Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Real Madrid’

Different country, same soccer ace

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on November 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Flying the friendly skies to Spain. (Photos courtesy Dustin Van Velkinburgh)

Chayse Van Velkinburgh is living the Spanish soccer dream.

The Coupeville Middle School 7th grader is taking a brief break from basketball to participate in a week of pitch training with Real Madrid.

Van Velkinburgh copped MVP status at a soccer camp in Temecula, California in June, which earned him the invite to the home of one of the beautiful game’s premier franchises.

The Wolf ace is nursing an injury, said dad Dustin, but is “competing and working as hard as he can.”

“His Real Madrid coach was very complimentary of his play today,” said the proud papa, a noted pitch warrior in his own right back in the day.

The younger Van Velkinburgh is playing at Valdebebas in Madrid.

The complex includes numerous practice fields, as well as the stadium where the first team Real Madrid women, and second team men, play their games.

Competition at the camp is intense, with players from Chayse’s age group working with the class one year older.

After training, the young booters will play in a game for the Madrid Euro Soccer Academy team.

“This experience is unlike anything I have been a part of,” Dustin Van Velkinburgh said.

“I cannot express the rush of emotion I experienced today when we set foot in the Real Madrid complex.

“Just thinking about all the greats that have played here and now my son gets to share those same fields is truly amazing.”

Read Full Post »

Chayse-ing that soccer life

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on July 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Soccer sensation Chayse Van Velkinburgh, color coordinating his hair, shoes, and cast. (Photos courtesy Dustin Van Velkinburgh)

Injury? What injury?

Coupeville Middle School 7th grader Chayse Van Velkinburgh is scampering across soccer fields in California heat this week, taking part in a camp put on by Real Madrid.

He’s doing so while dealing with a fractured thumb suffered at a tournament last weekend, but didn’t want to miss a chance to shine in front of numerous scouts.

“Chayse said, ‘I’m not missing this,’ so he flew down and is working his tail off in 93-degree heat,” said dad Dustin.

“He is driven. I think he is beginning to see the results of all the hard work beginning to pay off.”

The younger Van Velkinburgh, who also made a strong debut for CMS basketball during the school year, generally plays up against older soccer players and has done so for some time.

Learning from the elite.

The Real Madrid camp focuses on “advanced individual training in technique, tactics, problem-solving, and decision-making on the pitch.”

Youth coaches also instill the soccer club’s values — “leadership, teamwork, respect for others, solidarity and effort.”

Show out at the US camp, and you can nab an invite to travel to Spain to train at Real Madrid’s state-of-the-art campus.

Such a journey would be a return trip for Van Velkinburgh, who is also scheduled to attend the Paris Saint-Germain Soccer Academy in France next summer.

Droppin’ the hammer.

Read Full Post »

Soccer ace adds Spanish flair to his game

Posted in soccer, tagged , , , , on July 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Chayse Van Velkinburgh, hard at work. (Photos courtesy Dustin Van Velkinburgh)

He’s pursuing the dream.

At home in Coupeville, Chayse Van Velkinburgh is on his way to middle school and will be a 6th grader this fall.

On the soccer field, however, he’s ahead of his age group, often playing with older teammates.

And now the sport has taken him abroad, with Van Velkinburgh spending several weeks in May learning and training in Spain.

While visiting the soccer hot spot, the young Wolf booter practiced with a U17 team in Madrid most mornings, then trained in the evening with fellow 11- and 12-year-olds.

Those latter sessions came with a Leganes program which is among the best in the region.

During his trip, Van Velkinburgh was able to play with multiple teams, offering a unique learning experience.

Taking the field with Alcorcon, Chayse “played very well on the left wing, hitting the crossbar and then forcing the keeper to make a diving save to his left,” according to dad Dustin.

“It was fun to hear people in the stands talking about the pink-haired American.”

Looking snazzy on the Spanish pitch.

Thanks to his play, the younger Van Velkinburgh has been invited to return to Spain for a week in November and train at the high-caliber Real Madrid Youth Academy.

Chayse will be joined on the trip by Thatcher Whiteaker, a former teammate who recently returned to Oak Harbor after his Navy family spent three years in Japan.

The duo currently plays for a select team in Bellingham.

The first trip to Spain — which also included a chance to watch Real Madrid beat Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League Final — offered a chance to witness an extremely high level of soccer.

“Being in Madrid as they won was something else,” Dustin Van Velkinburgh said. “It’s like the entire city stopped and the only thing that mattered for two hours was that game.

“And the streets erupted afterward. The parties and singing lasted far into the night.

“The quality of soccer Chayse was exposed to has been eye opening. I’m forever grateful for this opportunity for him.”

Read Full Post »