Oceanside United’s 2017 boys’ soccer team joined the Oceanside High School varsity squad on Oct. 10 for the Sailors’ final home game of the regular season at Oceanside High School — an evening that ended in a 2-1 victory and gave young players an up-close look at what their future in the sport could be.
The Oceanside United Soccer Club is a community-focused soccer organization that offers various programs for players of all ages and skill levels, including intramural, travel and special needs programs.
The youth athletes, all born in 2017, were invited to act as ball boys, meet varsity players and take part in warm-ups as part of a growing effort to connect Oceanside United with the high school program. The initiative is led by lifelong Oceanside resident Brian Siergiej, owner of Showtime Soccer Training, which partners with Oceanside United to run youth training and coaching.
During the fall season, Siergiej regularly invites groups of U9 (age nine) to U12 (age twelve) players to high school games, hoping to build a stronger sense of continuity between the program and the varsity team.
“Some of them are very wowed by it,” Siergiej said. “They’re pure soccer kids at heart, and they just love that stuff. I try to tell that that is going to be you one day.”
Siergiej has watched several current varsity athletes rise through the ranks — including players he coached on his own U9 team years earlier.
“I see these kids grow through the travel program, the Oceanside United program and then ultimately become part of representing their high school team at the varsity stage,” he said. “I brought them down as ball boys when they were ten, so we’re still trying to build and maintain that culture. You just want them to be involved.”
That pipeline is easy to spot on the sidelines. Oceanside United, known for its bright orange uniforms, has become a fixture at home games, with younger players now looking up to older athletes who once stood where they stood.
Siergiej himself began playing with Oceanside United at age five and later played four years of varsity soccer at Oceanside High School. Today, he serves as a volunteer assistant coach for the varsity boys, while Showtime Soccer Training continues to work closely with Oceanside United.
“I have a really good relationship with the club, and I have a really good relationship with the school, and I think it’s very important for the two to maintain that,” Siergiej said.
For parents, the night offered its own moments of reflection. Candace Giordano, whose son Jaxson, eight, plays on the 2017 Oceanside United team and is coached by Siergiej, said the experience helped her son feel connected to the high school athletes.
“I’m looking at my little son and then these high school kids, and I see how they play and how skilled they are, and how one day that will be him,” Giordano said. “My son and his team loved it because they felt like they were part of the game with the high school students.”
The event has become more intentional and personal over the years. While Oceanside United once sent general invitations to families, Siergiej now works directly with age-group teams to ensure the youth players have meaningful interactions with the varsity team.
