Monday, November 12 found the FC Wisconsin Eclipse ECNL teams training in 29 degrees and flurries in a snowy session designed forrecovery, rejuvenation, and training functional athletic movement. The session included juggling games for light recovery and competition, as well as functional movement and technical skill training designed to improve lateral speed, agility, and acceleration in soccer functional movements within a light, fun environment.
Monday, November 12 found the FC Wisconsin Eclipse ECNL teams training in 29 degrees and flurries in a snowy session designed for recovery, rejuvenation, and training functional athletic movement. The session included juggling games for light recovery and competition, as well as functional movement and technical skill training designed to improve lateral speed, agility, and acceleration in soccer functional movements within a light, fun environment.
The light recovery session came after a 2-game Midwest Conference ECNL home weekend that ended a tough stretch of 8 games against some of the top clubs in the country: Eclipse Select, Sockers FC - Chicago, Michigan Hawks, and Vardar SC. (Eclipse Select finished as the ECNL Overall Club Champion in 2010-2022, and the Michigan Hawks finished second in the ECNL Overall Club Championship in 2011-2012.) After being swept by the Michigan Hawks on Sunday, with the best game being a tight 1-2 loss at U15, FC Wisconsin Eclipse teams rebounded with a strong Sunday performance against Vardar. On Sunday, the U15s won 1-0, the U16s and U18s tied (1-1, and 0-0 respectively), and the U17s lost a game that was much tighter than the scoreboard indicated (0-4).
"We are really proud of the development and improvement of the players over the past 4 months," said Monica White. "Especially when playing Eclipse and Michigan Hawks, you see the top level of girls soccer in the country. We may not quite be there yet, but we will be soon. Objectively our results are better than last year, and in some age groups are better even than a few weeks ago. That is a reflection of constant improvement from our players, which is exciting to see, and a compliment to their focus and determination."
FC Wisconsin Eclipse finishes its home ECNL season this coming weekend with games against St. Louis Scott Gallagher - Missouri and St. Louis Scott Gallagher - Metro. Saturday's games are at Uihlein Soccer Park, and Sunday's games are at FC Milwaukee Soccer Park in Germantown.
"The future is bright for these young players," said Vito Parente. "Every week we are seeing improvement in small technical details. focus, and decision-making. The progress is consistent and significant - and the players are enjoying the process, which is just as important."
Fitting with today's weather, FC Wisconsin Eclipse will continue to train outdoors through the end of December, in preparation for the last 2 ECNL Midwest Conference road trips (December 1-2 in St. Louis and December 15-16 in Minnesota). Beginning in December, the teams will move indoor, where they will train 3-4 times per week for December, February and March to continue their technical development. Several of the age groups will also be attending major ECNL National Showcases during this time as well.