The Bay Area Breeze have announced the signing of goalkeeper Val Henderson, defender Samantha Brand and midfielder/forward Alena Thom for the 2012 Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) season. The three will help Bay Area Breeze as they contend for top position in the WPSL Pacific – North Conference and a chance to compete for the 2012 WPSL Championship.
Defender Brand returns to the Breeze after playing with the team last summer, as well as professionally in Sweden. A co-founder of SULA Soccer Training, Brand uses her experiences playing with the Haiti National Team and the University of San Francisco to train and teach budding athletes the necessary skills to excel in the game of soccer and to use the disciplines and leadership learned to give back to surrounding communities.
About Brand, Preszler said, “Re-signing Sam Brand is important: she brings National Team and international experience to our club. She played an integral role with this team last season. Her desire to continue to play at an international level and the enthusiasm that brings is why we love having her around.”
Henderson, a former Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) and U.S. U-23 National Team member, is starting her fourth year in professional soccer with the Breeze. The Orinda, California, native played with the UCLA Women’s collegiate team from 2004-2007, as well as holding previous positions with the WPS Los Angeles Sol and Philadelphia Independence. Henderson is an experienced, hard working player and leader. Notably, Henderson was just one of five Bruins to compete at the 2006 FIFA World Championships in Russia.
According to head coach Darin Preszler, “Val is a Bay Area native bringing both international and WPS experience to the Breeze. She is dedicated to a high level of play and to driving the sport of soccer forward. Val has an unmatched passion for the game – a big reason why she will fit in well with this club.”
Henderson also shares her international playing experiences as a contributing writer on ESPNW.com.
Midfielder and forward Thom also rejoins the Breeze after spending last fall completing a professional season in Sweden. She played her collegiate soccer at Wake Forest, has played professionally in Germany and the U.S., and has NCAA Divison-1 coaching experience with Wake Forest and the University of Northern Colorado. Thom is also a co-founder of Sula Soccer Training with teammate Samantha Brand.
“Alena brings leadership, experience and superb professionalism back to the Breeze,” said Preszler. “She trains and plays hard, and demands a lot from herself and from her teammates both on and off the field.”
The Bay Area Breeze will kick off the 2012 season on the road, with their first WPSL Pacific – North Conference game on May 26 against the California Storm in Folsom, CA. The team has scheduled home games in Dublin/Pleasanton, CA, and trains in Berkeley at the Gilman Soccer Fields in the Tom Bates Regional Sports Complex, and Pleasanton, CA.
