Marcus Kelcher, the former director of coaching for Toro Soccer Club, has formed a new organization called the Elite Girls Academy.

Kelcher also coached three Toro teams, and two of those — 17-and-under Booyah and 15-and-under Chaos — have moved with him to his new club.

"The girls will train in an environment where excellence is the No. 1 priority and where playing in college is the No. 1 priority," Kelcher said.

Kelcher said he was informed at the end of November that Toro wanted to move in a different direction. He had been with the club for five years.

While disappointed with the decision, Kelcher said he was proud of the success he had with Toro. The club won a Region II championship, as well as several state cups.

Kelcher said he has three coaches on his new staff and a search is under way for a director of coaching. The club will hold tryouts in June and July, and the staff will likely expand to accommodate the number of teams involved.

Kelcher said he wants to run a transparent organization where both players and parents get great service. The club also plans to join the Nebraska State Soccer Association.

"I think this is a great opportunity for players who are seeking this sort of developmental environment we're trying to create," he said.

It is not known who will replace Kelcher in the Toro organization. Club officials have not returned phone calls to The World-Herald.

Bravo team wins division

The under-18 Toro Bravo soccer team has won the red division of the United States Youth Soccer national league.

Bravo went 4-0-1 in group play in Atlanta and Orlando, Fla.

Taylor Haynes has been coaching the team since Kelcher left the Toro organization.

The four-time Nebraska State Cup champions are also the first girls team in Nebraska to win a U.S.Y.S. Region II title.

Haynes said the team has been playing the top teams from around the country for the past five years, which led to this season's success.

"They will play any team, anytime, anywhere," he said. "As a result, they have come to realize that not only can they play with anyone, but that they are also better than most teams."

All 17 players on the squad are committed to play in college. The players and their college plans are as follows:

Alyssa Flannery, Millard North, Nebraska; Chelsi Rohloff, Papillion-La Vista, Nebraska; Jaylyn Odermann, Millard North, Nebraska; Caroline Flynn, Lincoln Southwest, Nebraska; Alex Massey, Kearney (Mo.) High School, Nebraska; Jacqueline Tondl, Omaha Marian, Texas A&M; Taylor Saucier, Omaha Marian, Texas A&M; Marquette Pick, Millard North, Iowa State; Mia McAleer, Ralston, Iowa State; Morgan Westenburg, Lincoln Southeast, UNO; Hannah Wampler, Lincoln Southeast, UNO; Emily Nulty, Omaha Marian, Northern Illinois; Ava Ambrose, Omaha Marian, Miami; Paige Nielsen, Lincoln Southeast, North Carolina; Erin Stewart, Omaha Marian, Missouri State; Jill Kieffer, Lincoln Southwest, Northwest Missouri State; Kristyn Otter, Millard North, University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Local team nets national title

Lincoln Pius X junior Brock Fitzgerald scored the winning goal as Region II won the inter-regional national championships in Mobile, Ala., recently.

Fitzgerald is a captain of the Omaha Football Club 94-95 Elite 1 team, coached by Mike Dean.

Region II won the final 1-0 over Region IV, which is made up of states on the West Coast. Fitzgerald also had the team's first goal at the tournament.

The tournament was held at the same time as the NCAA College Cup, so several college coaches were on hand to see the players involved.

Drake, Xavier and Loyola Chicago are some of the schools looking at Fitzgerald, Dean said.

Several other players on the team are attracting the interest of some big-name schools.

Omaha Creighton Prep's Mark Moulton, who scored the game-winner at state last spring, is being looked at by Duke, Notre Dame and St. Louis, among others.

Omaha Skutt goalie Michael Kluver is also turning coaches' heads, Dean said.

Jr. Jay excels for national team

Omaha Creighton Prep freshman Peter Schropp continues to excel for the under-15 national team.

Schropp, who has started at center back, recently traveled with the squad to Orlando, Fla., for residential camp. Thirty-six players were invited.

In October, he went to a national team camp in Los Angeles after scoring on a diving header to win the state cup for his Omaha FC under-15 club, which is coached by Dean. Over Thanksgiving, he went to San Diego with the Region II team for a tournament.

"Athletically, he's gifted. His pace with the ball is beyond anybody around his age," Dean said. "His speed of play is far more mature than his age."

Although Schropp is on his under-15 club, Dean has been giving him more challenges by having him play on the coach's under-17 team.

Several academy programs have expressed an interest in Schropp.

Dean said he can see Schropp eventually leaving the state as did former Creighton standout Tyler Polak of Lincoln, who spent a few years at the national team residency program in Bradenton, Fla.

"He's going to have a big decision in a couple of years," Dean said. "He's going to have to make that step."

Freshman at national camp

Michelle Xiao, a freshman at Omaha Westside, is also getting some national opportunities.

Last fall, she was asked to take part in the U.S under-14 girls national team domestic training camp in Carson, Calif. She was one of 32 players invited from a national I.D. camp earlier in Portland, Ore.

She competed on the Region II Olympic Development Team at the U.S.Y.S. Thanksgiving tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. She'll travel with the Region II team for a U.S. Youth Soccer International Costa Rica trip in February.

Xiao is a forward-midfielder for the Omaha FC 95-96 Elite I team coached by Alex Mason. She also has a 4.0 grade-point average. — Marjie Ducey