MARYSVILLE — The Fuerza Futebol Clube U14 girls soccer team has been promoted to the highest level of select play in the state as a part of the Washington State Premier League, and will begin playing at that level next fall.

“This is a great group of kids. They train really hard. They will continue to play this season in the Puget Sound Premier League, but next year they will play as Washington State Premier League,” said head coach Tony Carillo. “Since they got promoted up and they are now one the top eight teams in the state.”

The majority of the girls on the team have been playing together for three years and come from Arlington, Marysville and surrounding areas.

“In 2011 we started out with two teams at Casino Road,” said Carillo. “We offer a low-cost alternative for lower income players who want to play at a high level but can’t afford some of the other select teams. To keep costs down we have no paid coaches and usually practice in the Marysville School District, often at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. It’s grown quite a bit since we first started.”

The normal season starts in the fall, usually around September and continues until mid-December. After a winter break, the teams start again in spring, usually in February.

“They have won several tournaments, like the Blast Off Tournament in Federal Way and the Sky River Tournament in Monroe,” said Carillo.

Courtney Miles has been playing soccer since she was 6 years old and loves playing for the Fuerza FC.

“I just really like what this club does,” she said. “I feel like I have grown a lot over the years, especially playing with Fuerza, and I’ve improved on technical skills and playing together as a team.”

Miles was quick to thank her coaches. “They’ve helped me a lot. They focus on development of the players and make sure you improve, not necessarily focusing on winning,” she said. “I’m looking forward to playing for the Washington Premier League.”

Miles’ mom, Megan Miles, is glad her daughter is playing for such a good team.

“The whole organization is focused on the kids, focused on making them better soccer players and better people,” she said. “Winning is a good byproduct but they are definitely focused on the development of the person.”

Courtney Arnold is a center-mid for the team and likes playing for Fuerza because of the level of competition.

“It’s a higher level of team. Everyone is really great and the coaches are really supportive,” she said.

Arnold isn’t surprised that her team was promoted to a higher level.

“I am not surprised at all. We’ve been training really hard to get up there. We practice four times a week,” she said.

Jensen Corbett, another member of the team, agrees.

“We do a lot of training and we work really hard,” said Corbett, who likes playing for Fuerza because they gave her time to work on field skills. “When we first won the state cup it was really exciting and I’m glad that we can be more challenged. I’m excited to see how it turns out.”

Arnold is looking forward to this spring’s state competition as well.

“Hopefully we will win the state cup this year. We’ve been working on a lot of things like minimal touches, diagonal passes and teaching the ball on the ground. Our coaches are awesome and really help you work through everything,” said Arnold.

The state cup qualifiers are April 13-14 and the tournament can end as late as May 3-5.

For more information on the Fuerza Futebol Clube visit www.fuerzafc.com.