancouver’s U17 boys to a runner-up finish in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s Northwest Division as his team’s second-leading scorer, Matteo De Brienne is back training with OSU and inspiring young players this summer.
Valencia CF Academy to visit OSU for camp
La Liga’s Valencia CF Academy will offer a unique Player Development Camp opportunity for OSU’s U8-U14 boys’ players.
The 2011/2010, 2009/2008 and 2007/2006 groups will train for 1.5-2 hours each day from Aug. 10-12. Group size is limited so that the coaches have maximum impact with the players during their sessions together. Each player receives a Valencia uniform (jersey & shorts).
Vicent Moscardo Lafuente & Jose Joaquin Gimenez Lopez will be the Valencia CF Academy coaches coming to Ottawa for the camp.
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