PEORIA, IL (Oct. 24, 2025) – Peoria City’s off-season training schedule kicked off Monday with the launch of the After-School Training Program at The Yard Peoria and The House Barbell Club.
Open to youth players of all ages and skill levels, the After-School Training Program offers twice weekly, 1-hour sessions of soccer skills, as well as a pair of 1-hour sessions in fitness training for participants ages 10-18. Supervised by Peoria City President and 30-year college coaching veteran Jim DeRose, the soccer periods are hosted Mondays and Wednesdays, 4-5 pm, at The Yard Peoria, while The House Barbell Club Director of Wellness and Fitness Joey O’Brien directs the Strength, Speed and Agility periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5 pm, at The House Barbell Club.
Session 1 in the Peoria City After-School Training Program will continue through Nov. 13 with Session 2 scheduled to run Nov. 17-Dec. 18 and Session 3 set for Jan. 5-29. Registration for Session 1 will remain open through Sunday night with options available in all three sessions to include Soccer only on Mondays and Wednesdays, Strength/Speed/Agility only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, half sessions (4) for either program one day per week or the complete training bundle to include all sessions of both programs.
Several Peoria City off-season programs at The Yard Peoria are on tap as winter approaches, beginning with Sundays with the Carp Nov. 9, Nov. 16 and Nov. 23. Peoria City also will host Small-Sided Game Days Sundays Dec. 7, Dec. 14 and Dec. 21, followed by the one-day soccer-specific Winter Back-to-School Camp Monday, Jan. 3 and the Spring Break Sports & Activities Camp April 6-9.
For players looking to set their own training and playing times, The Yard Peoria also offers soccer-specific membership plans, which provide a number of benefits, including scheduling priority at The Yard, discounts on most Peoria City programs and complimentary Peoria City season tickets.
Meanwhile, Peoria City alumni continue to perform at a high level across the collegiate ranks:
Quinten Blair, Saint Louis – Logging the full 90 minutes in the back line, Blair converted the tying penalty kick in the 61st minute, helping #20 Saint Louis (8-1-4, 5-0-1 A10) rally from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 win against Fordham (7-3-3, 4-1-2 A10) last Saturday at Robert R. Hermann Stadium.
By handing Fordham its first Atlantic-10 Conference loss of the season, Saint Louis moved to the top of the A-10 table. The Billikens will look to extend their 5-game unbeaten streak Saturday afternoon when they visit Blair’s former side, Loyola Chicago.
Charlie Dickerson, Providence/Grant Locker, Marquette – In the latest matchup of Peoria City alumni, Dickerson’s Providence squad picked up a pivotal Big East Conference win, taking a 1-0 home decision against Locker’s Marquette side last Thursday. Dickerson has yet to come off the field for the Friars this season, once-again playing the full 90 minutes in the back to lead his squad’s third shutout of the year, while Locker logged 24 minutes off the bench for Marquette.
Wes Gibson, SIU Edwardsville – Gibson was named Ohio Valley Conference Defender of the Week Tuesday after anchoring a Cougars defense that posted consecutive shutouts Oct. 16 versus Houston Baptist (1-0) and Oct. 19 against Incarnate Word (2-0). The senior defender played all 180 minutes in the two games and helped limit UIW to just three shots on goal Sunday. He has now earned OVC Defender-of-the-Week honors six times in his career.
Gibson’s play has helped the Cougars to a 5-game unbeaten streak as SIUE has climbed to within one point of Liberty for second place in the OVC table. SIUE will visit Liberty Saturday afternoon before closing the regular season next week with games Thursday versus Western Illinois and Nov. 2 at Eastern Illinois.
Jose Gomez, Northern Illinois – Despite playing a man down at the time, Northern Illinois pushed ahead in the 64th when Jose Gomez set up Martin Montoya for the game-winner in a 2-1 victory against Notre Dame Tuesday night at NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Gomez leads the Huskies with five assists on the season.
NIU (6-3-4, 1-0-3 MVC) will look to stay unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play when the Huskies return to Valley action Saturday at fellow MVC unbeaten UIC (8-1-4, 1-0-3 MVC).
Mike Paye/Lucas Fontana/Hector Medrano, Clarke – Led by Peoria City head coach Mike Paye, Clarke (5-5-5) is unbeaten in its last three games, including a 3-0 shutout last Saturday against Missouri Baptist. Minding the net in 14 of Clarke’s 15 games to date, Fontana earned his fifth shutout of the season, while Medrano netted the game’s final goal for his fifth tally of the season, tied for second-most on the team.
Ruben Resendez, Bryant – Peoria City’s first head coach in 2022, Resendes’ Bryant squad held its No. 2 national ranking by extending its nation-leading 15-game unbeaten streak (13-0-2) with a scoreless draw Tuesday at No. 6 Princeton. The Bulldogs will face another stiff challenge Saturday when they host defending national champion and current No. 7 Vermont in a battle for America East Conference supremacy.
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