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On July 26 and 27, 144 women's soccer teams will flock to Pleasanton to compete in the 5th Annual RAGE College Showcase. The showcase will give high school-aged soccer players a chance to play in front of more than 100 college coaches.

"The goal isn't to see who finishes first at the end of Sunday," said Marty Florian, showcase director. "It's to showcase the skills of the girls."

Five years ago, when the event started, the directors intended to have 72 teams and surpassed that goal with 80. This time, the tournament was meant to accommodate 136 teams, the same as last year, but enrollment was expanded to 144 so eight more teams could make it in. Even so, 50 teams were turned away, according to Florian.

According to Florian, the showcase has grown thanks to word of mouth and the showcase's website, www.rageshowcase.org. The best feedback came from a team that played in the Texas shootout in Houston last year. After a game, a college coach told the team he wanted to see them play again, so he asked if he would see them in Pleasanton.

"Coaches know you're coming to Pleasanton," Florian said. "The name's out there."

And as the showcase becomes more popular, the promise of many excellent players in one location draws more coaches. It takes place two weeks before the college soccer season starts, so it fits into many coaches' schedules, according to Florian. Also, he said Pleasanton itself attracts many coaches, as a destination and more importantly as a great place for soccer.

"The fact that we have 11 fields in one location is incredible," Florian said. "We don't have teams and coaches driving from place to place."

While the popularity of the showcase is a testament to its own success, Florian attributed the initial success to the tournament's predecessor.

"The showcase, which is part of the Rage organization, really started 20 years ago with the Friendship [Tournament] Brian and Joyce Leonard created," Florian said. "It was a very well-run tournament and teams wanted to be a part of it."

The showcase will include teams from the Under-15 age range to Under-19. Games will take place at the Pleasanton Sports Park, Val Vista Community Park, and Harvest Park Middle School. A banner will be hung below the Pleasanton sign downtown next week to let people know what's going on. With the large numbers expected to be in town, hotels, restaurants and other businesses should expect to be busy.

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