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Sports

Sounders FC Camp Draws Big Turnout in Redmond

The Seattle Sounders FC hosted the first of two youth camps this summer in Redmond this past week.

Redmond got a little taste of the X-Box Pitch this past week, as the Seattle Sounders FC hosted the first of two youth camps to be held in the area this summer.

Over 100 campers turned out for the week-long camp, that featured numerous drill exercises, scrimmages and even an appearance by Sounders FC midfielder Brad Evans.

The camp, held at , featured young players ranging from age four all the way up to 15. Each age group practiced skills such as one-on-ones, ball control and shooting under the tutelage of more than a dozen coaches. Several of the coaches were either current or former college players, along with club coaches and younger soccer enthusiasts from the area.

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"It's a good mix of some young coaches with lots of energy that don't quite know everything yet who get paired with the coaches that can teach them, so that when those coaches are gone, we have new coaches to fill in for them,"  said Camp Director Brayton Knapp, a former University of Portland player.

Each day of the week featured a different featured skill that campers worked on, culminating in daily scrimmages. Knapp said the focus on individual skills and not just scrimmaging has been warmly received by parents of the participants.

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"A lot of parents have come and said they're really happy with how much the kids are playing soccer and not just playing little games to keep them occupied," Knapp said.

Evans, the starting midfielder for the MLS's third-place club, made an appearance mid-week, a nice surprise for the campers and one Brayton said the camps try to feature each week.

"We try to have an appearance every week by a Sounders player or a coach," Knapp said. "It's not guaranteed, but we try our hardest based on their travel schedule. I haven't been to a camp where we haven't had one."

The Sounders will be hosting a series of other camps all around Western-Washington across the summer, including one more in Redmond, August 22-26 at . That camp is still open, but should fill in the coming weeks. Camps will also be held in Woodinville, Sammamish and Bellevue.

Cost of the camp is $150 per week for the half-day (9 am-12 pm) and $220 for the full-day option.

For a complete list of available camps, visit soundersfc.com.

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