RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Kickers have signed defensive midfielder Ali Sasankhah, the club announced Friday. Sasankhah adds a technically sound and hard-working presence to the club’s midfield unit ahead of the upcoming season.

Sasankhah joins Richmond following a four-year collegiate career at Sacramento State, where he developed into a consistent contributor for the Hornets while earning Big West Conference All-Academic Team honors in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

“During the roster build, we made it a point to look for competitors willing to do what it takes in different scenarios to get something out of each competition,” said Chief Sporting Officer and Head Coach Darren Sawatzky. “Ali brings a tough defensive presence, and he is very sharp on the ball. He has good passing range and is willing to mix it up when needed. As he gets up to speed, the City Stadium faithful will enjoy his brand of soccer.”

During his senior season in 2024, Sasankhah appeared in 15 matches with 11 starts, becoming a regular in Sacramento State’s midfield rotation down the stretch. He recorded one goal and two assists on the season, including a penalty finish in the regular season finale against UC Davis. Known for his composure on the ball and on-field endurance, Sasankhah played the full 90 minutes in multiple matches and started each of the Hornets’ final eight contests of the year.

The 6-foot-2 Persian-American saw steady growth throughout his collegiate career. As a junior in 2023, he started 14 matches and consistently featured in Sacramento State’s midfield, logging several full-match performances. The year prior, he played a major role in the Hornets’ lineup, starting 17 of 18 appearances in 2022, scoring his first collegiate goal in a road victory at Saint Mary’s while totaling 1,476 minutes on the pitch.

Sasankhah made his collegiate debut in 2021, appearing in nine matches as a freshman while earning four starts and recording multiple 90-minute performances early in his career.

“It means a lot to have officially signed my first professional contract with a well known club like the Kickers,” Sasankhah said  “I’ve heard amazing things about the team, fans and the atmosphere. I’m more than excited to be part of the Kickers family and play under Darren.”

Before arriving at Sacramento State, Sasankhah starred at Foothill High School in California, where he was named Pioneer Valley League MVP and team MVP, helping lead the Mustangs to a league title. At the club level, he competed for Placer United in Rocklin, California.

In addition to his collegiate experience, Sasankhah spent time competing in USL League Two with Des Moines Menace, gaining valuable experience in a competitive environment.

RICHMOND, Va. (March 2, 2026) – The ECNL is excited to announce an expansion of the ECNL Playoff structure, with the inaugural ECNL Conference League Playoffs set to kick off in the 2026-27 season in a collaboration with the new unified national competition consolidating the team-based competitions of US Club Soccer and US Youth Soccer.

The ECNL Conference League Playoffs in summer 2027 will combine qualifying teams from the ECNL Regional League and the new competition that combines US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues and US Youth Soccer’s National League. The combined new competition will be the top team-based competition in the country, integrated into US Club Soccer’s youth soccer competitive pathway.

“The new ECNL Conference League Playoffs, and the new competition pathway with US Club Soccer and USYS, will recognize and reward top performing teams at all levels of the pyramid, in a logical and transparent pathway,” said ECNL President Christian Lavers. “This collaboration will provide needed clarity and connection in the youth game, and we look forward to the first four ECNL Conference League playoff events in 2027.”

The 2026-27 ECNL Conference League Playoffs will feature four regional playoff events, culminating in the ECNL Conference League Finals in the summer of 2027. The 2026-27 ECNL Conference League Playoffs will take place in Dallas, TX, Davis, CA, Greensboro, NC, and St. Louis, MO with the location of ECNL Conference Finals to be announced at a later date. The ECNL Conference League Playoffs will expand to six venues in the 2027-2028 season to include more locations and teams, and to further reduce travel.

This new postseason structure continues the collaborative work between US Club Soccer, US Youth Soccer, and the ECNL, providing a capstone competition to the competitive pathway announced in December.

The release of US Club Soccer’s competition pathway also coincided with U.S. Soccer’s recently announced Pathways Strategy, an initiative committed to making the game easier to navigate, more accessible and more supportive. To that effect, US Club Soccer welcomes other organizations in the youth soccer ecosystem to collaborate in this vision, and has had positive discussions with many other member organizations.

