Youth Soccer News: Albion SC to Present Roy Lassiter Soccer Camp with Edson Buddle

Only a few weeks left of summer - looking for a great way to end it? If your soccer player loves soccer and you are in the San Diego/LA area, try this!

Albion Soccer Club has been quickly expanding their reach and offerings over the past several months, including a unique partnership with Eastside FC in Washington State. This August the club will present the Roy Lassiter Soccer Camp, directed by former U.S. Men’s National Team and Major League Soccer (MLS) player Roy Lassiter, who is Albion’s Advancement Director. The camp will also feature an appearance by LA Galaxy forward Edson Buddle.

Lassiter describes his camp as a "Non-structured environment where one can see the real talent of players." Understanding that the joy and love of soccer is important to the success of player development, Lassiter wants his campers to be free to express themselves and enhance their skills.

The Lassiter Soccer Camp is designed for players who are looking to advance their game, develop their technical skills and improve their confidence with the ball at their feet. The camp will include age-specific training in an “intense but fun environment.” Players completing the camp will improve their ball skills and become more dominant in 1v1 situations, which are a key to game success.

Roy Lassiter is a name that is well known in American soccer. After a standout career at North Carolina State University, where he led the nation in scoring for two years, Lassiter played with the USMNT from 1992 through 2002, earning 32 caps and scoring four goals in international competition. That included the winning goal in a 4-3 victory over Saudi Arabia. During this time he also played for clubs in Costa Rica and was voted Foreign Player of the Year in 1995.

In 1996 Lassiter was signed to the Tampa Bay Mutiny, where he teamed up with midfielder Carlos Valderrama to score 27 goals, still the MLS record for a single season. Over his eight seasons in MLS, Lassiter was a three-time All-Star, a member of the 1996 Best XI, and won a MLS Championship with D.C. United in 1999. After retiring in 2004, Lassiter went on to coach at the club and college level for several years before joining Albion in 2009.

Lassiter holds the USSF “A” National Coaching License and a USSF “Y” National Coaching License for youth players ages 6-14. He has presented coaching symposiums for US Youth Soccer and conducted several National Coaching Education courses. In 2011 Lassiter was inducted into the North Carolina Soccer Hall of Fame.

Edson Buddle is a ten-year veteran of MLS, having played with Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC in addition to LA Galaxy. Through the first dozen games of the 2012 season, he had amassed a total of 243 career MLS games played, 186 as a starter, and scored 92 goals. On the international stage, he has been a member of the USMNT since 2003, making 11 appearances, including two in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and has scored three goals. Buddle’s appearance at the Lassiter Soccer Camp will be an inspiration to all those attending.

The Roy Lassiter Soccer Camp will take place August 6-9 at Cleator Park in Point Loma, with U8 through U10 players meeting from 9:00 a.m. until noon and U11 through U18 players going from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Interested youth players can register at www.albionsoccer.org or email rlassiter@albionsoccer.org for more information.

Note: The location of the camp has been changed from the original Robb Field to Cleator Park.

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