Snohomish United is helping aspiring professional soccer players reach their dreams.

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – One of the most popular soccer camps in the Birmingham area is back and bigger than ever as Dan DeMasters prepares to host the Dynamic Development (D2) Soccer Camp once again.

The 12th edition of the camp will run from June 16-20 at Thompson High School. It is open to kids from ages 5-12 and will go from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday. Half-day options are available for younger campers.

In addition, the ever-popular parents’ night will return on Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. where kids play against their parents.

DeMasters will bring his experience as a former college soccer player as well as a successful high school coach to the camp. Most recently, he helped Thompson win its first girls soccer playoff game since 2013. He also won three-straight state championships as the Oak Mountain boys soccer coach from 2015-2017.

Last year’s edition brought out 188 kids to learn from a wide variety of coaches, from DeMasters’ staff with Thompson girls soccer to former college and current high school coaches like Oak Mountain’s David DiPiazza and Homewood’s Shaun McBride to current college soccer players who came to D2 Camp as kids.

“You get people like that (former college coaches), you get younger adolescents from like 18 to 22-year-olds that play in college and they’re the ones that the kids kind of look up to and they’re their heroes and then you mix in some of the camp alumni that have grown up that are coming to work at camp and mixed in with some of the Thompson crew that kind of understands the culture that we’re creating here in our program, all of that just encompasses together ,and we just try to create the best experience and we try to do the best we can,” DeMasters said.

Campers can expect to play games like World Cup, Baby World Cup, 3-on-3 and other competitions for awards. They will also learn essential soccer skills that they can put to use in their personal game.

Over the past decade-plus that the camp has run, it has become a beloved and important part of soccer development in Birmingham. Some of the most successful soccer players from Birmingham over the last few years cut their teeth at D2 Camp growing up and now play in college and even coach at the camp.

For DeMasters, seeing their growth as players and people is the most rewarding thing about running the camp year after year.

“A lot of those Oak Mountain boys that had such a successful season, they came through camp, and though it was a very small sliver, it was cool to see them have success and they grow up and now they’re men going off to college,” DeMasters said. “Some of my girls that were seniors this year, like one of my captains was like the bubble blowing champion, and she’s become such a fantastic soccer player, but you remember those things and you see pictures of them, and now my daughter is coming to camp and I think one of the girls that was at the very first camp ever at Oak Mountain, she was five years old, now she’s graduating from Oak Mountain and she’s working the camp this year, so it’s cool. It’s a really fulfilling thing. That’s sort of why you do it.”

The camp has evolved over the years to grow in size and scale, and while some faces that DeMasters is grateful for like Oak Mountain assistant coach Keegan McQueen are no longer part of the camp, he is excited to see the kids continue to develop and use the week to improve as players.

“As I’m getting older and you’re seeing the kids getting better and developing, it’s only a week of the year so you don’t think that you have an impact because one week out of 52 weeks of the year, you’re just thinking it’s a week of fun and gets the kids to kind of be in a different atmosphere, but I think when you see the kids developing each and every year, they’re getting taller and stronger and like just striking the ball better, that’s a very satisfying thing and rewarding thing I think as a coach,” DeMasters said.

Registration is open online at Dynamicdevelopmentcamps.com, and the cost to attend the regular camp is $230. A special Elite Group for 10-to-12-year-olds who want to receive high level training is available for $250.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Marley Krach, a former Woodlands Highlander Soccer standout, was awarded the Big South’s Christenberry Award for her excellence in academics that go alongside her athletic prowess.

The Christenberry Award is given out to one female and one male student-athlete per institution per year. These athletes had to be nominated by their respective schools through the rigorous criteria of being the graduating student-athlete with the highest GPA.

Krach cut due to attaining a 4.0 GPA while working toward her biology degree, in addition to the tough time spent on the soccer field. Krach’s role as a midfielder and defender saw her take valuable minutes during her nearly 20-game senior season. 

The continued success of Krach’s academic career spans back to her time spent since first joining the Radford program. With each passing semester, Krach has been named to the Dean’s List, highlighting the never-ending balance of her student-athlete journey.

