MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
Courtesy Photo | Michigan Rangers FC
(Editor’s Note: The Michigan Soccer Network will continue its series about an assortment of Michigan-based youth club teams that competed in various age groups at various regional and national tournaments and playoffs during the months of June, July and August for all levels of the youth soccer pyramid. Send all pertinent information including results, stats, photos, and coach’s contact information to MSN Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com a
dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com or call the news department at 248-525-2349.)
From fallen teammate, to wholesale roster changes, to a little luck and everything in-between
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Michigan Soccer Network | Premier Media Group and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
CELL PHONE: (248) 884-1051
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @LocalSportsFans @MiSoccerNetwork
REUNION, Fla. – Jordan Kerns remembers when she got a call.
“It was at the end of last April. A girl from my club (soccer) team died of a blood clot,” recalled Kerns, a resident of Byron Center, Mich., a standout with the Michigan Rangers FC club soccer team and a Byron Center High School varsity athlete.
Alia Zuidema, a resident of Grand Haven, Mich., a three-sport athlete at Muskegon Western Michigan Christian High School and a club teammate of Kerns and a host of others with the Michigan Rangers FC, died suddenly.
That was during the spring 2023 high school girls soccer season. It came on a Saturday.
April 29, 2023, to be exact.
Zuidema was a high school freshman at the time playing up one level on the club soccer circuit. She was also a varsity cross-country, basketball and soccer player who had dreams – big dreams – of one day playing NCAA Division I college soccer.
The sudden death rang shockwaves through the west Michigan soccer community, where student-athletes from a multitude of schools and club soccer programs know each other.
“I used to play midfield with her, holding midfield,” sighed Kerns. “She was loved by everybody. She was a very good player and a great teammate.”
An ultimate competitor, Zuidema’s life was cut short. That’s unexplainable to other high school-aged student-athletes trying to juggle their studies, sports, travel and everything else that is coupled with today’s busy calendar of being an athlete in the 2020s.
How could they lose a teammate, a close friend who was so young?
Sometimes, God really does work in mysterious ways.
“Whenever we play, either in training or in games, we try to wear something yellow,” noted Kerns of her lost teammate. “Whether it be a (hair ribbon), or T-shirt – something yellow. That was her favorite color. We play for her. Everything we do is in memory of (Alia).”
FIRST FOR EVERYTHING
The summer of 2024 will always be remembered for anyone involved with the Michigan Rangers organization, a bustling, growing youth club soccer organization of multiple age groups and talent levels. There are more than 1,000 young athletes involved with the Hudsonville, Mich.-based Rangers, which changed names from the Michigan Fire Juniors to the Michigan Rangers in 2021.
This is the year that the Michigan Rangers finally walked off the soccer pitch with a national championship.
Courtesy Photo | Michigan Rangers FC
Strike A Pose: The Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 team stands proudly net to its USYS national championship trophy.
The journey was an unusual one and somewhat unexpected. But the Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 in a USYS U19 National tournament champion. That is national title No. 1 for the club.
“This is our first one, our first national championship as a club,” beamed Dean Muckle, the head coach of the Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 squad and several other age groups within the growing youth club organization based in the Grand Rapids area. “We played some great matches (at the national tournament). And what is most impressive is that we had to bring up a lot of girls from some of our younger groups. We didn’t have a lot of players that were available to compete at nationals (in the USYS U19 Division).”
A veteran roster of 18 dwindled down to just a handful during June and early July. The Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 had already qualified for the national tournament down near Orlando, Fla., and the club overall had qualified out of the regional competition held back in February for the national tournament in more than one age group.
“We had to make some choices, some decisions on what to do,” recalled Muckle. “We decided to pull some kids up (to the U19 Division).”
WELCOMING THE CHALLENGE, MAKING IT HAPPEN
The U19 team was originally made up of mostly graduating seniors in the class of 2024 along with some players that just finished up their junior years of high school. But with the national tournament at the end of July, many of those players were unavailable.
That was a talented team no doubt. They had already punched their ticket. But many of them simply could not make the commitment. Miss Soccer winner Kendall Aikens (Hudsonville High School) and several other high school All-State players or college-bound standouts would not be able to train or make the trip down south.
