The Irvine Strikers, a Nike Premier Club located in Irvine, California, just came away from the U.S. Soccer Club National Championships with two titles – U12 boys and U15 girls.  No other club in the nation can say the same thing, so one might wonder why the Irvine Strikers are so good.  Is it the year-round California sunshine, pure talent, superb coaching?  Probably a combination of all three.  These two recent accomplishments are just the tip of the iceberg that is the Irvine Strikers Soccer Club.

Anchoring this iceberg is Technical Director (and coach of the U15 Girls National Champions Team) and former national team player, Don Ebert.  Ebert’s coaching staff continually coaches regional and national championship teams who compete at the highest level and against the best teams nationally and internationally.  In the past five years, the Strikers’ program has captured five national club titles, been on Soccer America’s Top 20 list of youth clubs several times, and recently became members of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.   “The success of any club begins with its coaching staff,” says Ebert.  "You have to have talent and stability. We are very lucky to have both. As a result, our club is developing more players who can play at a very high level.”

This elite coaching has produced some of the most promising players in recent history.  The two most notable to come out of the Strikers’ program are current professional and U.S. National team players Benny Feilhaber (SV Hamburg) and Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA).  But the Strikers can account for 13 additional current professional players, including Tyson Wahl (Kansas City Wizards), Christian Jimenez (Real Salt Lake), Chad Marshall (Toronto FC), Eric Ebert (Houston Dynamo), and Carlos Borja (Chivas USA).

Additionally, over the last 12 years, the Irvine Strikers can account for 118 past and present NCAA Division 1 players, and two current rising stars in the TSV 1860 Munich (German Bundesliga 2) youth academy.

Bobby Wood and Kovi Konowiecki are both entering their second year on the U17 and U16 1860 Munich academy teams.  The two Americans are already making an impact in the team, creating what Kovi calls, the “American Connection,” several times throughout the season to score goals.  “The European game is so quick,” says Kovi, “you must know what you are going to do before you get the ball.”  “The fact that I am living in a new country with a new language has turned me into a young adult and has made me a more responsible human being. So far, in my professional career, I have not felt one bit of regret or sadness!”