###

About US Club Soccer

A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer fosters the growth and development of soccer clubs in order to create the best possible environment for players of all ages.

Anchored by Players First and its pillars of Club Development, Coaching Development, Player Development, Referee Development, Parent Engagement & Education and Player Health & Safety, US Club Soccer offers registration, league- and cup-based competition platforms, player identification and a variety of other programming, resources and services. US Club Soccer is sponsored by Nike, DICK’S Sporting Goods and Gatorade.

About the ECNL

The ECNL is the nation’s leading youth soccer development platform for America’s top soccer players. The ECNL mission to provide the best youth sports experience in the world drives constant innovations in competitions and experiences for players, parents, families, coaches, referees, and partners. The ECNL has questioned convention and challenged the status quo of youth sport since 2009, pushing boundaries and striving for unmatched excellence. Together with its clubs and club leaders, the ECNL creates unforgettable memories and supports the development of youth players into college stars, professionals, world champions, and leaders.

Gold Country Media
by Matt Long
November 22, 2025

If you or your kids play soccer, then you were probably at last Friday’s grand opening of the Placer Valley Soccer Complex.

Located at 2600 Westbrook Blvd. in Roseville, the complex features 10 full-sized lighted synthetic turf soccer fields, which were built for competition, recreation, and sports tourism. The complex was built by Bothman Construction at a cost of $48 million.

“We feel super privileged to be involved with the project; it’s an amazing facility,” said Simon Murphy, senior project manager with Bothman Construction. “It’s been a real pleasure working with the city. The project was finished right on schedule in just over two years.”

The idea of building a soccer complex was first considered in 2004.

“This is certainly a game-changer for us in the realm of youth and adult sports in Roseville,” said Tara Gee, park planning & development manager. “This is a significant accomplishment for the city to make this happen. I always said that ‘Yeah, we can build a soccer complex, but we can do better than that. We’re going to build a soccer experience,’ and that’s what we did. To see the efforts from the last five years, this is just the culmination of all that work. It’s super-exciting to build this facility for the people of Roseville.”

The grand-opening celebration featured youth soccer clinics and kids zone soccer activities led by Sacramento Republic FC and Iron Rose FC, field hockey demos and drop-in activities by the Roseville Field Hockey Club, lacrosse demos and drop-in activities by Roseville Lacrosse, soccer demos by Placer United Soccer Club, Roseville Soccer Club and Rocklin FC, flag football demos by the Roseville Parks, Recreation and Libraries, as well as adult drop-in soccer, foam blaster drop-in games and tiny tot and kids sports activities. A great time was had by all who attended.

The complex is much-needed in Roseville.

“Right now, every piece of turf/grass we have in Roseville is used by soccer,” Gee said. “Soccer is great to have in our neighborhood parks, but it also presents a challenge when it comes to traffic, parking, and use. We will be able to move much of the soccer to this complex, which will allow the parks to be used by the neighborhoods. We are very excited to have soccer in one place.”

The economic impact of this soccer complex could be as much as $15 million a year for the city of Roseville, including not just revenue generated by the complex but also retail, entertainment, hotel stays, etc.

“If that estimate comes to fruition, this complex will be paid off in four years,” Gee said. “And after that, that $15 million will benefit everyone in Roseville. We based that on hosting 12 tournaments per year and we’ve already got 15 tournaments booked and more inquiries happening now on top of those 15. That’s amazing. That’s the kind of excitement that’s buzzing right now in this community.”

One local group that’s certainly excited about the soccer complex is the Placer United Soccer Club based in Rocklin. The youth development soccer club features 1,000 members playing on 67 teams from U8 to U19. The club is also a part of US Club Soccer and the Elite Club National League (ECNL).

“We are ecstatic and so happy to be a part of this new facility,” said Jeanne Mabry, Placer United, marketing and special events. “We train on fields throughout South Placer County. This is an opportunity to bring our teams together in one place. It gives us a technical and tactical advantage to train and have everyone here together. Being all-weather fields, we will train here all year long, along with our indoor facility in Rocklin.”

Anyone interested in using the soccer complex should contact the city of Roseville.