| Story was published in the Porterville Recorder on October 24, 2011.
There are only 50 girls from across the western states from California to Texas who have been given this honor, which includes a chance to earn a spot on the U.S. 14 and under National Team. Three of those girls are right here from Porterville.Ally Holloway, Julissa Almanza and Kayla Watson, who all play for Porterville’s South Valley Chivas Academy, have been invited to attend the U.S. Club Soccer National id2 program to be held from Nov. 10-13 in Frisco, Texas.The id2 National Identification and Development Program provides a chance for the nation’s top youth soccer players to be identified and developed in an elite training camp with top players from across the country. Scouts will be at the Frisco camp scouting players for the national 14 and under team. So the three Porterville girls, who are all 12 years old, will all have a shot at earning a spot on the 14 and under national team.“I was really shocked we made it to id2,” said Watson, who’s a defender. |
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| “Porterville’s such a small town. To have three girls from Porterville go, that’s such an honor “It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe it. I think about it all the time. I can’t stop thinking about it.”All three of the | From l-r: Julissa Almanza, Kayla Watson, Ally Holloway |
| girls credited the Chivas Academy under the direction of Gilbert Hernandez and Esmaldo Hernandez, for having the chance to go to Frisco. “We do conditioning, passing, communicating,” Watson said“We do a lot of basic soccer skills, but take it to the next level.”“They helped us get here,” said Holloway, a center midfielder. “There’s no way we would have got to id2 without Chivas.”“They helped me a lot since I was little,” said Almanza, a forward.All three of the girls said they just planned to do the best then can in Frisco. “Hopefully they’ll notice us,” Watson said.“We were real proud and excited for the opportunity,” said Dennis Watson, Kayla’s father. “(It is) kind of a once in a lifetime thing. They put in a lot of hard work for years, a lot of time and commitment. They got great coaching at the Chivas Academy.”Dennis Watson said it’s rewarding to see the hard work of all three girls pay off. “All three girls have tremendous heart and play the game very hard and with passion,” he said. “They leave it all on the field every game. Rubbing elbows with the best players in the nation and USA national team coaches is definitely an honor.”Like Dennis Watson, Karen Holloway, Ally’s mother, credited the Chivas academy for the three girls’ success. “Ever since Ally was little she has talked about playing soccer in the Olympics and becoming a professional soccer player,” said Holloway, adding that she and her husband, Dan were proud of her. Karen called the trip to Frisco a dream come true for her daughter.“Esmaldo and Gilbert put their heart and soul into the kids that attend their academy. They push them to understand and see how important fundamentals are.”Karen also credited another one of Ally’s coaches, Joe Oliveira. “Ally’s coach has also been a big part of her success. He started a team of young girls and put them in elite tournaments to force them to play better and to become one of the best team in the Valley. No matter the outcome of this camp we are thrilled that Ally has been given this tremendous opportunity.”About his daughter, Serafin Almanza said, “She’s been playing since she was 4-years-old. I’m amazed at how good she’s become.”CHIVAS IN PDP
The Chivas Academy also had six players trying out for the state Player Development Program in Davis on Sunday. Caitlan Ablinson, Alexis Contreras, Cassandra Dow, Samantha Oliveira, Valeria Rios and Sergio Reyes all earned the shot to try out for the state team by making the regional team. The State PDP program is the first step to making the id2 program. |
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