Chicago Eclipse Select
| Type | Soccer club |
|---|---|
| Industry | Youth Soccer Club |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Rory Dames |
| Headquarters | Oak Brook, Illinois |
| Website | www.eclipseselect.org |
The Eclipse Select Soccer Club, commonly called the Chicago Eclipse Select or just Chicago Eclipse, is an American soccer club for boys and girls in the Chicago metropolitan area. Founded in 1997 by Rory Dames, Eclipse has teams in local, regional, and national competitions, including the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), and the United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA).
Eclipse serves multiple locations in the Chicago area, serving the north (Northbrook), east (Oak Brook) and west (Naperville) suburbs. In 2021, Eclipse agreed to an affiliation agreement with Illinois Fire Juniors to establish Eclipse Select Central Illinois.
Misconduct allegations[]
On November 22, 2021, The Washington Post published an article with allegations from players, both previous and current, of abuse by Eclipse founder Rory Dames. The Post provided documentation of reports made to the United States Soccer Federation by players, such as Christen Press, as far back as 2014, detailing abuse, harassment, and inappropriate use of power as head coach to manipulate players.
“Three former Red Stars players, including one who played on the team at the time of the investigation, told The Post that they had wanted to speak to U.S. Soccer investigators but had never heard from them,” reported Hensley-Clancy. “Two had left the team because of Dames’s abuse”, they said.[1]
On February 8, 2022, the Washington Post published a follow up story reporting claims of misconduct dating back to the late 1990s, including a 1998 police report involving a youth player Dames coached at Eclipse. The allegations went further, including multiple players claiming to have had a sexual relationship with Dames with they played for him at Eclipse. An accuser claimed that sex “felt almost expected”. The verbal abuse also included constant name-calling, such as pussies, fucking idiots, fat ass, and retards.[2]
Dames’ role in the founding of Elite Clubs National League, an elite group of youth soccer clubs, of which he sat on the Board of Directors, and his role with the Chicago Red Stars and NWSL, played a role in players not speaking up, according to accusers. Players and parents were afraid Dames “could ruin the chance at a scholarship or a spot in the professional league,” if they spoke up. “But the monopoly over Chicago soccer, our belief that his connection to the college world was the only connection we would have — he used all of that to get away with doing and saying whatever the hell he wanted to us,” said an accuser.
Dames’ attorney claimed the allegations from the report were “unfounded.”
Notable former players[]
- Jen Buczkowski*
- Brittany Bock
- Liz Bogus
- Michele Dalton
- Sarah Uyenishi Dames
- Amy LePeilbet* - 2012 Olympic Gold medalist
- Leslie Osborne*
- Rachel Quon*
- Jackie Santacaterina*
- Alex Scott
- Casey Short*
- Julianne Sitch*
- Taylor Vancil*
- Elise Weber*
- Carmen Franco
* indicates current/past member of Chicago Red Stars
Flags indicate players capped by their national team
References[]
- ^ "'Nobody cares': NWSL players say U.S. Soccer failed to act on abuse claims against Red Stars coach". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
- ^ "'Nobody believed those teenagers'". Washington Post. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-02-12.
External links[]
- Soccer in Chicago
- Youth soccer in the United States