So, the Michigan Rangers coaching staff opted to dip down to the lower age groups to fill out the U19 roster.
Karns was one of those players who accepted the promotion to the U19 roster for the USYS national tournament and the future NCAA Division II Davenport University commit helped not only lead the team but helped them gel as a unit – in a hurry.
“We didn’t have much time,” recalled Kerns, who herself was an All-State Second Team midfielder for Byron Center High School this past spring on the high school circuit.
“Some of these (club) teams were with each other all spring and summer. Their high school seasons were in the fall and not the spring like in Michigan. We had to (assemble) a roster and get used to playing with each other with just a few weeks of practice,” continued Kerns. “But it worked. Some of us played on the same younger (U17 team). We only had a couple of girls from the U19 team that were able to stay and play. Once some of them realized that a lot of the (others) couldn’t make it (at the end of the school year), a few more backed out. There was only a couple (players) left. But the coaches asked us if we wanted to step up (a division) and compete in (U19) and several of us welcomed the challenge.”
Some of the original U19 were already on their respective college campuses in late June or early July – several of those players had signed with NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III or NAIA schools and were shut down by their respective college coaches at various points of the summer. Those same players were enrolled and already taking college courses and conducting weight- and physical-training with school staff. Some were out with injuries, had summer jobs, family vacations, or other commitments and distractions during the summer months.
The Michigan Rangers FC opted to pull up more than a dozen players from its U17 and U16 rosters to complete a talented blend of players to compete in the USYS U19 Division at the national tournament.
The pool of players quickly jelled and combined to form one tight-knit and talented unit – and created some memorable moments during their journey towards a national championship.
“It’s really amazing if you think about it,” noted Muckle. “Most of these girls were playing up a level.”
THE JOURNEY
In a state such as Michigan where a long list of boys soccer and girls soccer youth clubs have shined bright on the national stage for decades at various levels of the youth soccer pyramid – clubs such as Midwest United, Michigan Hawks, Vardar SC, Nationals SC, Michigan Wolves, Michigan Jaguars, Detroit City FC, Kalamazoo Kingdom, Cap City, and a host of others – this is the Michigan Rangers first moment in the sun in terms of returning from a national tournament with some serious championship hardware.
At the USYS National League U19 National Championships, held July 23-29 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Reunion, Fla., the Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 really came together in a hurry and put the finishing touches on their unprecedented run by going 5-0-0 overall and with a 12-7 scoring edge against high-level competition.
The Rangers won their first two games in pool play on July 23 and July 24, respectively, taking down the Revolution Premier SC 06G-Gold Zuazua (4-3) and MS Rush United 06 G-Premier (2-1) to get off to a fast start.
On July 25, the team – although with the younger roster – avenged a loss back in February at the National League P.R.O. Midwest Regional Championships/Wildcard Pool event. The Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 took down the Chattanooga Red Wolves 06G 2-1, opening up a two-goal lead in the second half before holding on for the victory after conceding a late goal. Ava Lutke, a two-time All-State Dream Team and two-time Division 3 state champion in 2023 and 2024 at Hudsonville Unity Christian, and Alexa Boersma (Grand Rapids South Christian) scored the goals.
In the semifinals, the next victim was PACS U19G-Black, which the Rangers had to work overtime to defeat, 2-1.
Lutke, a Michigan State commit and a frontrunner for Miss Soccer 2025, scored again in this match to make it 1-0 before PACS tied it up in the 70th minute. Tessa Ponstein (Hudsonville Unity Christian) sent a cornerkick into the box, while Kerns flicked it over to the six-yard spot inside the box before Lutke deposited the game-winner into the back of the net.
The state was set for the national finals on July 28.
Facing off against highly-touted Fort Wayne United FC 05/06 Elite 64, the Rangers dug deep and again were able to squeak out a narrow victory in the form of a 2-1 triumph on the final day of the 2023-24 club soccer season.
Boersma finished off a cornerkick from Kerns in the 15th minute and Lutke converted again in the 39th minute which later registered as the game-winner and tournament-clinching goal. It came from around 12 yards out.
