In mid February, Rush National Select teams--both boys and girls in the ‘04, ‘03 and ‘02 birth years--will be headed to Phoenix, Arizona to compete in the Presidents’ Day Tournament (PDT). 

The Rush Select program is an international program in which Rush Soccer forms Select teams (All-Star teams) that are comprised of the top Rush players from across all of our domestic and international branches in the U13-U19 age groups. These teams attend various events, both in the US and internationally on a yearly basis. The players get to see new ideas, play with top talent, learn from new coaches and make new friends. The programs aim is to get the top talent together and compete in tournaments to win and make the Rush brand even more of a formidable force. 

As one of the most unique experiences within Rush Soccer where players are able to meet new teammates that wear the Rush “R” in different states and play under the coaching of Rush coaches from across the country, the weekend is bound to be a memorable experience for all. 

The Rush Coaches working with these teams throughout the weekend are as listed below: 

The Rush Select Program has participated in PDT for several years now, taking home numerous Champion and Finalist medals along the way. The goal is no different this year as these six teams are competing with a desire to win and make a statement as a club again this year. In addition to showcasing their skill and unity as a team, the players will walk away having learned more about the Rush Way, as well as learning more about the college recruiting process with the help of Josh Tyler, Rush Soccer’s College Advisory Program (CAP) Director. Tyler has also been working to get as many college coaches viewing the Rush games as possible after acquiring key information from players about their interest levels and goals following their youth careers. 

The ‘04, ‘03 and ‘02 age group teams were selected recently based on these players’ performances in younger age groups at their clubs and within the Select Program. Additional recommendations were made by Technical Directors across Rush Nation as well. 

The Director of Rush Select, Justin Miller, anticipates a good showing at PDT again this year:

“The Rush has been coming to this event for many years now and we have established a culture of winning at this tournament. This year will be no different. Our aim will be to compete and win. We want to make sure we represent the Rush brand well.”

Following PDT, the ‘04 Boys and Girls Select teams will be traveling to Sweden for the Gothia Cup in July. This is a great experience for players to see another part of the world, experience another culture and compete against elite teams from across the world. 

Older players in the Rush Select Program will continue working on making connections in their college search, fine tuning their future goals and objectives as players, and travelling home with not only great memories to add to their stories of development in the game, but hopefully a winning medal too.