Krach now joins the 11 other recipients of the prestigious award for the 2024-25 athletic season, making one more mark before she departs the collegiate ranks.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Soccer has announced two new additions to the 2025 roster in transfers Mia Riddick and Torrie Grant-Clavijo. Riddick comes to The Hill from Arkansas and Grant-Clavijo comes from St. Bonaventure.
 
“We are excited about our additions during this transfer window,” said head coach Jason Neidell. “Torrie and Mia will be great additions to the team in the classroom, in the locker room, and most importantly on the field. Both have strong soccer pedigrees and significant college experience under their belt. We cannot wait for them to join the rest of the squad soon. The best is yet ahead for this Hilltopper group, and we cannot wait to get started!”
 
Mia Riddick
Roswell, Ga. | Arkansas | Roswell High School | Redshirt-Junior | Goalkeeper | 6-0
In high school, Riddick led her team to a regional championship and a finals appearance in the GHSA championship in 2022. She allowed no goals during regional play during that season. She was named to the All-Region First Team twice and earned Region Player and Goalkeeper of the Year in 2022. She was also named to the All-State Team that season.
 
At the club level, she played with UFA for three years. In 2021, she led to the team to a ECNL Final Four appearance and a No. 4 national ranking. She was named a Top Drawer Soccer National Tournament Standout and was ranked as the No. 1 goalkeeper in her class in Georgia.
 
Torrie Grant-Clavijo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada | St. Bonaventure | North Toronto Collegiate Institute | Sophomore | Midfielder/Forward | 5-1
At St. Bonaventure, Grant-Clavijo started in 13 matches while playing in all 16 games for the Bonnies. She scored her first collegiate goal against Rhode Island on Oct. 17. She notched two assists on the season, one against VCU on Sept. 29 and another against Richmond on Oct. 24.
 
In high school, Grant-Clavijo played and started in every game and was one of the team’s leading goal scorers and assists contributors. On the club side, she played with WNY Flash ECNL for two years.
 
How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Soccer, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Soccer on X and Instagram and @WKUSoccer on Facebook.
 
 

CAMPINAS, Brazil (WPTA) – Brazil native Higor Barbieri found a passion for soccer early in life.

“Like every single Brazilian, I grew up playing soccer on the streets,” Barbieri said.

That love for the game eventually led Barbieri on a journey to the United States, where he played college soccer and soon wound up in 21Country.

“I went to a junior college and played decently there,” Barbieri said. “Then I got an offer from Huntington University. They gave me a scholarship and I went straight to Huntington,” he said.

After earning his master’s degree in 2024, following three seasons at Huntington, Barbieri thought the competitive thrill and pressure of the game might be behind him, until about two weeks ago.

“I got a message,” Barbieri said. “They were looking for a soccer player who speaks English, and I got selected.”

The message turned out to be a surprise invitation to compete in a MrBeast challenge. The popular YouTube channel, which averages millions of views per video, gives subscribers the chance to win thousands of dollars. This particular opportunity? A head-to-head challenge against world-famous Brazilian soccer star Neymar for a $500,000 prize.

“It was a huge surprise because he’s my favorite player,” Barbieri said. “Out of nowhere, I was sharing the pitch with him and about to challenge him.”

In the end, Barbieri won the goal-scoring competition and took home the $500k.

“I still think I’m living a dream and I don’t think it’s real,” Barbieri said. “It will definitely change my life. I don’t come from a wealthy family. My mom had to work two jobs during my whole childhood, and now I can literally change that and provide a better life for my family.”

All of it, Barbieri says, came thanks not only to luck and MrBeast’s generosity, but also to the skills he gained in 21Country.

“Huntington definitely prepared me for this challenge,” Barbieri said. “It was a great college. They prepared me not just physically and technically, but also mentally. There were a lot of mind games in that challenge, so I’m very grateful to Huntington University.”

To watch the whole challenge, click the link here. The video has over 92 million views and counting.

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