The latest example of how far soccer has come in the Last Frontier occurred over the weekend at the 2023 PacNW Winter Classic Showcase in Seattle.
A group of 16-years-old and younger boys from Alaska went to the event billed as “The Premier Winter Soccer Tournament in the Country” and came home with a perfect 5-0 record in their division and some nice hardware.
Photo courtesy Vin Robinson.
Team Alaska defeated Portland City United 2-0 in the 06 Boys bracket championship game behind two goals from South Anchorage High School sophomore phenom Dawit Hoffman and a shutout from North Pole junior James Aleshire and Dimond junior Bryn Kopecky, who split goalkeeping duties.
The boys from Alaska steamrolled the competition all weekend. The roster, made up of players from across the state in the Alaska Development Program (ADP), scored 12 goals while giving up only two in a tournament designed to provide college scouts an opportunity to see some of the top young talent in the northwest.
Hoffman, who was a key player as freshman the South Wolverine’s state championship team last year, was a problem for opponents all weekend. He put the ball in net five times and added four assists from the striker and attacking-mid positions.
Dawit Hoffman. Photo courtesy Matthew Crockett Photography.
Hoffman had plenty of help. Team Alaska got goals from Service sophomore Mason Tremarco, Service freshman Sage Phimmasone, Colony sophomore Owen Dietz, Lathrop junior Gavin Wilson and East Anchorage sophomore Kyryl Dmtryk, who arrived in Alaska last year as a refugee from Ukraine. And the defense was stout behind all that scoring and in front of lock-down goal keeping.
“We got both attacking and defending contributions up and down the roster,” said head coach Matt Froehle.
Add it all up, and factor in the fact that a good portion of the roster were 07’s, playing up a year in an 06 bracket, and this equaled a sweet success for Alaska youth soccer.
Left to Right: Mason Tremarco, Dawit Hoffman, Noah Robinson, Amine Abakar. Photo courtesy Vin Robinson.
“The development program has really grown the past four years and successes like these are a happy side effect of that growth and development,” said Brian Lux, Alaska Youth Soccer development director and South High head coach. “We still have a ways to go to catch up to California and Texas but making strides every day.”
Only a week earlier, the Alaska Girls O7 team finished as finalists in their division at the Olympic Development Program (ODP) championships in Phoenix. And it’s not uncommon nowadays for an Alaska club team to win their bracket in an out-of-state tournament.
TEAM ALASKA 06 BOYS ROSTER
- Head Coach Matt Froehle
- Amine Abakar, Anchorage
- James Aleshire, North Pole
- Jack Crockett, Anchorage
- Owen Dietz, Palmer
- Kyryl Dmytryk, Anchorage
- Dawit Hoffman, Anchorage
- Jason Lorig, Ketchikan
- Matej O’Malley, Anchorage
- Sage Phimmasone, Anchorage
- Ben Ringsmuth, Chugiak
- Noah Robinson, Anchorage
- Mason Tremarco, Anchorage
- Lucas White, Fairbanks
- Gavin Wilson, Fairbanks
Growing top-shelf soccer talent in Alaska is tough. Developing a deep in-state talent pool takes resources and competent, committed coaches. Traveling to compete out of state is expensive, prohibitively expensive for some. Facilities like The Dome in Anchorage have dramatically improved training opportunities during the winter months, but club team fees that help cover costs for these types of facilities are a barrier-to-entry for many families.
But the improved facilities, the growing infrastructure of Alaska Youth Soccer’s development program, and a thriving year-around club soccer scene in Southeast and along the Railbelt have made an impact. Alaska is catching up.
“Overall, I’d say we are closing the gap,” said Froehle. “We keep growing and improving, but so does the rest of the country.”
Obed Vargas
There have been bright moments on Alaska’s soccer timeline, such as the spectacular career of Cook Inlet Soccer Club alumni and Chugiak High grad Kelly Cobb. A star player on Duke University’s NCAA Division I National runner-up squad in 2011, Cobb was a member of the U-18, U-20, and U-23 U.S. Women’s National Teams. She helped the U.S win the U20 World Cup in Japan in 2012.
But never have so many Alaska kids showed they belong on the pitch with the best players around the country. Anchorage brothers Obed and Abad Vargas are part of the U-18 and U-15 national team pools respectively. Anchorage’s Rocco Von Merees is on the MLS Real Salt Lake Academy U-15 Team.
On the girl’s side Anchorage’s Parker Sullivan and Makenna Harris have been playing on national regional teams the past two years.
Obed Vargas and Anchorage’s Hunter Sulte both play professionally in the MLS.
Hunter Sulte
Sulte, a keeper, played his first game with the grown men of the Portland Timbers as a 17-year-old in 2020. The following year, Vargas became the third-youngest person ever to sign a Major League Soccer contract, playing his first game for the Seattle Sounders as a 14-year-old. Still not yet 18, Vargas is holding his own in the Sounders midfield.
Varges, Sulte and others have shown what’s possible for an Alaska kid with a dream. And the kids are dreaming big.
“I believe we are able to compete agains teams out of state at any given opportunity if we put in the same effort as last weekend,” said Hoffman from his home back in Anchorage.