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| Action photo of Darko (contributed image) |
A Soccer Club: Red Star KC fielded its first competitive teams in the spring of 2004 and has grown to nine teams. The emphasis is on quality not quantity, and the majority of teams are developed through the Red Star Juniors program.
Our teams are home-based at Western Missouri Soccer League (WMSL) and play in KC Metro League, The Champions League (previously The Premiership) and in the Northland Sports Alliance (previously SPCAA).
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| Chase Bromstedt, Dakota Karns, Seth Hudson, Brady Osborne and Chaz Middlemas, members of Red Star Rowdies, hoisted several trophies in 2005-06. |
One of our teams, Red Star Rowdies coached my Mike Bromstedt, has won the Midwest Region 3v3 championship in Iowa and traveled to the national tournament in Florida. The Rowdies have also had success in full-sided soccer, winning several league and tournament titles.
The club forms new U-6 competitive teams from its Juniors program, but only when a suitable coach and players are available.
Red Star Juniors: Red Star Juniors is our coed skills program and self-contained league for players 4 to 6. It�s the only such year-round program in the Kansas City area, with fall, winter (indoor Futsal), spring and summer sessions.
With the Juniors, players are introduced to soccer, learn basic foot skills and are taught the basics of following instruction and working in a group.
Our Name: We take our name from Red Star Belgrade, a Yugoslavian professional team that has won more than 20 league championships, a European club championship and a world club title.
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| Preki, one of Major League Soccer's most talented players, autographs a jersey for Red Star KC founder David Knopf. Preki starred for the Wizards from 1996 to 2005, but started his career with Red Star Belgrade, the Yugoslavian club for which Red Star KC is named. |
Yugoslavia is known as the Brazil of Europe because of the great technical skills of its players. Many Yugoslavian players star for major professional teams around the world.
Locally, former Kansas City Wizard Preki and Major League Soccer all-star, is a Yugoslavian who played for Red Star Belgrade early in his career. Preki is now head coach of Major League Soccer's Chivas USA.
Foot Skills: Our emphasis, both in the Juniors program and with Red Star club teams, is to teach foot skills and confidence with the ball. Our belief is that as players advance, comfort in trapping, dribbling and making cuts is essential. We teach basic cuts, moves and fakes, simple things designed to play the game quickly and advance the ball.
Our Philosophy: We think our philosophy is unique and is in the best interests of our players and the game. Although the ultimate goal is to field competitive teams, we emphasize skill rather than team play or winning at a young age. Kids play best when they�re having fun, and that�s why we inject as much positive reinforcement as possible. We want our players to enjoy the game and keep playing as they get older.
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| Nick Garcia, a talented defender for the Kansas City Wizards, visited a Red Star practice to work with players from Zvezda and the Cosmos. |
Your Role: We find it best if parents allow the coaches to coach, organize, discipline and care for the children. We ask our parents to keep comments supportive and not to coach from the sideline.
Our Coaches: Our coaches have all played soccer and are passionate about the game. The world game is the No. 1 sport for most of us. Our club coaches all hold U.S. Soccer coaching licenses.
In the Juniors program, we train our own coaches, with some assistants beginning as young as 14. The younger coaches are taught and supervised by adults, including director of coaching David Knopf and Juniors head coach Brian Main.
Uniform: We wear Select uniforms. In the fall of 2006, all of our teams began wearing a new club uniform -- modeled on Red Star Belgrade -- and supplied by Select and sales representative Tim Twellman, a former North American Soccer League professional player and the father of Taylor Twellman, a current Major League Soccer all-star and U.S. National Team player.
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| Taylor Twellman, a member of the New England Revolution and the Most Valuable Player in Major League Soccer in 2005, met with Isaac Knopf, left, and Sarah Knopf. Taylor was in town for a game against the Wizards. His father, Tim Twellman, is a former professional player in the North American Soccer League and with the Comets in the old Major Indoor Soccer League. He is Red Star's sales representative for Select uniforms and equipment. The Twellmans are from St. Louis. |
Programs: We offer year-round opportunities to train and play soccer. In addition to spring and fall leagues, we sponsor Futsal (5v5 indoor-without-walls) teams in the winter and Battle Royale, our own skills program and 4v4 competition in the summer.
Feedback: If you like what we do, let other parents know. We think we�re developing something special with Red Star. If you have a suggestion, please let us know so we can improve. You can e-mail us at dknopf@kc.rr.com, call 816-792-3794 or see us at the field.
Aug 12, 2007, 15:37