The team had multiple standouts at the tournament, again part of a hodge-podge roster made up of younger rising stars on the soccer circuit. Ava Steen (Hudsonville Unity Christian), Jordyn Klaasen (Zeeland West, Ball State University-commit), Olvia Timmons (Otsego) and Kailey Walcott (Hudsonville) just to name a few. Baylee DeVries (Caledonia), Sydney Wilcox (Holland West Ottawa), Madeline Muilenburg (Grandville Calvin Christian), Lauren Prins (Hudsonville Unity Christian), Kyla Kobrzycki (Hudsonville Unity Christian), Allyson Oly (Hudsonville), Breyona Ikwueme (East Kentwood) and Andrea Sweet (Grand Haven) also made the trip to Reunion, Fla.
Oly was the only original band member to make the journey down south and help complete the job.
“We were fortunate enough to be able to bring up a lot of very talented players that are still in high school,” said Muckle. “The (original) roster was very good. We have a lot of those players who play in college in the fall.”
CREATING THE PATHWAY, WATCHING FROM ABOVE
With its original roster, the Michigan Rangers FC enjoyed plenty of success last fall and winter.
At the National League P.R.O. Midwest Regional Championships/Wildcard Pool last Feb. 24-29 in Tampa, Fla., the Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 – with mostly a different and older roster – finished with a 2-1 record. The side outscored the opposition 6-5 with one shutout. The Rangers opened up with victories over JB Marine Thunder 2005G (2-1) and Libertyville FC 1974 05/06G Elite 64 (3-0) before falling to Chattanooga Red Wolves 06G (4-1).
That performance, coupled with the Elite 64 U19 Midwest Conference runner-up performance earlier last fall and winter, helped the Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 qualify for the national tournament near Orlando, Florida, this summer.
In the Elite 64 U19 Midwest Conference, the Michigan Rangers finished second in its seven-team division with a 9-1-2 overall record and 29 points, just three points off the pace. The sole setback came in a 2-1 loss to Elmbrook United 05/06G Elite 64, plus there was 2-2 and 3-3 ties in league play along the way. The team ended up outscoring its opposition 30-13 with four clean sheets and were not shut out a single time.
Coupling the conference schedule, regional tournament and national tournament, the Michigan Rangers FC 05/06G Elite 64 – which featured around 35 total players in various tournaments – posted a 16-2-2 record, outscored the opposition 48-25, posted four shutouts, and were never shut out during those three sections. The U19 team also had a .800 winning percentage in the league, regional and national tournament, averaged 2.4 goals a game and posted a 1.25 team goals-against-average.
AN ARMY AND ANGELS
It took an army of players to make it all of this happen and create memories to last a lifetime. Almost two different rosters to finish on the top of the club soccer pyramid. The Michigan Rangers FC combined forces and found a way to get it done.
“This something that we’ll never forget,” offered Kerns, who will have one more year of club and high school soccer but doesn’t know what the future will hold for next June and July. “The Rangers had never won a national championship. We now get to say we have won one. That is an incredible feeling.”
The Michigan Rangers organization had a guardian angel.
Someone is watching from above.
A once-rising player who might have been able to make this trip if she wasn't lost way too soon.
Alia Zuidema will not be forgotten.
“I wish Alia was still here,” said Kerns. “We all do. This is for her.”
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-884-1051 or 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com and jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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Michigan-based Premier Media Group is expanding ... don't miss out
SHELBY TWP., Mich. – The Premier Media Group is expanding its broadcast net.
And we want you.
The Michigan-based PMG, founded in 2022, its flagship production the Michigan Soccer Network and all other affiliates, is actively scheduling games in a wide variety of high school leagues and conferences, small colleges, amateur, pre-professional, youth club, and other avenues of the beautiful game in Michigan.
The schedule for the fall semester is starting to fill up across Michigan.
The daily connections are being made and the spreading of our brand has brought in great reviews.
Would the coaches, administration, student-athletes, players and fans like for us to broadcast a game near you?
Regardless of the now-popular remote broadcast games, on-location broadcast games, on-location shows or in-studio daily shows, there is a simple process. Visit the website www.michigansoccernetwork.com or click below for details.
PMG will also be holding various “Win A Free Broadcast” contest at various parts of the fall, winter (indoor) and spring seasons.
