The PTFC Residential Camps are a unique opportunity to train with a great pool of players and be coached by an elite camp staff who have all either played collegiately or professionally. And this summer camps includes a very special coach.
Former Portland Timbers defender and current Thorns FC assistant coach Vytas Andriuskevicius – Vytas for short – will be among the coaches at both the boys and girls camp from from July 21-24 at Linfield University in McMinnville. Boys and girls will be housed in separate dorms and have separate training times.
During his time with the Timbers, Vytas appeared in 37 matches (29 starts), recording one goal and four assists. A native of Lithuania, he announced his retirement in 2021 after more than a decade playing professionally in the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Kazakhstan and Lithuania. At the international level, he featured in 31 matches for the Lithuania Men’s National Team.
The former Timbers defender has his USSF C license and has coached with the Oregon Premier Soccer Academy. During his time with OPFC, Vytas served as the head coach of the 2007 boys academy team as well as an assistant coach with the 2003 boys team. He was named as an assistant coach to the Thorns earlier this spring.
"I feel very lucky to have experienced a variety of coaches and cultures in my soccer career," he said. "Now after all those years of playing, I can give back to a new generation."
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The residential camp includes four days of training together on the pitch, as well as evenings learning from guest speakers such as a sports psychologist and current college coaches who will all give insight and helpful tips to the recruitment process.
Chris Thurley, a Thorns Regional Training Coach and longtime director at the PTFC Residential camps said that it's always exciting to see "how much players have grown as a team in just four days."
Vytas agrees and is excited to work with all of the players.
"I love the feeling when you meet new players, and you see the sparkles in their eyes," he said. "We share the same love for soccer and I can't wait to have fun and play together.
"Seeing anyone improve or succeed in any form is such a rewarding feeling. As a player, I enjoyed providing assists for others to score. Now giving any knowledge or support to improve or help players is the best joy I find."
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