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The
coaching
team of
John Sutherland
(standing)
and Jimmy
Gonzales
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The Corinthian
Highlander’s roots actually go back to the
spring of 2001 when coach Jimmy Gonzales put together
a girls U14 AYSO Spring Select team dubbed ‘Alienated.’
The team was a second string team (behind the U14
Allstars which had already been formed) for Jurupa
AYSO Region 462. Alienated had a great spring, playing
in a half dozen or so AYSO tournaments and forming
the human bond which would eventually lead to the
creation of the Highlanders.
During the fall of 2001, Jimmy coached many of the
same girls from Alienated in the newly formed ‘Goofy
Grapes’ for the regular fall season AYSO GU14
team. The Goofy Grapes did very well in the AYSO
world and helped develop and refine the girls’
talents that pushed them into the region 462 GU14
Allstars. As the 2002 allstar team ‘Quiet Riot’
the team went undefeated until the last game of
the playoffs where they lost to the first place
team by one point.
At this point
in May, 2002,
Coach Jimmy
and John Sutherland
wrestled with
the thought
of having a
really good
GU14 AYSO team
and wanting
to continue
with the girls
into the next
step of their
growth, or letting
things drop
because of other
pressures on
their personal
lives (generally
associated with
business issues).
Their joint
decision was
made to take
the girls, if
they were truly
interested,
into the club
soccer world.
The girls unanimously
agreed!
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Tess
Tibbets,
Amanda
and Alina
Sutherland
(L-R)
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So,
John Sutherland
and Jimmy
Gonzales explored
which club
soccer organization
they wanted
to join, and
selected the
Corinthian
Futbol Club
as their choice,
largely because
of the Corinthian’s
pristine reputation
and club policies.
John got trained
and certified
as a CYSA-S
club coach
(he was already
an AYSO B/G
U12 coach),
and his company,
Highlander
Corporation,
provided the
seed investment
sponsorship
to get the
team started
financially.
Jimmy, now
with a possible
18 player
team (up from
an AYSO maximum
of 15 players
per team)
selected three
more players
to join the
new team,
and named
them the Corinthian
Highlanders.
The Highlanders,
in their first
year in the
club circuit,
are registered
as a bronze
east team
with the Coast
Soccer League.
At the
time of this writing in July, the Highlanders
have played in one summer tournament (ISC), are
preparing for two more tournaments (Aztec and
JUSA) and are training intensively for the fall
club season (which starts the first week in September).
As the team prepares for the fall season, it is
interesting to note how personal loyalty between
coach and players can withstand the test of time.
All of the girls, coached and led by Jimmy, are
a team of girls already pretty good in youth soccer
and wanting to grow together and become their
best. We wish them success. Please see our Standings
page to see how we are doing!
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