"(Michigan Soccer Network) has does a great job making these kids feel special,” offered Michal Hatfield, girls soccer coach at Trenton High School who also coaches in the Detroit City FC youth club system. “The broadcasts were professionally done and we were very pleased when they did our games. They did a great job with (play-by-play), graphics and postgame interviews with the kids. And a lot of people saw it. We had uncles and aunts that have never seen their nieces play get a chance to watch them on YouTube). And all of the kids were able to jump on there (the YouTube channel) afterwards and watch the game.”
The MSN staff had the pleasure of broadcasting multiple games the last two school years for schools in the Oakland Activities Association and have received its fair share of feedback. The goal is to conduct broadcasts of games throughout the state of Michigan, especially in the larger populated regions.
“MSN has done a great job with broadcasts in our league (Macomb Area Conference),” said Trevor Foster, current head coach of the Romeo girls soccer program, goalkeepers coach for Oakland University’s soccer programs, and director at the Michigan Goalkeepers Academy. “I know the girls love it. And I know some of the parents were putting their earphones on and listening to the game when they were (in the stands) and it gives relatives a chance to watch games that they normally wouldn’t be able to.
“It’s as close to professional (broadcast) as any broadcast of high school soccer that you will see out there,” added Foster. “Plus, they do all types of (amateur and pre-professional) leagues out there (in Michigan).”
“We were very pleased, especially with the knowledge of high school soccer in the state of Michigan from the play-by-play announcers and color commentators,” said Todd Heugh, the current director of athletics at Troy Athens High School and a former coach at the school. “They put together a valuable (product) and the games are live on YouTube for everyone to watch, even if you are (a relative or an alumni) not in the area. I know coaches go on there (YouTube), too, to watch games of an upcoming opponent.”
The PMG staff has a goal of 100-plus games this fall from mid-August through November. The Michigan Soccer Network conducted a record 50 remote or in-person broadcasts during the month of June.
PMG also has contacts within Michigan, the Midwest and even in different parts of the U.S. and have become broadcast partners for more than 15 different leagues or franchises within those leagues over the past three years. PMG has multiple broadcasting rights for within the USL-League Two, USL-W League, UPSL, MWPL, NISA, WSPL and more and constantly expanding its web of coverage both on various YouTube channels and on our website at www.michigansoccernetwork.com. It has broadcasted more high school boys soccer and high school girls soccer at more than 75 high schools in Michigan.
“MSN has been a great media partner for the Bucks and AFC,” said Costa Papista, President of the Flint City Bucks and Flint City AFC of the USL-League Two and USL-W League, respectively. “The production and overall quality of our live broadcasts are professional grade. Flint City fans, sponsors and supporters greatly appreciate the MSN quality. We are always receiving excellent feedback and comments from our fans and visiting fans as well.”
And now the busy season starts in earnest with high school, college and youth club team beginning the 2024-25 school year.
To schedule a game or to consult team members of our broadcast, reach out to the following persons in the PMG family of networks: Broadcast Director Jonathan Turner, 248-525-2083, jonathan@thepremeiermediagrp.com or new Director of Scheduling / Office Manager Alaina Gagnon, at agagnon@thepremiermediagrp.com and inquire about the broadcast options, packages, special packages and more.
For news on the soccer scene in Michigan, check out the MSN website at www.michigansoccernetwork.com for daily updates, game recaps, feature stories, previews and more for teams, players and coaches from a wide variety schools, amateur teams, colleges and youth club teams.
The PMG and MSN staff will continue to reach for its goal of providing quality broadcast on any network and in-depth coverage and content on it website.
INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE
Interested in internships in broadcasting, communications, journalism, public relations or sales and marketing in the sports world? The Premier Media Group is seeking applications for current college students or students entering their senior or junior years of high school that have a career interest in working in different capacity of a constantly-evolving media world.
Contact both Broadcast Director Jonathan Turner at 248-525-2083 or jonathan@thepremeiermediagrp.com and Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at (248) 525-2349 and dstickradt@thepremeiermediagrp.com.
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-884-1051 or 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com and jonathan@thepremeiermediagrp.com.)
